follow the signs... dont call them "God"

Looking back over my last blog, it occurred to me that I'd made a mistake (and I'm not referring to the number of grammatical errors). When I read the parable of the trees again and thought about my life and the beliefs I'd held in the past as "The Truth", I realised that I'd had all of those trees growing in my front yard at one time or another, and in fact, it seems that my beliefs have followed the same natural pattern that actual trees do; that is - they are young saplings, they grow into tall strong, living things and then when they've run their course, they die.

At one time, the thought of changing one of my personal beliefs would've seemed an embarrassing thing to admit but one thing I've learned is that it takes courage to change. It's much easier to stay where things are comfortable and predictable. But change is the only real constant and to resist it is to resist the current of life. It's healthy to be part of the cycle that the rest of creation, and indeed, everything in our universe abides by. The only danger lies in clinging to that which is dead, simply because it once lived and it once gave life. A baby nurses for a time, but the day comes when they have to move on to another form of sustenance.

Take my experience in Christianity for example. When I was young, so was my faith. I was simple and green as was my belief. I didn't need any structure to help explain the complexities of life, because the life of a child is relatively simple. I don't mean to downplay simple faith, on the contrary, I feel the world could use more of it! But there came a time when I had questions that required a deeper understanding. In addition, I was growing up in an atmosphere where the goal was a deeper relationship with God, and this required a more comprehensive understanding of his word.
You could say that my tree was no longer a sapling, but growing taller with branches instead of shoots. My roots were growing deeper and the larger the tree became, the more nutrients it required to thrive.

Over time I had come to a place where there was so much structure, so much doctrine that I could have lived out the rest of my life and never had a need to search for truth again. I had so many beliefs, proofs for my beliefs, supporting arguments for my proofs and supporting arguments for my supporting arguments until my faith was a veritable fortress! This is not a situation unique to my personal experience.

I have known, and still know, many people who construct their own fortresses and go to a meeting once or twice a week in order to reinforce their foundations and the structures of other like minded individuals - because if there's anything better that having a fortress, it's having an entire kingdom of fortresses that are impervious to this harsh world.

I know. I've done it. I've helped pour foundations myself and replace weak pieces from time to time. This group dynamic can be dangerous. It's one thing to have your own beliefs that you cling to because they are a model that fits your life. If something changes - like a perception for example - and you notice that your model no longer fits, you simply tear down what doesn't work and replace it with a better solution. This is a healthy learning process.
But in a group of "like minded" individuals, tearing down becomes risky business. You see, not everyone will agree that THAT particular piece needs to be removed. In fact some will want it to be reinforced, still others will claim that it's perfect the way it is.
In most cases, the individual looses their sense of self and defers to the mind of the collective, propagated by a charismatic leader or leaders. We tend to polarize our views when surrounded by a like minded group so instead of seeing the world and our vast experiences with a somewhat objective outlook, it all becomes black and white and we dice and hack and divide and shove the pieces into our little categories of "Right" and "Wrong", snacking all the while on the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of "Good" and "Evil" until we've got it all figured out. Soon it becomes difficult to even see  problems with our belief system because we are SO assured by the nature of the group who reinforces the collective belief regularly while simultaneously condemning objectors in the subtext of the sermon. But I digress...

The point is, that tree grew in me.
I know what it feels like to have THE answer and be more confident in it than I am in my own heart. If you would've asked me thirteen years ago if I would ever leave the church, I would have swore emphatically "No! I will never walk away from the calling of God and the miraculous power and glory he has in store for us... his remnant in the Earth!" 

And yet, here I am.

The thing is, every belief we have is no more than a symbol... a sign in our spirits, our hearts and minds pointing to something greater; the words we use, the stories, the imagery, the prayers, the rituals, all of it. No religion is God. To go a step further... are you ready? No religion is the "Right" religion. Now I know what you're gonna say, "well... there has to be some absolute 'Right'! Some Truth by which to measure all other truths!" and you're right. So here it is...
 They are all signs and symbols that point to something... The Source. The symbol still has meaning, and it contains truth, but it will always fall short of "The Truth" or the substance that it represents. So we can cling to our faith because it is true, and condemn the Hell-bound Muslim, but we are essentially pitching a tent at the foot of the road sign, as if it's the destination and throwing rocks at others who have decided to park under another sign. "You Muslims/ Buddhists/ Taoists/ New Agers (fill in the blank please) are better come over to our sign or you're gonna burn! Can't say I didn't warn ya!" On the other hand, if we should choose to move past it into the great unknown, we have no guarantees except for our faith that the Source will guide us back home. This is true faith: to step past what is known into the void, knowing only the pulling on our spirit by the gravity of the infinite  that can be felt when we are quiet and still.

To illustrate the idea of the "word of God" as a sign with more than this man's opinion, consider a major story line in the Bible. The Israelites were the people of God. He gave them a mountain of laws and regulations, rituals concerning how He should be worshiped, obeyed, how they should live amongst each other, concerning sacrifices, the dimensions of the temple, materials to be used, down to what the priests should wear when they entered the temple. It's safe to say that no T was left uncrossed, no i was left without a dot. Then, thousands of years down the road God comes as Jesus.
Now first of all, the Israelites were doing what they were told to do. They were following (to the best of their ability I'm sure) the law that God himself had established through Moses the Prophet. There were many other prophets through the ages that Prophesied and told the people that God would indeed come to them, but that he would be coming in power, glory, like a king coming in the clouds with all the host of Heaven by his side. At least, this is what they expected based on their interpretation of the scriptures. But he came as Jesus, a poor, average looking carpenter from Po-dunkville Nazareth. According to the Bible, Jesus was not what they expected, so much so that the priests of the day - the religious experts - were convinced he was a servant of Satan and decided to find a way to kill him.
How is it that the people of God, doing their best to fulfill the law, knowing the scriptures were so blind to the real deal right in front of them?
(You may take it or not, but even Jesus points the way, even Jesus is a sign. He even refers to himself as a doorway, a spiritual bridge of sorts)

The problem was, they were still clinging to a dead tree. This is A TRUTH in the Bible. Any Christian would agree with me up to this point, and yet when I say that the Bible will not always be the living tree it once was, they shut me out as if I'm a servant of Satan himself. "What are you saying!? The word of God will never be obsolete! You obviously don't understand the ultimate Truth of the Bible!"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the Pharisees and Sadducees said the same thing...

Some people read the Bible because they think that in a book they'll find the secret of eternal life, but it's the very same book that bears witness to what I'm saying! And they're unwilling to even hear these things that they could have the life they seek.
It's not about nullifying the Bible. It's about distinguishing between the Source and the signs that point to it. And the truth is you'll pass many signs along the road and they will all point you back to the Source. I Guess you could say, all rivers run to the Sea.

And for any of you reading this who are looking for a loophole to use as a noose around the neck of my "argument", let's not be ridiculous. "All rivers" does not mean anything and everything. I'm referring to individuals seeking truth. I make no real distinction between Buddhists, Muslims, New Agers, Taoists, Christians, etc...
While on the surface they seem as different as different can be, the truth is they all stem from the same basic human need to return to the Source and when you look deeper into the heart of what they teach you find the same longing, the same commitment to truth, the same willingness to sacrifice self in the pursuit of "God", "Truth", "The Infinite", "The Source", "Enlightenment", etc.

Choose to focus on the differences in perspective if you must. But why not celebrate the golden thread they all have in common?

They all have their place, they all serve a purpose - they fulfill the individual needs of different people in different spiritual states and while none of them are the Supreme Truth, they contain a piece of truth that eventually guides all those that seek - back to the Source.

I am not trying to change you mind. That would be futile. No one can make you believe something you don't want to believe. When time, and life bring you to a place where you long to see the truth, you will. And all my words are just symbols, signs pointing to something bigger, like a shadow stretching out from the substance of something more real, more substantial.

If your tree is young and green, nourish it and take joy in watching it grow. If it is strong and tall, providing shade with strong limbs to rest in and sweet life giving fruit then enjoy it and take peace in the safety and spiritual nourishment it offers. And if and when you find that fewer leaves sprout each Spring, and it no longer bears fruit or can bear the tug of the wind and the pulling of your heart, then consider planting anew (but plant knowing that there is a cycle to everything, a birth and a death - we call it finite but it's truer name is echoed in it's infinite nature).