But then, immediately following that, I found that those who call themselves ‘Spiritual but not Religious’, or SBNRs were told that they actually fit into even smaller, more specific, groups. That entry in Wikipedia Linda Mercadante categorizes SBNRs into five distinct categories. They are: Dissenters, Casuals, Explorers, Seekers and Immigrants. I don’t, however, fit in any of those categories and am not particularly concerned about it except as it relates to the reader’s concepts for the purposes of this blog. Therefore, whatever term you wish to apply it will probably give you at least an approximate idea of just where I stand when it comes to my personal path and yet won’t get to the core of that combination of personal orthodoxy and freedom of thought that is mine in particular.
I am not a theologian. I don’t split hairs about which ‘great teacher’ to follow nor about the triune nature of God or any of the ‘great’ theological questions of Christianity, the divisions of Buddhism, the differing opinions of Muslim teachers, etc. I am far more concerned with actually walking the path to the God as I perceive it through my own personal experience. Mostly I suspect that all of the arguments, discussions and disagreements that have taken place throughout history are due to someone’s being vitally concerned that someone else should accept their opinion. Often this is because they honestly believe that it is important for others to accept that belief as a necessary step to achieving an important spiritual goal but I suspect that, if we were to delve seriously into the cause, it would turn out to be based upon the needs and desires of the ego rather than an entirely philanthropic urge.
I do ask that you allow me to speak within the confines of my personal theology, since I am unable to speak outside of it, so that you can then winnow out the pieces of useful information I am able to offer.
The saints, both east and west, that I find I admire most aren’t those who were possessed of an evangelical desire to make everyone believe as they did but rather the ones who were in danger of being persecuted by those same ones. Because of that I have developed a theology that, while any of the established religions would consider major elements of it to be heresy, I have no interest in debating. My beliefs, after all, include the idea that God doesn’t much care if I get my picture of heaven or the etheric or samsara correct. My God is far more interested in my personal relationship with Him/Her and the percent of my life that I give over to that relationship as opposed to the amount of time I spend on personal aggrandizement, ego enhancement or counter-productive entertainment. I want very much to understand how things work on the spiritual path so that I can get where I want to go with some confidence. On the other hand, I am not so interested in what others see as the environment in which those things operate.
Let me put it another way. What is not important to me are all of those beliefs that could possibly turn out to be untrue when I arrive in God’s presence. Certainly, I have my own set of beliefs but the point is will it matter to me if there is one life or if I have been reincarnated multiple times? Will I REALLY care if I have come to a false understanding of the triune nature of God as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva or the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost? Will I really judge someone depending on whether they use the word God, Allah or Brahma? Nope. Not as long as I am able to reach the goal. So, what does matter to me? The goal. Give me the right tools, the right map so I can get there and find out for myself what is true and what is not.
Now I am aware that there are those who will say that I have to have the ‘right’ beliefs in order to make it and chief among them will be some Christian sects that tell me that it is only through accepting Jesus as my personal savior that I can be saved. Fortunately for me Jesus himself did not think so. He said that at the final judgement there would be those that he invited to sit at his right hand who would say that they never knew him. To them he would reply, ‘what you did to the least of my brethren, you did to me”.
I have danced with the Sufis, chanted with the Nichiren Shoshu, spent the night on my knees in a Catholic chapel, spent time with Church Universal and Triumphant so erroneously referred to as a cult, worn a collar as a brother in the Holy Order of MANS and belonged to the Self-Realization Fellowship. I am grateful for all that I have learned and the growth that I have achieved through all of these experiences. I have read Ram Dass, Madam Blavatsky, Krishnamurti, Suzuki, (both of them), Prophet, (both of them), Thomas Merton, Bernadette Roberts, Paramhansa Yogananda and many more. Many of these are great souls who have given me powerful boosts to my understanding of my path. But through the years I have noticed that even the great teachers all have one idiosyncrasy in common. I have heard nearly all of them say in one way or another – “Yes, there are many paths to God…, but this one is the best”. And they would all be 100% correct if they added two tiny words to that statement. “There are many paths to God…, but this one is the best FOR ME”. Neither am I against any organized religion. Many of them keep churning out saints. But simply, that is not my path.
In this blog I will strive to bring clarity to some of the issues that confront the seeker on the path. I will be communicating through the paradigm of my own beliefs. This is unavoidable. Because of that there will certainly be things I say that you won’t agree with. But if you keep that in mind you can probably sift through those beliefs, pull what you find useful both of my beliefs and, more importantly, of the tools that are the part of these entries I consider to be of value, and come away with a clearer view of your own path to the top of the mountain. I am striving to love God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength. That is a pivotal direction on the map to the ultimate goal. May we all meet there from whatever directions we come!
The saints, both east and west, that I find I admire most aren’t those who were possessed of an evangelical desire to make everyone believe as they did but rather the ones who were in danger of being persecuted by those same ones. Because of that I have developed a theology that, while any of the established religions would consider major elements of it to be heresy, I have no interest in debating. My beliefs, after all, include the idea that God doesn’t much care if I get my picture of heaven or the etheric or samsara correct. My God is far more interested in my personal relationship with Him/Her and the percent of my life that I give over to that relationship as opposed to the amount of time I spend on personal aggrandizement, ego enhancement or counter-productive entertainment. I want very much to understand how things work on the spiritual path so that I can get where I want to go with some confidence. On the other hand, I am not so interested in what others see as the environment in which those things operate.
Let me put it another way. What is not important to me are all of those beliefs that could possibly turn out to be untrue when I arrive in God’s presence. Certainly, I have my own set of beliefs but the point is will it matter to me if there is one life or if I have been reincarnated multiple times? Will I REALLY care if I have come to a false understanding of the triune nature of God as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva or the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost? Will I really judge someone depending on whether they use the word God, Allah or Brahma? Nope. Not as long as I am able to reach the goal. So, what does matter to me? The goal. Give me the right tools, the right map so I can get there and find out for myself what is true and what is not.
Now I am aware that there are those who will say that I have to have the ‘right’ beliefs in order to make it and chief among them will be some Christian sects that tell me that it is only through accepting Jesus as my personal savior that I can be saved. Fortunately for me Jesus himself did not think so. He said that at the final judgement there would be those that he invited to sit at his right hand who would say that they never knew him. To them he would reply, ‘what you did to the least of my brethren, you did to me”.
I have danced with the Sufis, chanted with the Nichiren Shoshu, spent the night on my knees in a Catholic chapel, spent time with Church Universal and Triumphant so erroneously referred to as a cult, worn a collar as a brother in the Holy Order of MANS and belonged to the Self-Realization Fellowship. I am grateful for all that I have learned and the growth that I have achieved through all of these experiences. I have read Ram Dass, Madam Blavatsky, Krishnamurti, Suzuki, (both of them), Prophet, (both of them), Thomas Merton, Bernadette Roberts, Paramhansa Yogananda and many more. Many of these are great souls who have given me powerful boosts to my understanding of my path. But through the years I have noticed that even the great teachers all have one idiosyncrasy in common. I have heard nearly all of them say in one way or another – “Yes, there are many paths to God…, but this one is the best”. And they would all be 100% correct if they added two tiny words to that statement. “There are many paths to God…, but this one is the best FOR ME”. Neither am I against any organized religion. Many of them keep churning out saints. But simply, that is not my path.
In this blog I will strive to bring clarity to some of the issues that confront the seeker on the path. I will be communicating through the paradigm of my own beliefs. This is unavoidable. Because of that there will certainly be things I say that you won’t agree with. But if you keep that in mind you can probably sift through those beliefs, pull what you find useful both of my beliefs and, more importantly, of the tools that are the part of these entries I consider to be of value, and come away with a clearer view of your own path to the top of the mountain. I am striving to love God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength. That is a pivotal direction on the map to the ultimate goal. May we all meet there from whatever directions we come!
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