Greetings Dear Reader,
My dear friend Sarah has begun an effort that I think can
do great good. I asked her to write my
guest blog for August to give us some insight into where she is headed. I intend to journey with her. Please read what she has to say and check out
her page.
As a culture, we are losing the ability to dialogue. We have even less tolerance for actual disagreement. Our social media pages explode with rants and knee-jerk reactions to an idea, often devolving into name-calling and then blocking each other. Our workplaces and even our local social circles don’t usually condone any discussion of religion, politics, or other potentially sensitive topics. And I don’t disagree.
Yet where can we openly discuss our beliefs? Church, a
temple, a meditation circle? That’s fine if you have one. But what if
you’re not sure if you believe in the things the people in those places
believe? Is there a safe space to talk about it? To bounce ideas around until
you settle on your own personal conviction?
I have found that it isn’t ‘safe’ to discuss differing
beliefs in most places of worship. And most people don’t want to have a
spiritual discussion at the bar or while watching a football game. So… don’t
discuss your faith, your doubts, your ponderings at work, at social gatherings,
at your place of worship. Not at the dentist or with your kids’ teachers. And
definitely not with the people who come to your door in ties and white shirts!
So, where?
I guess I had to create that space. A space that is open to
people from all walks of life and belief systems. I live in a rural area so to
find that diverse group, I had to turn to the internet. And thus, the Facebook
group was born that I call Beyond Faith: Discovering practical and creative
spirituality together.
It’s a place for both your belief AND your doubt, your
conviction and your questions. Your involvement is important because no one
sees the world in the same way as you or could explain it the same way. And the
Truth that you can offer could really make a difference for someone else’s
conundrums. And vice versa. Truth is everywhere though not everything is Truth.
And we need to practice figuring that out for ourselves.
A lot of “religious” words are difficult concepts to
understand. We can look at these from many angles. Find what fits with our
beliefs; what shapes our beliefs; and what is outside of our beliefs. Even that
which we disagree with doesn’t mean we are loud and obnoxious about it. It
means we allow each person to do what we are doing: seeking and sifting through
this world to find what we can believe. We might disagree. We might even think
someone else is wrong. That doesn’t mean we have to tell them that or demand
change. Or demand that they understand our viewpoint.
Does that sound like a pipe dream, especially on
Facebook? Yeah, it does to me too. But I’m willing to try it. I know it
won’t be perfect. There may be hurt or offended feelings. But success isn’t a
spotless history where we do no wrong. Success is working through those times
we screw up and trying to find a loving way through. It’s a lot of
self-responsibility.
Since this is a community, there need to be rules to live by
so we can all be on the same page of what’s expected for behavior. What’s
expected is NOT that we all get along or that we all agree, but rather to
listen and encourage others toward belief. Asking questions is fine, but not
those leading questions that really are just ‘sermons’ with a question mark at
the end… you know what I’m talking about.
This community needs to be built on Love. Firstly, Love of
your Creator (even if we don’t define that being or force or group of entities
the same way) and, secondly, Love for people. To be clear, ‘people’ is defined
as everyone in this group, including yourself. Love is kind and respectful.
Love checks the ego and expectations at the door. Love celebrates others’
success (without expressing your jealousy to them). Love is patient; it can
endure disagreements, different beliefs, doubts about things we are certain of,
and posts that we can’t be sure of the tone of voice it was said in.
It’s more than time to have a place where we can all safely
come together to talk about the deeper things of life. It’s a small group right
now, but if you liked what you read here, would you come check it out? Beyond Faith:
Discovering practical and creative spirituality together.
Thank you for reding this.
I hope to see your comments on her group page.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
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