Denomination
I have been writing a series of late called "Closet to Clothesline". The gist of it is how we all relate to our own spirituality. The closet refers to how we think about our faith and spirituality when no one is around. The clothesline is referring to our faith when we have the courage to share with others the deep questions we have. Basically we are putting our faith and spirituality on public display in a kind manner.
Why do I think this is important? Simply put, because our faith and spirituality is who we are internally and when we can bring it to the surface externally I believe our lives will take shape in a positive direction. The obvious problem is that our lives have been formed by traditional truths that are taboo to question publicly so we are relegated to faith exploration in the closet of our mind. I do not believe that God was intended to be put on a shelf and hidden nor do I believe that God intended to have the so called truth forced on us.
Much ado is being made about religious fanaticism around the world right now. It seems to me that as this phenomenon escalates the confusion as to what and who we are gets lost in the shuffle. In a subtle kind of way even churches that are well intentioned focus on bringing people into conformity to the point that they feel as though they fit in. By no means am I making a comparison to good churches filled with love and those fanatic religions that promote hate. The point I am trying to draw is that people want to belong to something whether it be good or bad. As long as they feel that what they are doing matters the true depth of who they are can be suppressed for the so called greater good of mankind. Is this conformity healthy? That is the question of the ages. I think in order to become the greatest version of ourselves possible we must identify with the spirit of God that dwells inside us. That does not come from conformity it comes from originality.
Even though it would cause a whirlwind of confusion I think more churches should embrace the fact that people are searching beyond their doors for answers to the so called truth of life, death, heaven, and hell. To many of us, myself included, have spent years in the closet of faith because I lived in fear that questioning the core tenets of my religion would cause serious consequences.
As you know church attendance is in a dramatic decline, especially among Christian churches. Sure some of the mega churches are flourishing but the main reason they are is because they are so big that you can get lost in the shuffle and they preach a positive, warm, feel good message, which by the way is not a bad message to preach. It is the local neighborhood churches that are fading away fast. I find it interesting that churches form think tanks and committees to discuss how to attract the so called lost sheep as well as to bring back home the defectors. In their own little delusional world many have calculated that the reason people are leaving church is because of the focus on New Age. What is missing in this conglomeration of thinkers is the people that have left the church or refuse to attend. The very people that have the answers are once again left out.
It would be easy to say that they need a good dose of Jesus or that they need to spend more time in the word. What isn't so easy to do is to sit down and listen with an open mind believing that what they have to say matters. Look folks it is obvious that WE DO NOT HAVE IT RIGHT. I say that with conviction because the Christian church is so divided right now that I am not sure it can be brought back together. Every street corner has a new building popping up with the so called truth. They are getting creative though because now no church wants to consider themselves a denomination. Think about that please.
As I often say and will continue to say. God is inherent in each of us. We are born with love running through our veins. Peace, love, acceptance, and forgiveness is natural, it is hate and divisiveness that is a learned behavior. If we allowed ourselves to explore our faith and spirituality within our own heart and mind first I truly believe that our conscience will guide us to a religion if we so choose that will help form who we are. God is love which means we are love. Anything that is outside of love is not of God. We do not need to spew hate and condemnation to get a point across, in fact what we need to do is turn the other cheek more times than not.
If you are like me and you are in search of life's meaning please do your exploration with a kind genuine respectful heart. No one is obligated to think or act like you or I, and thank goodness for that fact. It takes us all loving life to make the world go round. Not only loving life but appreciating the fact that we are all different. To fully understand God in you I think we have to understand that we were born an original and we cannot and should not die a copy. To have true agape love we have to utilize the spirituality that is inherent in our body and soul. Let's look back to gain wisdom and look forward to gain life.
peace and love
Dale
Why do I think this is important? Simply put, because our faith and spirituality is who we are internally and when we can bring it to the surface externally I believe our lives will take shape in a positive direction. The obvious problem is that our lives have been formed by traditional truths that are taboo to question publicly so we are relegated to faith exploration in the closet of our mind. I do not believe that God was intended to be put on a shelf and hidden nor do I believe that God intended to have the so called truth forced on us.
Much ado is being made about religious fanaticism around the world right now. It seems to me that as this phenomenon escalates the confusion as to what and who we are gets lost in the shuffle. In a subtle kind of way even churches that are well intentioned focus on bringing people into conformity to the point that they feel as though they fit in. By no means am I making a comparison to good churches filled with love and those fanatic religions that promote hate. The point I am trying to draw is that people want to belong to something whether it be good or bad. As long as they feel that what they are doing matters the true depth of who they are can be suppressed for the so called greater good of mankind. Is this conformity healthy? That is the question of the ages. I think in order to become the greatest version of ourselves possible we must identify with the spirit of God that dwells inside us. That does not come from conformity it comes from originality.
Even though it would cause a whirlwind of confusion I think more churches should embrace the fact that people are searching beyond their doors for answers to the so called truth of life, death, heaven, and hell. To many of us, myself included, have spent years in the closet of faith because I lived in fear that questioning the core tenets of my religion would cause serious consequences.
As you know church attendance is in a dramatic decline, especially among Christian churches. Sure some of the mega churches are flourishing but the main reason they are is because they are so big that you can get lost in the shuffle and they preach a positive, warm, feel good message, which by the way is not a bad message to preach. It is the local neighborhood churches that are fading away fast. I find it interesting that churches form think tanks and committees to discuss how to attract the so called lost sheep as well as to bring back home the defectors. In their own little delusional world many have calculated that the reason people are leaving church is because of the focus on New Age. What is missing in this conglomeration of thinkers is the people that have left the church or refuse to attend. The very people that have the answers are once again left out.
It would be easy to say that they need a good dose of Jesus or that they need to spend more time in the word. What isn't so easy to do is to sit down and listen with an open mind believing that what they have to say matters. Look folks it is obvious that WE DO NOT HAVE IT RIGHT. I say that with conviction because the Christian church is so divided right now that I am not sure it can be brought back together. Every street corner has a new building popping up with the so called truth. They are getting creative though because now no church wants to consider themselves a denomination. Think about that please.
As I often say and will continue to say. God is inherent in each of us. We are born with love running through our veins. Peace, love, acceptance, and forgiveness is natural, it is hate and divisiveness that is a learned behavior. If we allowed ourselves to explore our faith and spirituality within our own heart and mind first I truly believe that our conscience will guide us to a religion if we so choose that will help form who we are. God is love which means we are love. Anything that is outside of love is not of God. We do not need to spew hate and condemnation to get a point across, in fact what we need to do is turn the other cheek more times than not.
If you are like me and you are in search of life's meaning please do your exploration with a kind genuine respectful heart. No one is obligated to think or act like you or I, and thank goodness for that fact. It takes us all loving life to make the world go round. Not only loving life but appreciating the fact that we are all different. To fully understand God in you I think we have to understand that we were born an original and we cannot and should not die a copy. To have true agape love we have to utilize the spirituality that is inherent in our body and soul. Let's look back to gain wisdom and look forward to gain life.
peace and love
Dale
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