Editor's note: sorry about the formatting. Blogger isn't letting me fix it...
(Here's my second response to the comments on my entry.
I think the answer lies in not only believing in God, but believing God.
A good point. It means a transition from religion as mental acrobatics to religion on the personal level. I've talked to Marci and Chrissa about this: 1st-hand religion versus 2nd-hand religion. The first requires faith. The second merely requires trust.
If we put off the natural man and become humble, then we are teachable.
Another good point. I was riding the bus yesterday reading God: A Biography. A friend of mine, Bill, was on the bus. He's a part-time philosopher and so I asked him about it, mentioning the difference between God in Genesis 1 and God in Genesis 2. Bill said: "Damn right there is. The God in Genesis 2 is the Lord God, Jehovah, the fiery, personal God of Israel: the God with a temper, the awe-inspiring God."
Bill spoke for the next 20 minutes (lips trembling and on the verge of tears) describing his God. "Evangelical preachers," Bill said, "speak of God as if they're on a first-name basis with Him ... they disrespect Him, making Him easy-going: as if you can go and do your drinking and sexing and because Jesus was a man, He understands." Bill said: "We need to approach God in fear and trembling, and pray to Him in humility... and if we can't pray, then try to pray."
He spoke with fervor and passion and respect: personality traits I haven't used for some time. I went home quite pensive and wrote in my philosophy journal...
I don't know if there is a God. But if there IS a God I cannot expect Him to come to me. I have to approach Him in awe.
3 comments:
That's a beautiful thought. I think that too often I take God for granted. He is a personal God, but that is because of his condescension, not because he and I are on the same level.
I heard something beautiful one time that I think applies here. They were speaking of reverence. They did not approach it as I normally hear it approached (as an outward sign - being quiet, not moving too much or being distracted in Church, etc.) but instead spoke of reverence as a loving, humbling, awe for God, that so deeply permeats our hearts that it radiates outward to include our thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
I often think that I do not have sufficient reverence for God and that when I meet him someday, I will be so incredibly shaken by his power (not to mention love, goodness, wisdom and all his other qualities) that all my preparing and humility will be vastly insufficient. However, I will be glad for any and all feeble attempts/gestures to take my one small step closer to all that I could have/should have/need to have done to be near him and any small bit like him. I am sure that it is a feeling for which there will be no description and for which no amount of preparation will truly be sufficient.
Anyway, your posts are definitely something for me to think about, too. A humbling reminder. Thank you.
By the way, my full responses to your recent posts about your search to understand God I'm going to be putting on my blog "Something to Believe In". You can find it from my regular page @ marcimcpherson.blogspot etc
i think that in approaching god with awe, we are coming to recognized god, or god's hand, in everything around us...however you like it... learning to recognize...tweak and expand our perception...
when i recognize 'god' in the world around me, or even in myself, i can't help but be awe-inspired. that's how i feel at the jetty during my holy moments.... so awed i'm on the verge of implosion. mmm. i love it.
That story you told was great. I think this topic is great and hopefully inspires others to think more about God. I know Natalie and I have discussed various ideas on religion and what we think and know God to be. I definately think we need to respect God more as a higher being as did that man you sat by on the bus. If we again become a God fearing nation, just imagine the dramatic shift in our priorities and attitudes.
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