religious diversity

The Rev. Stephen V. Sundborg wrote a wonderful guest column in the Seattle Times last week on religious diversity, putting into published words many of the thoughts I've had and expressed to others over the course of the last ten or so years, as my own spiritual practice has become more central to my life.

Sundborg states that, while there are many causes for war, they are ignited by differences in our religious beliefs. The fundamentalist can wear a multitude of different spiritual hats, with their one way the "right" way. This head-blindness, the refusal to accept other spiritual paths as viable, can fuel an inferno.

My heart-of-hearts is filled with love. For the beauty of the natural world around me, for those whom I count among family and friends and for all those fellow human beings whom I have yet to meet. I simply cannot presume I will dislike a person based upon their spiritual path. As a Pagan, it might seem I should be naturally inclined to disfavor those who follow the predominant religious path in this country, Christianity. That's not the case -- indeed, I have met many wonderful Christian folks whose hearts are as full of love as mine.

Sundborg believes, and I agree, that all religions command their followers to engage with their fellow human beings, to love and appreciate them, to work with them no matter what spiritual path they follow. Somewhere along the way, though, we've lost that ability to speak peacefully and rationally with our spiritual voice -- too often the voices are raised in an effort to convince the other that our way is the right way.

The best phrase in Sundborg's comment, from my perspective, is "I define "spirituality" with five words: one's lived relationship to Mystery." Isn't this the reason for all religions? Religions try to answer those eternal questions to which we have no solid answers, those mysteries -- why am I here, is this all there is, is there more to life? Don't we touch mystery when we witness a birth, when we find true love, when we behold a scene of incomparable beauty? Those things tell us there is more to life than our day-to-day mundane existance. Our spiritual beliefs seek to help us define and comprehend these mysteries.

Thanks Rev. Sundborg. I agree, it's time to dialog from our heart-of-hearts. It's time to open our hearts to the hearts of others, and to hear their voices with love and deep understanding.