previously on Theist Week - Knowing God and now for episode two
Episode Two – Organised Religion
It happened this way. Twice. On two separate occasions. Two of my friends looked at me and thought I didn’t belong to any organized religion. On both occasions, they admitted that “I know you’re very spiritual and you believe in God but I didn’t think you subscribed to any… organized religion.” I went to a prayer meeting.
Oh God! What was I doing wrong? Now. As if I didn’t have enough neurosis springing up healthily in its fertile ground, now I have to wonder WHY my life, my… light… was not a reflection of religion or more pointedly, the religion I DO subscribe to.
Man, I hate that word. Religion. It makes me cringe sometimes. People do things in the name of religion. Once, I had an idea for a comic book where one of the lead villains was the Re Legion (religion). I thought that was a lil wrong even for me so I abandoned it. but he (they/it) would’ve looked real bad! I prefer FAITH.
So here I was, pondering what I was doing wrong. Maybe I should carry around a Bible more (or get my friend Darren to tattoo a Bible on my arm. Hmmm). Maybe I should throw in a “Jesus” and an “Amen” more often in my speech… I don’t know… SOMETHING!
I can’t remember how long I stayed in that fear mode but I got over it. Because it was silly. I was being silly.
Orgainsed Religion = Ritual. Or so it seems in the minds of humans
Organised Religion = Vanilla. Sameness. Blah. Or so it seems…
Organised Religion = A bunch of people with long dresses and equally long faces with nary an ounce of make-up… or a smile.
People don’t usually see me as religious. They see me as spiritual. And I’m fine with that. I’m able to get into people better. I’m able to interact with all sides and perhaps UNDERSTAND all sides better. That’s my thing these days – Knowledge! But I think the problem people have with being “religious” is that it usually brings with it a debilitating sense of judgment.
I have been to friend’s yoga meetings. I interact with all religions and denominations. I own a Qu’ran. I have a Gita. My Daily bread STILL… is my Bible.
I seek to find the good or the “god” in people because WE WERE created in His image.
If only we’d see that.
There are things I do in my life that may not be the typical theist response to a situation and that makes people like me seem “spiritual” as opposed to “religious”
And now for the daily contradiction – I DO belong to [what is believed to be] an Organised Religion. There are things/tenants/statutes/beliefs that I follow (like earth being made in 6 days; or a flood; or… the end of days/end of all things). There are things that I don’t like and I don’t approve of. But I have the need to figure out why (the real why) people do what they do before I pounce on what they do.
Maybe I should be more aggressive with this faith of mine. Fly high on the sky let the whole world know. But I like St. Paul’s logic -
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:22-23 And he never compromised.
Be honest. This world is filled with enough religious people. What we need now are people who care. People who care for the spirit of man. spiritual people.
…
One of my dear friends told one of his dear friends that I go to church/that I’m a Christian and his response was “but… he so cool!”
iChuckle.
Episode Two – Organised Religion
It happened this way. Twice. On two separate occasions. Two of my friends looked at me and thought I didn’t belong to any organized religion. On both occasions, they admitted that “I know you’re very spiritual and you believe in God but I didn’t think you subscribed to any… organized religion.” I went to a prayer meeting.
Oh God! What was I doing wrong? Now. As if I didn’t have enough neurosis springing up healthily in its fertile ground, now I have to wonder WHY my life, my… light… was not a reflection of religion or more pointedly, the religion I DO subscribe to.
Man, I hate that word. Religion. It makes me cringe sometimes. People do things in the name of religion. Once, I had an idea for a comic book where one of the lead villains was the Re Legion (religion). I thought that was a lil wrong even for me so I abandoned it. but he (they/it) would’ve looked real bad! I prefer FAITH.
So here I was, pondering what I was doing wrong. Maybe I should carry around a Bible more (or get my friend Darren to tattoo a Bible on my arm. Hmmm). Maybe I should throw in a “Jesus” and an “Amen” more often in my speech… I don’t know… SOMETHING!
I can’t remember how long I stayed in that fear mode but I got over it. Because it was silly. I was being silly.
Orgainsed Religion = Ritual. Or so it seems in the minds of humans
Organised Religion = Vanilla. Sameness. Blah. Or so it seems…
Organised Religion = A bunch of people with long dresses and equally long faces with nary an ounce of make-up… or a smile.
People don’t usually see me as religious. They see me as spiritual. And I’m fine with that. I’m able to get into people better. I’m able to interact with all sides and perhaps UNDERSTAND all sides better. That’s my thing these days – Knowledge! But I think the problem people have with being “religious” is that it usually brings with it a debilitating sense of judgment.
I have been to friend’s yoga meetings. I interact with all religions and denominations. I own a Qu’ran. I have a Gita. My Daily bread STILL… is my Bible.
I seek to find the good or the “god” in people because WE WERE created in His image.
If only we’d see that.
There are things I do in my life that may not be the typical theist response to a situation and that makes people like me seem “spiritual” as opposed to “religious”
And now for the daily contradiction – I DO belong to [what is believed to be] an Organised Religion. There are things/tenants/statutes/beliefs that I follow (like earth being made in 6 days; or a flood; or… the end of days/end of all things). There are things that I don’t like and I don’t approve of. But I have the need to figure out why (the real why) people do what they do before I pounce on what they do.
Maybe I should be more aggressive with this faith of mine. Fly high on the sky let the whole world know. But I like St. Paul’s logic -
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:22-23 And he never compromised.
Be honest. This world is filled with enough religious people. What we need now are people who care. People who care for the spirit of man. spiritual people.
…
One of my dear friends told one of his dear friends that I go to church/that I’m a Christian and his response was “but… he so cool!”
iChuckle.
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