“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10)
Consulting AI I’m getting the picture that God is a punitive and vindictive god. I’m not sure I’m living up to the standards. But, more importantly, I’m not sure fear is the way to motivate me. I get it. I am afraid right now. But it’s not a comfort to me, this turning to god or being destroyed.
I prefer an alternative God. Like the Pope is speaking of. I’m sure the Pope understands God and God’s wrath better than any of us, and he’s saying “get over yourself and your flavors of worship, silly humans, god is god, larger than your petty concerns and prayers of hope before the big football game. Get this, both sides are praying. How does God decide who wins?
At the dawn of my high school career, I was attending a top prep school in New Hampshire when my favorite sister and her boyfriend drove up from New York City to visit. In our conversations, the topic of comparative religion came up. “What?” I was astounded. “You mean there are studies of people who believe in both Jesus (traditional Christianity) and other paths to God?”
It was years later when I discovered Matthew Fox and his magnum opus Orginal Blessing. See, he’s a Dominican priest, and he says we were not born into sin, but born into love. That our turning to God/Jesus was a choice, but that we were blessed and not cursed at birth. My non-baptized daughter is not going to hell. My son just might be, but that’s a different story.
For his blasphemy, Mr. Fox was silenced for a year by the Pope of that time. He could not publish or do any interviews for a year. He spoke on PBS on the evening of his silencing from a park looking over the Golden Gate Bridge. He was revealing his plan. During his year of quiet, he would write a book about Thomas Aquinus with his access to the Vatican Library.
Here’s the thing. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis, Joan of Arc are all what we call mystics. The Catholic church is not a big fan of mysticism. Here’s why: humans don’t need the church or the Pope to intercede for them in their conversations with God. Man can have a direct experience of the divine without any pomp and circumstance.
Ask for God’s help. Listen. That’s the path of the modern-day mystic. Matthew Fox wanted to give us seekers some additional examples of mystics and their amazing message. Just pray. Pray however you need to pray. Live your life in accordance with your faith, but know God is listening to everybody, even the Jews.
See, that was the hardest part for me to understand about the fracture of Christianity vs. whatever it was called before Christ. The Old Testament God. The one who flooded the planet because Babbel had fallen into debauchery and chaos. God is not big on chaos. Well, until you start studying astronomy, but that’s a different track. So, the Jews were also good worshipers. Moses was the bringer of the commandments. And then somehow, Jesus arrives and a good portion of the believers just don’t buy it. Those guys are still waiting for the return of the Savior. Odd, right? So are Jews bad? Are they violating the laws articulated in the New Testament? And who were these four guys who wrote down all the “good news for modern man?”
What I learned from Matthew Fox is this: Jews and Christians worship the same God. They believe in the Old Testament. Does their rejection of Jesus mean they are going to hell along with the rest of us? I mean, I’m a God person, a spiritual person, a holy spirit person, but the “I am the way, I am the only way, My way or the highway” stuff ticked me off.
What about the damn Native American Indians and their spirituality. Are they not worshiping the same GOD? Of course they are. If they didn’t know about Jesus how could they be damned? As Fox says in Original Blessing, a baby is born perfect and loved. Turning to Jesus and the New Testament God is a choice. The baby should have free will rather than be damned until saved by Jesus’s church.
Because the church is the instigator of a lot of evil. Religious wars should be against the teachings of that religion, don’t you think? If I am a God worshiper, but a Jesus doubter, am I going to hell?
I think the Pope opened the loophole for me the Native American Indians and even the Jews. But what do I know?
I like the mystical approach to God. That’s how I found my path to enlightenment. Several mystical journeys of worship, creativity, and music. God in the particles. God in interstellar science discoveries. God in a beautiful woman or man. God everywhere. I’m an equal opportunity God person. Right?
So, “Love is Love.” – the Hamilton guy. Thus, “God is God.” – the Pope.
My pathway to god is in my mind and actions. I pray. I meditate. I make plans to celebrate life with music, poetry, and this here… whatever you want to call this. It’s how I worship.
Matthew Fox has his own college curriculum now at Mt. Holy Oak in California. Creation Spirituality is what he calls it. And in his four paths to God, I have always leaned into the Via Creativa. Creativity as prayer. Singing a song is worship. Sharing your creative gifts with others, is another form of worship. See, I don’t have to dedicate my new album of songs to Jesus, as the people on the Walk of Amaaus would’ve appreciated. I celebrate God in all I do. In all I love.
God is love. But how is God also fear?
AI gave me plenty of references for this “fear god” line of reasoning. I’m against it. I don’t need the threat of flooding or fire. I don’t think that’s the way to win the hearts and minds of the people I love. Not even the people I don’t love. If fearing God is the way I’m out. I’m looking for a new way. A new way to pray.
I think today’s (2024) Pope understands me better than Jesus does. That’s okay, right? My mentor says, “You don’t have to understand the holy trinity. If you understand or embrace even one of the three, you are good.” So I’m going with that. I’m a God person. Or maybe a God is God person. Jesus was great. Jesus formed a huge part of my childhood upbringing.
Jesus is absolutely not the only path to God.
I wonder what the Pope thinks of Matthew Fox’s spiritual teachings now that he’s been defrocked? He knew it was inevitable. The Thomas Aquinas book did it. This whole “access to God directly through mystical experience” is not in alignment with Sundays, frankincense, and bread and wine Christianity.
I don’t understand Jesus. That’s okay. I am a human. we can’t possibly understand God. God is beyond all human comprehension. Neil DeGrasse Tyson knows more about God than most holy men. The Universe is so unlikely. Our place in it so infinitesimal. How can we imagine that it all happened by accident? Or that it happened in seven days?
My God is okay with my misguided spiritual program. The God I am in alignment with is love not fear. The “my way or the highway Jesus” is not part of my belief system. Today, God is okay with that. I can’t comprehend HIM because he is incomprehensible. He is not smiting my enemies either, dang it. I’m okay with not being sent to hell for masturbating.
When D. H. Lawrence was asked about his poems about beautiful young women he simply said, “I am appreciating God’s handiwork.” I heartily agree.
