Listening to your story makes me think of so many discussions I have had with folks over the years. A Pentecostal friend in college who kept telling me my baptism didn't count because I wasn't immersed, a Catholic priest who kept telling me the Church's teachings were the only truth (even after I gave several historical examples of where the Church was obviously not the Truth!) and a Deacon I continue to engage who continues to tell people about their sins and how they must follow Church teaching to get into Heaven. As a gay Christian and Catholic, I don't fit into any one box, so how could my relationship with God be so narrowly defined. Not only that, but I truly believe anyone who thinks they can define God and put God in a box is going to be severely disappointed at some point. I don't believe we have a corner on the market for knowing everything or "the truth". As Fr. Richard Rohr often says in his books, we have to get comfortable with not knowing, without binary, black and white thinking. Life is in the gray areas. I am convinced to this day my Grandfather attended his own funeral and he was not happy about it..he was not a church going person and he wasn't interested in anything the pastor at the graveside had to say...and made it quite clear! That just reinforced my feeling (ideas, beliefs?) that there are things in this world we don't understand and that's OK.
Thanks for the insights Joni. I look forward to more Spiritual Geography.
Thanks for sharing your story and thoughts, Jeff! I can believe your grandfather attended his own funeral! There's so much we don't ... and can't ... understand. I'm very glad be in a place where not knowing is preferable to certainty.
Listening to your story makes me think of so many discussions I have had with folks over the years. A Pentecostal friend in college who kept telling me my baptism didn't count because I wasn't immersed, a Catholic priest who kept telling me the Church's teachings were the only truth (even after I gave several historical examples of where the Church was obviously not the Truth!) and a Deacon I continue to engage who continues to tell people about their sins and how they must follow Church teaching to get into Heaven. As a gay Christian and Catholic, I don't fit into any one box, so how could my relationship with God be so narrowly defined. Not only that, but I truly believe anyone who thinks they can define God and put God in a box is going to be severely disappointed at some point. I don't believe we have a corner on the market for knowing everything or "the truth". As Fr. Richard Rohr often says in his books, we have to get comfortable with not knowing, without binary, black and white thinking. Life is in the gray areas. I am convinced to this day my Grandfather attended his own funeral and he was not happy about it..he was not a church going person and he wasn't interested in anything the pastor at the graveside had to say...and made it quite clear! That just reinforced my feeling (ideas, beliefs?) that there are things in this world we don't understand and that's OK.
Thanks for the insights Joni. I look forward to more Spiritual Geography.
Thanks for sharing your story and thoughts, Jeff! I can believe your grandfather attended his own funeral! There's so much we don't ... and can't ... understand. I'm very glad be in a place where not knowing is preferable to certainty.