Well, looking over my many posts over the years, you may have noticed a running theme of religious/spiritual thoughts. Yeah, I’ve noticed that also. I’ve had a lifelong interest in the theological realm it seems. It began in my teenage years when I had my “come to Jesus” moment and got involved in a local evangelical church where several of my high school friends attended. I got into the activity of the church and had a lot of good times. Eventually, after graduating from high school I made the decision to go to a Christian college and after college graduation I went on for further religious studies at an evangelical theological seminary, possibly preparing for the ministry in that denomination.
Well, I did not become a minister in that denomination. I did become an ordained minister (and also a priest in a friend’s church) and I did some preaching and speaking engagements over the years. It was fun and interesting, but I was not interested in running a church or being that involved in church life. I did love studying religion and theology and continue doing so now. I opened up to the wider theological, religious and philosophical world in my quest to make sense of life. Oh, yes, I did find a lot of bad stuff in religious groups and lots of bad teachings and practices in various groups. I can understand why many people totally give up on the “church or religious” life. A lot of damage can be done when one totally surrenders to manipulative and controlling groups in the religious world.
On the other hand, it is only natural to seek to find purpose in life on this planet and feel some connection to something beyond the purely material, physical world. So, religions fill a roll in that quest to find meaning to life. And many people find good in religion. So, yes, I feel religion can be bad and good. I see both and I have to come to terms with what to make of all of this for myself. I have a background in the more exclusive, evangelical and rigid thinking religious persuasion and I have some experience in chucking it all away and just deciding to not believe in much, being an atheist or agnostic.
So, at this late stage of life, where am I with all of this? Let me try to explain. I have grown up and lived in this culture in America, in the western world, as they say. I grew up in a Christian world culture, that’s just the way it was for me. I opened up to other ways of seeing life, the other religious views. I see truths in many different religions and philosophies. I do not adhere to any narrow, strict, rigid view or thought system. I am open to the grand mystery of life. I don’t believe God can be defined other than being some force, some energy. I think the best way for me to view all of this is to say my “religion” is a religion of my “best buds.” Yes, that’s it, my best buddies, you could say.
So, my religion is a religion of my “best buds.” My best buds (best buddies) are God and Jesus (Yeshua). God, that force / energy that created me. That force that brought two cells together inside my mother to create me, a unique person in this world at this point in history. Me! I’m here, I exist at this point in time! A miracle. From dust to dust, as they say. I was created from two tiny cells! And Jesus/Yeshua, a person in history who came to tell us about life, about this energy/force called God and this kingdom of God which we can experience within us if we are open to experiencing it. To experience this mystery called life. Yes, the other religions have their teachers, gurus, gods, but I am most familiar with the “Christian” religion, so that’s how I view all of this.
As I see it, we all have our own religions. Perhaps you just join up with a certain religion or denomination and that’s it. No more thinking about all of this. Well, we all have that choice. I will stick with my more open view of this matter. I am open to the mystery of all of this. I don’t know what God is. I do not know who Jesus was. I do not know about the others, either. I don’t know if there’s anything beyond this life experience. I’ve had strange experiences indicating there is more than the visible world. And I know that if there is somewhere we go to after this life, I will go to the best place there is. I have no concerns about any of that. I have my “best buds,” and I will be taken care of. I know this.
Wally