I was reading an article discussing a talk given by the Dalai Lama and Rev. Desmond Tutu the other day (click here for the article). It caught my eye because Rev. Tutu was quoted as saying, “God is not a Christian.”
I found this statement truly intriguing.
I was raised in the Catholic church. I was baptized. My Mom started the pre-school Sunday school program, and then later as her children grew up, started a school-age Sunday school program. I was a “candle-bearer (I could not be called an altar server because I am a girl, so my church – under the progressive guidance of our Priest at the time – created a new name and thus I was a candle-bearer, doing all the altar server jobs), I sang in the choir, I was a reader; I myself founded our youth group. I sat on our Parish Council as the youth representative.
My roots are solidly Christian.
I have known many priests over the course of my involvement in the Catholic institution. Some of them progressive and forward thinking, like Father Pat who fought the establishment and won me the right to serve God on the altar. And yet I can’t imagine any of these holy men making such a statement as “God is not a Christian.” One of my best friends ever left to become a missionary for Christ at the ripe age of 20 and travelled the word bringing Jesus’ messages of peace, love and hope. Her faith has never been stronger than it is now, and yet I have no idea how she would feel about the statement, “God is not a Christian.”
I took the time to explore the idea in my head. I talked about it a little with some young adults who are Catholic (because the young are very insightful about God, not having been so tainted by the negativity of the earth plane for as long as us adults have). I have decided that this is a truly profound statement.
God really is not Christian. God is Divine and omni-present. God is an active part of my life, of your life, of all life. As I considered Rev. Tutu’s statement, I realized how foolish I was to think that I could label, organize, control something as all-encompassing as that.
Religions exist because historically, humanity cannot conceive that which it cannot describe. Over time, these Establishments became vehicles to control the population, to support the political agendas of the day. I became very disenfranchised with religion in my late teens. This is not to say that in anyway at any point did I lose my faith: I did not. I did however, loose the dogma. I discovered in this process that my relationship with the Divine became far more personal. I have a rich and fulfilling spiritual life. I believe that it would not be possible to be as close to God as I am today if I were still wrapped up in religion.
I briefly shared the story of how I was almost barred from serving on the altar at my church. The first time I bumped my head on the glass ceiling, I was the ripe old age of 6. The Establishment said that I could not serve God because I was a girl. My parish was thrown into a controversy that I was not even aware of at the time, because the leaders of my church felt that I could ring the bells and bear the candles just as effectively as a boy could, without offering insult to God.
This is a classic example of dogma. God created us all to be equals. God cares not for race, colour, or creed. We are commanded by God to love everyone we meet as though we know them. We are asked to talk to God about our troubles. We are to trust – to believe – that our concerns will be answered.
There is no intermediary in my relationship with the Divine. I ask, I am answered. I meditate, and my concerns are lifted. God is everywhere. God cares for me, cares for you, and wants us both to live in peace and love with each other. Let’s do our part and strive for that ideal, every day.
Love & Light,
m