Tuesday, March 5

What's all this religion then then?

“You can believe all the right things and still be a jerk. You can believe all the right things and still be miserable, still be in bondage, or still be untransformed. So, the emphasis upon belief is, I think, modern and mistaken. It’s also very divisive – once people start thinking that being a Christian is about believing the right things, then anybody’s list of what the ‘right things’ are becomes a kind of litmus test as to who’s really a good Christian and who’s not. Being a Christian is really about one’s relationship with God. And that relationship with God can go along with many different belief systems.” Marcus Borg, Living the Questions 2.0 (emphasis mine)

I believe that Dr. Borg has it at least half right, though I would expand it a bit. The spiritual aspect of being a follower of The Way is our relationship with the Divine. There is a horizontal, relational aspect with each other in community as well, which is what I refer to as religious. That said, it is very much not about any shibboleths of creed, a certain way of honouring or worshipping the Divine, a particular eccleisal structure or what you read on the holy day of your choice. If you follow God (by whatever name you call that rose), then your relationship with the Divine is what matters. That relationship is what will shape how you relate to the rest of Her Creation, including others in community.