Don’t worry it’s really not as bad as it sounds. If
like me you have or had parents you know the relationship. At best they support
you, give you advice and want you to do well. At worst they chastise you for
your faults, what you’ve done badly or not at all. They care. So it’s likely
we’ll conceive of our chosen God as a deity that cares about us, especially if
we refer to it as ‘he’ and ‘father.’ If we do we're back seeking parental
support, love and direction. But what if the divine is even better than that?
What if the divine says, “You have been given the earth, a veritable Garden of
Eden, and you are free to do as you wish. But there are laws that make life
better or worse. Do as you wish and I hope you live well”? No guidance, no
protective care, no preferential treatment, no direct line, simply do as you
wish. This is the wisest divinity, for without the freedom to make mistakes
there is no learning and without learning we will not come to know the laws or
our choices to follow them. When we do we will come to know the nature of the
divine. Until then we will create our own godly messages; how he hates gay
marriage and non-Muslims (or Muslims), how he provokes us kill and fight in his
name, how he has a long list of right and wrong. Truth be told the divine
doesn’t care, but hopes we learn to experience it.
No comments:
Post a Comment