This week we’re talking about human nature, which doesn’t interest me a whole lot, and the nature of God, which interests me a whole bunch.
For the part of the class on human nature we’re presented with a list of quotes about what it means to be human and asked which ones we agree with. The one I like best is:
You have millions of virtues, but you postpone their practice. – Letter from a friend to May Sarton
It’s a little snarky and more than a little true. I believe strongly that our intentions to do good are nearly as good as good works themselves because our attitudes inform our future actions and life is one big, long process. However, too often we allow ourselves to backslide into laziness or just plain bad behavior. I try not to be too judgy, of myself or others, because I think that’s lousy practice for ourselves, for others, and for the human community, but I fall into it sometimes.
As far as my own human nature goes I tend to think I’m pretty ordinary (but my guess is that everyone thinks they’re pretty ordinary). No better and no worse than my fellow Americans.
During class we’re going to go all artsy/craftsy and I’m going to have to visually represent my beliefs about human nature. God help me. I’ll practice before class because I have literally no concept of what that’s going to look like.
And now onto the nature of God. For me, this is the good part. We’re also taking a few moments to be artsy/craftsy about our concept of the divine and I’ve already practiced. I won’t actually show you my picture because it’s, well, it’s sad. There are plenty of things I’m good at but art is not one of them. So, I’ll describe it.
The left side of the picture is an enormous pink and purple heart (ok, I told you I wasn’t good at this, there’s no need to snicker). That’s the part of God’s nature that is accessible to humans and merciful and forgiving. On the right side of the picture and overlaying part of the heart is a hard, square, gray box. That’s the part of God’s nature that is impenetrable to human understanding. It’s the part that is mysterious. It’s also the part where the difficulties of the world are housed: the cruelty that God allows to happen among people and the natural world.
Also in class this week we’re completing a worksheet about personal beliefs and attitudes which allows us to compare our responses to a survey that was taken of Unitarian Universalists in 1967 and in 1987 so we can see where we fall among UUs nationally. Here’s my answers and how “popular” they are among UUs.
- Which one of the following statements comes closest to expressing your beliefs about God?
a) “God” is a supernatural being who reveals himself in human experience and history
(UU 1967: 2.9%. UU 1987: 4%. The most common UU response in 1987 was “God may appropriately be used as a name for some natural process within the universe, such as love or creative evolution.”)
2. The way I would describe the divine for myself…
a) Creative Force
(UU 1987: 29%, the most popular answer. Scarily, for me, 14% responded “harmful concept.” Nothing that humans do in His name takes away from His goodness for me. I am so sorry to hear that so many UUs think of God as a harmful concept)
3. In her Doctor of Ministry project, Subjective Religious Experience among Unitarian Universalists: a Generational Study, Unitarian Universalist minister Linda Smith Stowell listed still other categories for beliefs in Ultimate Reality. Her statement began: “I conceive God as:” (check all that apply)
a) A real power which is a part of all things
b) A “being” with whom one can experience relationship
c) A separate, concrete reality
They don’t tell us how other UUs answered but I gotta say that some of the choices are downright pessimistic such as “A human creation – functions to preserve existing power structure.” Do UUs really think these things about God? I’m not sure I want to hang out long term in a place that has such a negative concept of God…
4. Which of the following describe the purpose or function that prayer fulfills for you?
a) Communion with God (UU 1967: 12.4%. UU 1987: 39%)
b) Petition for self (UU 1967: 7.5%. UU 1987: 30%)
c) Intercession for others (UU 1967: 9%. UU 1987: 30%)
The single most popular answer was “Communion with inner self” 88% and an alarming number (32%) said they don’t find the term useful. This survey is making me think that while, rock on, the UUs aren’t going to challenge my sacred monotheism, that, total bummer, they’re also not going to back me up with similar beliefs about God. We disagree about some pretty important topics.
It’s also very telling of a reaction I had to the last Sunday service I attended. We had a guest minister who invited us to meditate with him for several moments. It was, literally, the best service I’ve been to in 7 months and that was a big part of it. I seriously miss communal prayer and UUs don’t “do” communal prayer. Too many atheists in the room.
5) Please check the following that best describes your theological perspective:
a) Muslim (UU: 0.1%. I gotta meet that person)
6) Personal reflection: Write your understanding of God or Ultimate Reality using the following questions:
a) Is Ultimate Reality supernatural or natural?
Totally both. God totally created and embodies both the supernatural and the natural world.
b) Is it benign, indifferent or malign?
I gotta go with all three on this one, although I’m most hesitant about “malign.” I don’t actually think of God as malignant, more that He allows malignant things to happen. These things are within His power to prevent but He chooses not to. Some of those things are really hurtful or harmful and I don’t pretend to have the answer to why He allows them. God is obviously not in the business of making for a generally pleasant world where we’re all happy. Someday maybe we’ll get a chance to ask why not. But the fact that He does go in for some pretty sincere suffering makes me hesitate when I’m asked if He’s malignant. And as far as the other two options go, benign definitely. Oft forgiving, most merciful. As far as indifferent goes, sure thing. I believe that God is intimately involved in human and natural affairs but that He also allows things to play themselves out. We’re responsible for what we do and as a human community we are responsible for the society we create. We are responsible for the care and consideration of the least and most vulnerable among us. That’s on us (and I’m talking to you, Ted Cruz).
c) Does it have a “will”? Purpose? Direction?
Yes. I believe God knows where we are all headed. How I square that with my belief that we have free will is a little fuzzier. We have free will within the confines of what God has ordained perhaps?
d) Is it personal, supra-personal, or impersonal? If personal, does it have gender?
I had no idea what supra-personal means and I had to google it. It means going beyond the level of the personal. Obviously God is both personal and supra-personal. As far as gender goes, I call God a “He” because “It” and “They” are too awkward although technically (and Islam totally backs me on this), God does not have a gender. Still, in my conception, I think of God as more male than female. That’s simply a failure of imagination on my part. I don’t actually believe that God is male.
e) Do you have communication with this reality? If so, how?
I communicate with God through prayer but also in action, such as fasting. I see fulfilling religious duty or obligation as part of my relationship with God and a concrete means of communication, of saying, “Yup, here I am, doing what You asked, doing what I’m supposed to.” Once again, this is not protection against hard times. It’s just me doing what I believe God has asked of me because I believe it’s the right thing to do and I believe it’s good for me.
f) How does the reality relate to you? Function in your life?
I believe that I have an intimate and personal relationship with God and that I act in response to what I believe God wants from me. Of course, I screw up and it get it wrong plenty of the time, too.
g) What name or symbol do you give it?
God works.
h) Is there an “Ultimate Reality?”
Absolutely. I’ve seen what I consider rather rude bumper stickers that say, “I don’t know whether there’s a God and neither do you.” Atheists and agnostics can be just as crazy self-righteous as religious folks. By my own evaluation of both the truth and facts of the world, there is a God. My evaluation is just as valid as yours. Believe what you want, I won’t get in your way. And don’t you dare get in the way of what I believe. I’m not afraid of anti-God arguments but I’ve heard them and I’ve considered them and I’ve rejected them and I’ve come to my own conclusion. Grrr.
7. Which of the following quotes about God and Ultimate Reality comes closest to your own view?
There were several that I really, really liked. These be them:
a) “It is madness to wear ladies’… hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return” -Annie Dillard.
b) “Just as a circle embraces all that is within it, so does the Godhead embrace all. No one has the power to divide this circle, to surpass it, or to limit it.” -Hildegarde of Bingen
but my favorite is: “Even if I think it is God that I obey, it is I who decided that it was God who spoke to me” -Jean Paul Sartre
Because ultimately it’s all about free will, free choice, and freely following God. Nobody (at least in the U. S. of A) is going to make you do anything religious. What you believe, and what you do for the sake of God, is all up to you.
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