Refinishing Old Religion

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

The weight of making peace is as great as that of making war. Making peace requires a commitment to compromise, a willingness to forgive, a humility that includes the possibility of indignity and loss of face. It is all more than most militants can bear.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Did you imagine a world like this? With its beauty and tragedy, complexity and diversity?
Did you imagine a humanity like this? With our loving and warring, our generosity and villainy?
Did you imagine my life like this? With its joys and struggles, hopes and disappointment?
I hope you’re pleased with the way it’s all unfolding.
For my part, I think it’s magnificent.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, I swear. So help me God.”

[Not what He said at the trial – He didn’t believe in swearing oaths, remember?]

D. Blog: Refinishing Religion

Sometimes our religions are farcical. We engage in silliness and worse in the name of religion (self mutilation; 72 virgins per martyr). So much of it has everything to do with tradition, superstition, nostalgia and mythology and nothing at all to do with anything remotely resembling love of God and love of one another. It can take a great of effort to sort through the layers of structure, ritual and priestly control to reach the Divine One. Jesus faced the same issues. The centuries have added layer upon layer to His life and teaching, but if we look closely and remove some of the layers, we can see the Divine in Him.