 |
| The Mystery within... |
If you were in the wrong would you rather be admonished or
invited to change? If good
religion is sourced in love, compassion and tolerance wouldn't it also be
inviting? If all is sacred, why exclude? If non-violence creates spiritual
healing, wouldn't we all want to become more inclusive and peaceful? Could the exclusionary hierarchy of patriarchy find peace and healing in promoting diversity among its ranks? I'm not at all sure.
Barbara Brown Taylor, a former Episcopal pastor who left her position to
teach theology, summarized so beautifully in her book "Leaving Church" what religion needs today: "We needed a different way of being together before
God, shaped more like a circle than pyramid. We needed to ditch the sheep paradigm. We needed to take turns filling in for
Jesus, understanding that none of us was equal to the task to which all of us
had been called. We needed to share
the power." And she asks
this great question, "…might it be time for people
of good faith to allow that God's map is vast, with room on it for both a
center and an edge? While the
center may be the place where the stories are preserved, the edge is the place
where the best of them happen."
Nathan Schneider—The Wisdom of Millennials was a Krista
Tippet's On Being guest. He remarked institutions will always
fail us but are necessary and important only if they are willing to change and
grow. He saw the prospect of
positive change in the Nones, those claiming no religious affiliation yet many striving
to lead a good life. Though I am considerably older than the Millennials Schneider was talking about, my leaving
church has infused me with a blessed freedom. I have broadened my spirituality through exploring a variety
of spiritual practices that have helped me grow. Will today's Nones be a force for future positive change in
religion? Only time will tell.
What if we trusted God will eventually draw positive growth
from the changes happening today?
No comments :
Comment