Where There is No Vision the People will Perish

"Where there is no vision the people will perish."

 - Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

This week I was asked by my church to prepare a question to ask potential candidates for our new priest.  When I was called by the search team member, who is an amazing leader and servant in my church, I said how do we combine the intellectual, the heart and the universal in a time where many people no longer see Christianity and the church as relevant?  I based this question on the fact that the Episcopal Church in which I am a member, as well as other major denominations are declining in membership.  And some like our church home, may not survive once my generation and the generation before me is gone.

Six years ago, at a Catholic Women’s Retreat, I was told by another participant that I was a Christian voice for the 21st Century, and that I needed to write.  So, I began my blog Sacred Souls and slowly started to develop my voice.  Several weeks ago, I sent my last blog entry titled Walk in Spirit to my 83-year-old former mother-in-law with whom I often attend services at a Baptist church.  She texted me back, “you need to be a minister.”  My response back to her was that her pastor would not agree with her, as well as many other priests and pastors.  I am an “out of the box” thinker whose writings sometimes challenge mainstream biblical and theological interpretations. I do know that there are some Christians such as Fr. Richard Rohr and Sister Ilia Delio, who are  Franciscans would probably agree with many of my thoughts.  They hope to move the Catholic Church into a universal thinking of Christ as love within all of creation with less focus on sin.  My spiritual advisor, who is Catholic, has discussed with me whether it is possible to transform an institution as large as the Catholic Church which is immersed in historical theology and male dominated hierarchies.   My thoughts are no - it must come from smaller denominations with a spiritual awakening.  

The reason I believe that Christianity and mainstream churches in the United States are declining in membership, is because the focus is on an individual path for salvation as a human being, not focused on spirit and universality.   Many churches are vested in a hierarchy and doctrine developed over many centuries.  I was reminded in last week’s Bible Study on 2 Peter by our interim priest, to be Christian is to be baptized and believe in the resurrection, not to walk in the spirit of Christ.  Our interim priest made it clear not adhering to established church theology of Biblical interpretation is heresy. He said that Peter was addressing attacks from within Christianity and that we have two choices - eject dissenters or repudiate them in church.   I was reminded during that study that my thoughts on the universality of love and Christ, may be viewed as an internal attack from within the church.   I am very aware I could lose my church home and the love from others if I question the theological interpretation as explained by the priests and other religious authorities.  

Last week, my thoughts on some churches losing relevancy because of the focus on salvation not love was touched upon in a recent On My Mind podcast with Diane Rehm, in which she discussed racism in Christianity with Robert P. Jones.  He is the CEO and Founder of PRRI and a leading scholar on religion, culture and politics.  He holds a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University, a master’s in divinity and a B.S. in computing science and mathematics.  PRRI conducted a survey with over 6,000 participants to compare attitudes between white Christians and white non-Christians about white supremacy and racism.  He found that white Christians in all denominations, were more racist by a 20-30 point difference over white non Christians.   For example, white Christians were more likely to believe police killings of blacks are isolated incidents, not part of  widespread discrimination.  When asked why would white Christians be more racist?  Robert Jones responded he believed it to be that white Christianity focuses on individual salvation.    Many white Christians may do acts of charity such as feeding the hungry and homeless, but do they change the underlying system causing the hunger and homelessness in the same light as Reverend Martin Luther King did with poverty, voting rights and segregation?  

I am not discounting the importance of the Bible and the contributions of Christians to theology and rituals over thousands of years. This is the intellect of Christ.   I know in my spiritual journey as well as the testimonies of others, that Christians modeling the love of God saved me when I was in despair and helped me to realize the goodness and love of God.  This is the heart of Christ.  But to become relevant in a time when our awareness of the global is increasing due to modern transportation and communication we need look at our theology, rituals and the Bible through different eyes.  Sometimes the same Bible verses, prayers and rituals interpreted, emphasized and acted upon in a new light can change everything.  The spirit and the unseen hand of God is more powerful than our humanity.  Perhaps that is why a growing percentage of people in the United States say they are spiritual, but not religious.  And why mainstream churches emphasizing doctrine over  universal love, spirit and action are in decline.  

In my March 21, 2016 blog entry titled A True Work of Art Is but A Shadow of the Divine Perfection, I wrote this – 

"Where there is no vision the people will perish." - Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

“For years I had an unframed print in my office at Saint Louis University of the portion of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting of God reaching out to touch Adam's hand with Michelangelo’s quote, "A true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."  Most interpreters would say that we could never perfectly replicate or reproduce what God creates.

I believe that this interpretation of Michelangelo's quote does not reveal the full genius of his insight.  True art comes from the soul and changes not only "what we see" but "how we see."  In the Bible it is the sight of the "unseen" that is divine, and a true work of art is but a shadow of the divine.  It is the unseen hand of God touching us.  Without this vision, the people shall perish.”

    

  

Walk by Spirit

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."  Romans 8:14

This week I have been struggling with my intuitive and innate understanding of God with what is taught in various denominations especially when it comes to the Bible.  On one hand there are denominations such as Southern Evangelicals that believe that only the Bible reveals the truth about God and that everything in the Bible literally happened as written.  Other denominations such as the Catholic Church write that “All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, ‘because all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ.”  They continue to say, that Scripture is divinely inspired and is unique in world literature.  They acknowledge the Bible contains myths, stories, parables and historical facts inspired by God. The Bible is written this way because it allows for revelation, that is drawing multiple messages from the same text.  This also allows for prophecy and other deeper insights requiring imagination.  The deep spiritual insight represented in Genesis that we intuitively understand within the story is what is essential, not whether we believe literally that a man and woman named Adam and Eve once physically existed in a garden called Eden.  

Many Biblical scholars agree that most of the Old Testament was written around 500 B.C. although chronological dates are assigned to events in Bible from 4,246 B.C. (Adam – Wikipedia) in the Old Testament.   The events and writing of the New Testament are contained within the first century A.D.  We know that parts of the Bible were written in multiple languages contained in separate documents.  Not until 500 A.D. was there consensus between denominations on what books to include in the Bible.  There are now many translations and versions of the Bible even within a single language such as English.   

In my mind, we need to recognize that the Bible tells the story of the evolving relationship and understanding by humans of God, reflecting the perspective of different cultures compiled together over a period of time.  The beliefs and understanding of God by a human at the time of Leviticus would not be the same as in 21st Century America.  Also, we need to recognize that most of the Old Testament was actually written in 500 B.C. reflecting that culture with recounted stories told verbally over possibly hundreds if not thousands of years.  To me the Bible as a divinely inspired book, the understanding of God grows as God gradually reveals his nature and message culminating in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. And that process comes from within.  I have come to believe that the original separation from God is spiritual, changing the nature of our humanity because humans were no longer immersed and connected to the consciousness of God and the eternal.  Ultimately the life, death and resurrection of Jesus represents a reconciliation of humans to the consciousness of God within eternity.  The Bible is first about a spiritual journey to remember who we are as children of God.  And because some Christians do not see Jesus’s underlying message that we are spirit, they focus on human behaviors or the law as communicated in the Old Testament and portions of the New Testament.  This can be problematic in our spiritual growth as individuals and as a community.  

To illustrate this point, let us examine slavery in which there are over 100 verses in the Bible.  Leviticus 25:44-46 ESV 

“As for your male and female slaves whom you may have, you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.” 

Later in the New Testament, Ephesians 6:5-8 Paul states, “Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,” Similar statements regarding obedient slaves can be found in Colossians 3:22-24, 1 Timothy 6:1-2, and Titus 2:9-10.  In the 21st Century most of us agree that slavery is immoral and not reflective of God, even though it is still practiced in some parts of the world.  But we know that white Christian slave owners in the United States often used the Bible to justify owning blacks.  But today, you will no longer find churches preaching pro-slavery sermons based on these verses.

In other cases, some churches preach homosexuality is a sin and cite Bible verses about marriage between a man and a woman as well as verses such as Leviticus 18:22 "Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (NLT) Although pastors know that slavery is condoned in the Bible but know it is wrong, will still preach against homosexuality.  They take this position although modern psychology states that although we do not clearly understand all the factors in sexual orientation, there is a biological element to it.   And as confirmed by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 homosexuality is no longer considered a mental disorder.    

Another example of changes in practices are Bible passages that state women are unclean when the menstruate therefore requiring isolation so not to contaminate men. We no longer follow those practices because we recognize it is a natural biological process, not an unclean act. 

Romans 13:1 states, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”  When asked why a loving God would establish the governments of Hitler, Stalin, North Korea and other autocratic or fascist leaders - the standard response from some Christians is that God allows these governments for his own purposes.  That suggests that God is a puppeteer pulling the strings deciding what he will and will not allow and that humans have no free will.  If that is the case, since God is all powerful and humans have no free will, why not just wipe creation of sin instead of letting humans suffer?  Allowing humans to suffer for no purpose brings to mind a God that is cruel.  This runs counter to a loving God that grants free will to allow spiritual growth in his children and creation.  A loving God is analogous to parents giving freedom to children to make choices in order to grow knowing their children will sometimes choose unwisely. 

Which brings me back understanding the Bible as a Holy Book as primarily documenting a spiritual awakening, reconciliation and revelation.  Revelation does not solely mean a final dramatic reveal, but also an ongoing process.  God reveals himself every day in all creation including our growing understanding of our humanity, nature, physics, and the Universe. That allows us to spiritually grow in ways not possible in 100 A.D. and some Bible verses can be viewed differently in this light including those on slavery and homosexuality.

God is the loving movement which remains unseen except by faith.  When humans choose love, they choose God.  And since God and love is the most powerful force in creation, ultimately it prevails even when some humans in a fallen world separated from God, chose differently.  And the movement of God is universal in spirit, not limited to the window of time we perceive as humans.  To focus solely as a human on an individual journey for salvation, is to deny our universality in spirit and eternal connection to God.   Understanding that our journey as written in the Bible as a spiritual awakening in light of eternity, I believe is Jesus' ultimate message. 

And when we walk by spirit – love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.

The Lighthouse and the Sailing Ship

 “I feel that we’re all lighthouses, and my job is to shine my light as brightly as I can to the darkness.” 

― Jim Carrey

I have been thinking tonight about the symbolism of lighthouses and ships.  A lighthouse can symbolize overcoming challenges or giving guidance - a way forward and help navigating through the world.  Reference.com writes “the lighthouse itself, can symbolize salvation and safety, especially in the face of adversity.  It also represents “the lighthouse keeper, the person who tends the lighthouse often living alone but always remaining vigilant…and alert under the direst of circumstances.” Light itself represents the divine and illuminates the ultimate reality or eternity and a house is a place of shelter often from storms.

Lightmeaning.com writes of the symbolism of a sailing ship – “Sailing represents a Spiritual Voyage, with the water embodying the source of All life, the embodiment of Spirituality, the Spiritual Wisdom of the Soul’s journey.  The symbolism of Sailing can represent – a New beginning, of exploring the Realms of Spirit that bring a deeper level of Consciousness.”

These symbols are a powerful connection with someone I love.  The combination of these symbols has deep meaning to me because sometimes I feel I am his lighthouse, with God working through me, often warning him of impending danger.  His journey started as a solitary rowboat in the middle of a lake but has evolved to a clipper sailing ship cutting quickly through the ocean safely into the harbor.   In a picture today, my friend showed a lighthouse on a cliff with an eagle soaring in the harbor.  An eagle represents an all-seeing eye and signifies inspiration and release from bondage to victory,  In the Bible the eagle is said to represent the Gospel of St. John.  In the book of the prophet Isaiah, we read, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Tonight, I have been feeling a sense of freedom and peace, believing my future journey is no longer bound by preconceptions and thoughts held onto in the past and now open to all possibilities.  

 

A Fresh Blanket of Snow

"It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it." John Burroughs

In experiencing the spiritual, I have been conscious of both the forces of good and evil in my life and in the lives of those around me.  These spiritual forces ebb and flow like the wind; the good uplifting thoughts and mood and the evil, an ominous presence and darkness.  In sacred spaces, I have experienced the glory of a garden lighting up a countryside and then the same garden dark, tattered, and desecrated.  I have experienced a general foreboding over our country, a warning of evil taken hold, a battle cry of the wicked.  But then as time moves on, I see the evil exposed as a righteous light is shone upon it and an army of angels descending glorious and triumphant.  I have felt the darkness and the light within and surrounding others, my body and mind absorbing their pain and joy.  I have experienced an evil force descending upon me to extinguish my light, and I have been immersed in a sinless earth everything sparkling like a sunny day after a winter snow.  None of these visions scare me, because I know the goodness and love of God, and I know he shows them to me for a purpose.

Much has been written about judgment of humans and our souls.  The great mystic St. Teresa of Avila wrote of the soul as an interior castle with many defensive layers, the most inner part pure and of God.   To me, our souls are the spiritual energy within our bodies - a light flooding surrounding areas with love or a dim light desecrated and broken.  Although we are individual souls, we are part of a field of consciousness that rises and falls together.  We can shine a collective bright light or diminish ourselves.  Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said we are evolving towards a collective spiritual singularity, sometimes experiencing a downward period only to move upward again.  Our human and spiritual journey forever linked.

We can never judge another human being or soul because only God from whom nothing can be hidden, can know what is in our hearts, our soul, and our life experience.  Only God has the power to breathe life back into someone’s soul that has been diminished.  But what we can do, is to ask God for mercy for ourselves and others asking for his deliverance.  

Christians write descriptions of the final battle, judgment and coming of Christ.  But my thoughts are when spiritual singularity is reached (transcendence of the mind to the spirit), all that is not of God (love) or is sin will be wiped from consciousness shared by the body of Christ.  And our thoughts will be like a pure azure blue sky with a fresh blanket of sparkling snow.  

Walking by Spirit and Faith

“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”  2 Corinthians 5:6-8.

This weekend, threads or narratives about my life and dreams filled my thoughts, especially since I have been isolated in my home, without normal outside activities to distract me.  My mind becomes aware of the many perspectives that underlie the human and spiritual actions of myself and others.

In my younger years, I saw the world as black and white, concrete not abstract.  That changed with a traumatic event at the age of thirty in which my mind became aware of the deeper order of the spiritual or God at work in the world.  While psychiatrists saw my thoughts or visions as psychotic (not real), I saw my thoughts and dreams as perceiving other dimensions within the collective unconsciousness.  I learned to analyze from many perspectives my intuitive visions that I had acted on, in order to evaluate their veracity.  And, with age came wisdom - that the possible outcomes in this reality, both good and bad I perceived, was never certain because it is always in the hands of God.  Freedom of spirit and the mind only comes when we accept the will of God and his outcome which is love.  And what psychiatrists say is not possible in this plane of perception (reality), can exist in eternity which is reflective of multiple dimensions within the collective unconsciousness.

We are often called by God to action based on intuition and love with human risk to ourselves and others, not knowing the outcome or how events will unfold within this plane of existence.  But we learn in the process to have peace of mind and freedom of spirit because God always rewards the faithful within eternity.  This what it means to walk by spirit and faith.