“The truth”
Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to a young man of 51 while we were both in the waiting room of a local establishment. Our conversation revealed that the young man and his wife are the owner of a business with over 20 franchised businesses who pay a royalty to the parent business. By all account he and his wife have been successful in growing their business. This same young man has also attended bible college and is a youth pastor of a local church. He has been involved in church sponsored missions in South America and is considering this as his primary profession. As we chatted, he was clear that he and the religious institution he represents sincerely believes that their religious beliefs represents the “true beliefs” about God and what He requires of men and women if they are to experience eternal life or salvation. I questioned that the leaders of the religion which he represents could possibly know that they had the only possible truth about God and His plans. I further suggested that one has to consider the fact that all most major religions posit the belief that their God is the one true God. Some religious organization such as the Unitarian Universalists allow for the belief of many different Gods or concepts of God and many different version of the purpose of this human journey.
Our conversation was mutually polite and respectful. Yet, neither of us were swayed by the beliefs of the other. He will continue to believe and preach that there is only one truth about God and His demands or expectation of us humans and the rest of creation and I will continue to believe that all religious or philosophical beliefs are equally valid. I suspect that many of our beliefs about how we are to treat each other are similar and, in fact, are consistent with the purported “Sermon on the Mount” the essence of which one finds in the sacred texts of many religions. We might disagree about the history of the teaching of such issues as honoring the sexual orientation of individuals, whether violence is ever justified, the equality of men and women, abortion and a host of other day to day behaviors. I understand religious teachings or the revelation of the prophets in the context of the historical period in which the prophet lived. I believe certain teachings or potential truths can only be understood when one has the “tools” to examine them
In any religious framework one can find justification for what one needs or wants to believe. In the Christian religion one can understand the use of such terms as Jesus or Lord as nouns or verbs. Obviously, Jesus is the name of what is purported to be a historical person who was born to an unwed mother and grew up to become a carpenter and a teacher; a man whose teachings were so threatening to the status quo that he was crucified. The words Jesus and Lord could also be understood to be verbs denoting a way of living, the primary focus of which is to live in community with each other and Mother Earth. To live in community could be understood to share responsibilities and resources - from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. (Popularized by Karl Marx). In the Jewish religious, the Muslim religion and all the other major religions there is an equivalent teaching. Yet, in each religion there is much disagreement about how to live this very simple principle. Thus, one can fight over the sharing of land and other resources. One can maintain that one has the only direct line to the one true God.
There might be some basic rules or principles which many of can agree guide us in our quest to be our best. We might, for example, agree that we would all have a more qualitative life if we treated others the way we want to be treated; we accepted that we have different talents and abilities; many factors affect how our brain works or does not work; and it takes a village. We might agree that we do not have a very scientific system for adding and comparing the “sin points for each of us; that we are all pretty creative at times and at other times our brains and hearts seem to be taking a nap. We might not agree. The truth?
Written May 19, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to a young man of 51 while we were both in the waiting room of a local establishment. Our conversation revealed that the young man and his wife are the owner of a business with over 20 franchised businesses who pay a royalty to the parent business. By all account he and his wife have been successful in growing their business. This same young man has also attended bible college and is a youth pastor of a local church. He has been involved in church sponsored missions in South America and is considering this as his primary profession. As we chatted, he was clear that he and the religious institution he represents sincerely believes that their religious beliefs represents the “true beliefs” about God and what He requires of men and women if they are to experience eternal life or salvation. I questioned that the leaders of the religion which he represents could possibly know that they had the only possible truth about God and His plans. I further suggested that one has to consider the fact that all most major religions posit the belief that their God is the one true God. Some religious organization such as the Unitarian Universalists allow for the belief of many different Gods or concepts of God and many different version of the purpose of this human journey.
Our conversation was mutually polite and respectful. Yet, neither of us were swayed by the beliefs of the other. He will continue to believe and preach that there is only one truth about God and His demands or expectation of us humans and the rest of creation and I will continue to believe that all religious or philosophical beliefs are equally valid. I suspect that many of our beliefs about how we are to treat each other are similar and, in fact, are consistent with the purported “Sermon on the Mount” the essence of which one finds in the sacred texts of many religions. We might disagree about the history of the teaching of such issues as honoring the sexual orientation of individuals, whether violence is ever justified, the equality of men and women, abortion and a host of other day to day behaviors. I understand religious teachings or the revelation of the prophets in the context of the historical period in which the prophet lived. I believe certain teachings or potential truths can only be understood when one has the “tools” to examine them
In any religious framework one can find justification for what one needs or wants to believe. In the Christian religion one can understand the use of such terms as Jesus or Lord as nouns or verbs. Obviously, Jesus is the name of what is purported to be a historical person who was born to an unwed mother and grew up to become a carpenter and a teacher; a man whose teachings were so threatening to the status quo that he was crucified. The words Jesus and Lord could also be understood to be verbs denoting a way of living, the primary focus of which is to live in community with each other and Mother Earth. To live in community could be understood to share responsibilities and resources - from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. (Popularized by Karl Marx). In the Jewish religious, the Muslim religion and all the other major religions there is an equivalent teaching. Yet, in each religion there is much disagreement about how to live this very simple principle. Thus, one can fight over the sharing of land and other resources. One can maintain that one has the only direct line to the one true God.
There might be some basic rules or principles which many of can agree guide us in our quest to be our best. We might, for example, agree that we would all have a more qualitative life if we treated others the way we want to be treated; we accepted that we have different talents and abilities; many factors affect how our brain works or does not work; and it takes a village. We might agree that we do not have a very scientific system for adding and comparing the “sin points for each of us; that we are all pretty creative at times and at other times our brains and hearts seem to be taking a nap. We might not agree. The truth?
Written May 19, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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