running into an old flame

[saw]

she said, oh my !
So, You still don't believe in god
I said, I don't disbelieve either
and if you really want to have a discussion
about this, I'd first need to know which god you are referencing
but if you simply need a reason to look down on me
then we can just skip the discussion part...and
it that is the case in point here
I won't hold that against you, I understand
conviction can run very deep
and I figure at our current age we've both
been on a long journey gathering up our own perceptions
and you have every right to believe whatever makes you feel good,
but I would ask that you afford me the same privilege
but if not, I still won't hold that against you
for it makes little sense in holding a grudge
when I'm already feeling quite comfortable in this skin
I'm wearing which seems to be impervious
to insistence from outside influencers

[Doreen Peri]

I don’t disbelieve either. Who knows? I like to leave all possibilities open. Otherwise, I might be disappointed.

Heavy conversation for running into an old flame. Thanks for the glimpse.

[sasha]

I used to believe
or at least convinced myself enough
to play the part for my parents
we went to church every Sunday
reciting Latin incantations
kneeling, standing, sitting
when told
to make sure we didn't stand out...

and then one day
in Physic 601
Kepler's equations appeared
after 2 days of mathematical chanting -
Holy shit, I thought - God's footprints...

but that nudge changed my orbit
and I began to see the world
not as a creation
but as a work in perpetual progress
and God' has become god
just a metaphor
shorthand for the smallness I feel
standing before the infinite
and I think that's what God was meant to be
and if your God works for you
that's cool
so long's you don't step on
someone else's

[saw]

doreen...it was surprisingly a direction that I didnt expect....and of course my interpretation isnt the real dialogue but I think conveys the sentiment I came away with as well as some of the interjections from me

roy...same with me....went to church with the family...did what they wanted me to....and even did a year and a half of catholic school....it was there at age 8, the nuns refused to answer my "childish" questions.....I remember reading in my catechism the concepts we needed to learn and those words, The Fear of God.... and that disturbed me. So my question was something like how can you love someone (god ) that you are afraid of....Blasfemey !......And I was done. I couldn't pretend any longer that this all felt right for me

but i allow others to express themselves as they wish

One of the hardest thingfor me came when my daughter had leukemia at age 6 and peope would say to me, I'll pray for her....initially I was dumfounded and didn't immediately know how to respond.....but as I gathered myself together I realised these people are offering me their very best, something that is precious to them and I need to say Thank You !
thank you very much....and I grasped the importance of many folks putting into the air their wishes for good health for my daughter.....if nothing else this collective positive vibe...how can that be a bad thing....so prayer it was...and I was more than okay with that

[mnaz]

Like I've said for a long time, as soon as you try to put (capital-"G") God in a box, you lose me. This is similar to how a discussion with my fairly recent "flame" might unfold, except she wasn't judgmental. (Would she be more judgmental if I ran into her years from now?)