September 20, 2013

Creating You Own god

In a neighboring community a Unitarian-Universalist Congregation is starting an evening study titled, Build Your Own Theology. The press release reads, “Based on the assumption that everyone is their own theologian, the classic Unitarian adult education program invites members to develop their own personal credos, fundamental religious beliefs, values and convictions that inform and direct their lives.” I’m not sure where one would begin to build their own theology, unless of course you borrow a little of this from one religion and a little of that from another. It must be lonely worshipping your own ideas…unless of course you can suck others into your way of thinking.

1 comment:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----Fools come in an infinite variety. The subtleties of their senselessness are beyond numbering. But they all share one point of reasoning in common; they think reality to be what they perceive and therefore define it by what they know. So to them, the proposition of gathering with a bunch of other fools to piece and part together each one‘s own religion is quite normal. The laughable fact of the matter is that the substance of realities around and between them raises the continuous thesis that two or more contradictions in the same place at the same time cannot all be true. To each make his own fundamental religious belief is to all make differing beliefs. And since religion is about what is, fundamental difference is fundamental contradiction. Therefore, trying to escape the necessity of the truth by each making their own theology, they truly fashion themselves into liars.
-----Escaping the necessity of truth does not have to make us fools. Indeed, we must escape it because our limitations as faulty humans bar us from being totally true. Arrogance can not escape because it is tied to requiring the self to be right. Since by our faultiness that can not be, then arrogance simply pronounces reality to be whatever it concludes. Humility, on the other hand, finds the escape. Humility recognizes the fact of our faultiness and amazingly factors it into its conclusions. As a result, its conclusions are tentative and flexible amidst continuously flowing information. Humility does not proclaim truth; it discovers it. And one of the earliest of its discoveries is that truth is available to us faulty folks relevantly rather than completely.
-----Relevance is a fact. Food is relevant. So also is sleep. Awaking then becomes relevant, as does the many things of daily duty and work skills. They are all relevant to a particular point, true to that point, and discernable by any who must deal with that point. The relevance of the thousands of a jet engine’s parts is not mine. But it is the jet mechanic’s as much as the relevance of generally accepted accounting principles is mine. And the engine parts are as discernable by anyone who wishes to apply themselves to the changes necessary for learning them as are generally accepted accounting principles.
-----So also death is relevant. And God has provided a relevant set of discernable facts regarding the escape of it. Amongst those facts He did not make discernable the inner substance of Alpha Centauri any more than He made discernable how your name can be written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world while your life in Christ is by your own acceptance. Although it can be reasoned, it isn’t a relevant issue. Therefore, what you think about it does not have to be entirely true as much is it must honestly approach truth.
-----That is our escape from the necessity to be totally true. Certain truths are relevant. They have been communicated by God. And to be true we must accept them. From those truths we can begin a reasoning process which will continue to add more truth as long as we factor into it proper precaution concerning our own faultiness. Then, we neither need to make believe nor come to an end with our made beliefs.

Love you all,
Steve Corey