the older i get, the less certain i am that i have the answers to many of life's most important questions. when i was younger, i was convinced of who God is and of my place in the world. i believed everything i had been taught about religion and its role in my life. now, it seems more salient to question than to rely on beliefs i inherited from others. my sense is that there is truth in many schools of thought and that there is more than one way to access the divine.
those who claim to have the answers repel me. when someone says that God has spoken to them, i am suspicious. such assertions suggest that, since someone has received a message from God, that person's beliefs must be beyond question. if we doubt them, we're refusing "God's message" and messenger. i am no longer convinced that God has a plan for every individual or group. i don't belive in "divine missions." i don't believe that this country or any country is favored by God.
as i watch what is happening in israel/palestine, i am reminded of the biblical story of the people of israel. i think of their dramatic escape from slavery in egypt, their arduous journey to the "promised land." i recall the mass murders they committed, supposedly on orders from God, as they conquered the inhabitants of what became israel. that ancient battle, which likely is not entirely factual, continues in this small parcel of land, and my heart breaks for all the suffering that both israelis and palestinians continue to endure. why must an enmity that dates back thousands of years continue? why can't palestinians and jews live together peaceably in this land? if the continued blood-letting is ordained by God, what sort of God must we worship!
we do great harm to ourselves and others in the name of religion and claim that God has given us the answers. those who disagree must be wrong, since they are not accepting what we are convinced is what God has ordained. we use religion as an excuse to force our own will on others, when in reality it is control over others that we seek. claiming God's blessing on our oppression of others is a convenient excuse for our destructive behavior.
may we be persistent in questioning the teachings that have been passed down to us. may we never accept something as truth without investigation. may we admit our own folly rather than using religion as a cover for our failings. may we be tolerant of the viewpoints of others, realizing that no one has a monopoly on truth. may love be more important than control. shalom.
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