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Wisdom Story
Nasruddin became prime minister to the king. He saw a royal falcon in the palace. Nasruddin had never seen this kind of bird before, and he assumed it to be a pigeon. So, he got a pair of scissors and trimmed the claws, the wings, and the beak of the falcon.
"Now, you look like a decent bird," Nasruddin said. "Your keeper had evidently been neglecting you."
Comments
Tradition can be leading and misleading. Tradition, at its best, provides a faithful framework to inspire experience of the Divine. Tradition, at its worst, fossilizes ideas into ideology and demands of us, if we are to be esteemed faithful, to fit all our experiences of the Divine in its rigid contours of "sacral" correctness.
Simply put, the sole defining mark of experience being God-inspired is one matter alone: Does it fit the human words of the theological system constructed by other humans? Theology, in this sense becomes self-justifying; it has become a restrictive, godless, and inhuman idolatry.
Theology is the record of past human experience of God put into human systems of thought. While tradition, with its ideas and rites, can be a helpful and powerful indicator, it cannot be a definer.
Suggested Reflection
How do you find tradition to serve you in your experience of God?
Have you had any experience of God you struggled to fit in the teachings you received from the religious group you belong to? Explain.
How might tradition guide us in discerning what is of God or not within human claims to religious, or spiritual, experience?
Brian is available to respond to requests pertaining to seeking a Spiritual Director, his speaking, doing classes, workshops, or retreats for churches or other spiritual groups. He will inform regarding how to receive his other writings or offer replies to comments or questions.
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*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his wife, Rocio, and their two dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Clearwater and Punta Gorda, Florida. He is a United Methodist pastor and vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in Georgia. His passion is living a contemplative life and inspiring others to experience a deeper relationship with Christ through contemplative prayer and living.
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