Only one way?

Saturday morning…the weekend, for those who typically get weekends. I've been in this job so long that I hardly coint weekends as breaks at all.  (Can't you just hear the whine?)

Spent a coiuple hours yesterday with a small group of people discussing their response to the dispensationalist view of the future.You know…Armageddon, Rapture, Tribulation and all us damned folk left behind in the tumult. In this part of the world that is baseine theology. It's a great rationale for a) ignoring the environment (it'll be gone any day, so why care?)…b) giving one a cubbyhole into which one can fit all the people you don't like or who disagree with you on anything.

My discussion group was interesting when we turned to "OK, what's YOUR understanding and belief about 'the future?' Lots of thoughtful discussion, and lots of questions unanswered, which seemed to bother no one. All had a pretty clear understanding of the evolutionary likelihood of our sun flaming out one day, Physical end taken care of. SAsregards personal continuation in some form, everyone had some kind of concept, and everybody vacillated between 'enduring human spirit' and attachment to loved ones in some undefined way. Everyone also had days when they figured it was all up at death, and even though theyb got angry at that, they were prepared to accept that. Back and forth, with open-ended questions.

To me, that seems like a healthy and human response. Too many answers kid us into thinking that we have everything all tied up, and God in our pocket, wrapped in tinfoil. Ending with a question reminds us that, in the end, we depend on "Other" - whatever "Other" is in your theology of life. In the meantime, the call is to LIVE, DO, and APPRECIATE. Good advice for me, who bitches far too much.

Thanks for the information about the Narcissism book. I'm struggling with buying it or "libraree-ing" it. You can imagine that my tempation is a long held problem, and that if library wins, I want kudos!

I had a recent tangle with the local ministerial association, whose "constitution" defnes what kind of Christian believer can belong to the organization… even who can attend their meetings! Like I need another meeting in my life! The crux is willingness to sign a document which states that your Christian belief includes the "historic creeds" - meaning Aposles and Nicaean Creed. Apostles is a bit much for me, but Nicean is just ridiculous! Knowing the history takes all the "holiness" out of it. The Council of Nicaea was called because the Emperor demanded it. He wanted a unified religion - he'd recently made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire - and he wanted it NOW! So the boys got together and argued for a few months. There were two views on the nature of Christ: he is of one substance with the Father (begotten), rather than being created by the Father. Heretic that I am, I say, "I'm sorry, who cares?" Christ is presence of God in human life for me. I don't ask about pedigree. The call is to follow, not dissect.

Anyway, the ministerial insists on that (which is actually normative for a whole bunch of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches) and on the assertion tha "Jesus Christ is the ONLY pathway to God." Sigh…heretic that I am, I can't accept that either. I believe that Christ is the full revelation of God in human form. I also believe that God has shown Godself to others in other ways too. They may differ from me, but they are not my eneemies! Religion has been at the heart of so much war because we have made those "different" from us our enemies because they are "wrong." Heretic again. I'm quite sure that if the United Church were to examine me for ordination today, they would refuse me. Sadly.

All of this has helped me to formulate my own beliefs regarding people of religions different from mine. And as my former mother-in-law was wont to say…"more anon." She was a lovely woman by the way, and I miss book discussions with her, though she's been out of my life for over 30 years.

Amazing, isn't it, how someone who hasn't been around for so long can continue to have an influence on you? I regularly image my mother - faithful, simple, loving and at times quite judgmental. Also my father, the man who said "I'm atheist," and then told me on his deathbed that I was an idiot for believing that! He lived like a Christian, so why should I be surprised?

Is a blog supposed to be coherent and focused? If so, I get a D today. Maybe tomorrow.