god

[sonofthesun]

i love it. so many responses. all i know is that all is connected and nothing truly dies, just forms, doesnt really help in the thick of it, but we can only enjoy that which we had and go forth. smilegirl...not sure if there is a better compliment. feel free to reply at any time anyone, i may not respond but it shall be read, and i enjoy knowing your thoughts. thank you and may you know i love. almost crying now. smiles

[joel]

friendship is a good religion.

isn't god supposed to protect us?

Full disclosure: I was baptized into the life and death and life of the One in whom I've thrust my trust, my faith, on April 26, 1981; I had been born on November 10, 1980--four hundred ninety-seven years to the day after the prophet of the reformation of my religion.

I was ordained a pastor in the church I entrust to that same One, following in the tradition of that same reformer, twenty-six and half years later on October 26, 2007.

And every day I live in and by the faith of a prayer I have shared with those of my faith before and alongside me: "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief."

Of the gods of this world, I find faith in a god who does not protect me, but who claims a share in the reality (joy and heartbreak) of my very human experience of a very vast universe. Of the reformers of religions, I find faith seeking understanding in the words of one very imperfect human who would have done well to dwell on the deepest theology of the beautiful thought: "friendship is a good religion."

Here my voice is a writer's, not an authority's. And my faith is all I have to witness, proofless and imperfect, yet all I have on which to hold. And this conversation--this thread--has been blessing me profoundly. Thanks!

[SmileGRL]

sonofthesun...this is one of the reasons why i love poetry forums. it brings together people from all over to share thoughts and find a gift therein.

joel... you have quoted two things i said in this conversation. i will adress it...not in defense. (i don't mind being quoted.) but in the interest of sharing my thought process a little.

i grew up christian. from an early age i understood that god was a big deal. god was to be worshiped (every sunday, every night before bed. at every meal time). god was to be feared (god's jealousy, judgment and wrath. hell. and all that) and if things go wrong, you pray. you pray for the sick to be healed, for it to rain during drought, or for the safety of loved ones. where i grew up people worshiped and feared god and they asked him to protect them. that was the crux of religion for me. i never really connected to that.

then i learned that you can ask god to protect you all you want, but he won't always protect you from abuse, neglect, heartbreak, depression, etc. you had to find your own way out there. so i stopped going to church. i stopped reading the bible. i knew there was a god, but if he didn't care about me, why should i care about him. although i didn't dare saying that out loud for fear of god's wrath.

then i found the internet. i made friends i never would have made. people with open minds and kind hearts and wise souls. people struggling with life and finding their own answers. people willing to share what they knew with others, motivating me to not be afraid of searching for my own answers. i never really though about it as "friendship being a religion"...that was actually just a reply to jack. but now that i think about it, that's exactly what i found.

i believe that god places people on our paths to guide us. friends. and it's through the wisdom and compassion of friends that i found god again.

i also believe that it doesn't really matter what we believe as long as we find something that makes sense to us and helps us navigate through life. that's faith.

imperfect. yes. aren't we all. we can never be perfect. but we are always perfectly us.

blessed by having these sort of conversations. absolutely. when i saw i was quoted, i was expecting a dressing down or an argument from a pastor defending the faith of his church. what i got was an unintentional motivation to share my story, an intentional motivation make a connection (maybe not the same connection you had in mind) and a thank you (obviously not just directed at me, but still).

so thank yOu.

[joel]

smileGRL--

I had been really hesitant to reply, because I know there are many voices within my religion that have built up our reputation for being close minded, judging, damning, fear-throwing...et cetera. Thanks for hearing me so kindly...I only wanted to pass on my thanks and to share my perspective. I rest my faith (not my case) on One who reconciles all things to where they need to be for wholeness, and on One who suffers and opens up pathways for good out of unjust circumstances. I see in all the beauty of the One I know as all in all...trusting that One can't be all in all if not in everything--even if sometimes One is in something as one who hurts (or who laughs appropriately).

Faith is a huge field. Friendship is a huge gift. I'm happy to stand on a corner of one with a taste of the other, trusting to receive more of each as needed.

Peace! Thanks!

[SmileGRL]

and peace to you pastor joel. this was good. i'm glad that you did reply.

ps. there is beauty in that there is a little bit of god in each of us. i have come to believe that if (or when) i can find compassion in myself to see past the fears and the reputations and really see someone, flaws and heartbreaks and joys and gifts and all, it will bring gifts of peace and growth. but when i cling to old hurts and expectations, i get the opposite.