Sometimes I get this very clear, unmistakable feeling that we are all part of something so big, so complex, so beyond our understanding… that my breath is taken away. My conscious self fails momentarily to be able to wrap itself around the grandeur of it all… And in that moment I realize how far I am from ever comprehending it to any reasonable degree.
At that moment. I am completely, purely and totally in awe.
I give up in some ways trying to comprehend, realizing the futility of it all.
But then… in that same instance, I realize it doesn’t need my understanding to continue. It never did. It existed before me, it exists now, and it will exist beyond me.
And in that moment… I yearn to blend into it, to meld with it. I am grateful just to play a small part in the impossibility of it all.
Even before I was a Christian, I would have this feeling. When I was an Atheist however, it was a sad/scary/overwhelming feeling coming to the conclusion that there’s definitely something happening… but there’s nothing making it happen.)
But as a Christian now, I find solace in it… even a bit of joy.
But I can’t help but notice in a moment like that (having been on several sides of this coin over the years) how unbelievably, heart-breakingly close those multiple conclusions come to being EXACTLY the same.
In that moment, we are all looking at and experiencing the same thing. The same vast, unconcievable, forever-ness that always was and always will be. The great beyond, that is both tantalizingly close and inhumanly far away. We all see it, we all seek it… and somewhere deep down we know we come from it and are headed back to it… but… we disagree on the Earthly details
Buddhists will travel through it many times… but don’t ultimately arrive until they achieve enlightenment. Hindus are roughly the same except they achieving it through accumulated Kharma. Atheists get one shot at this right here… and the return to the nothingness through re-dispersion of energy. According to Taoists they’ve never really left they void, they’re just another churning part of it in the present that will later be a new present. Muslims and Jews must do good works to earn a good final resting place, and if they don’t… well.
And, I guess that leaves Christians… who just have to believe in Jesus to be one with the God of the universe at the end of their stint here on Earth.
So… what is this post about?
ONE: It’s a reminder, in a very separatist world, how similar we actually are if we can see past the societally placed boundaries. For example:
- We all know, inherently, that the life we live is precious and surprisingly short
- We all know that there is something much bigger out there
- We know that when (what we know as) our selves cease to exist, we will return to it
- Most have this nagging feeling that the choices they make while you are here count, or even matter…
If we could even just agree to agree on these things, I think a lot more productive dialogue could happen in this world.
TWO: Having followed at least 4 of these faiths/philosophies in past lives (pun intended), I see how close they can be to one another. The differences are just semantic at times. But, (likely because of the damage “the church” has done to its own reputation over the centuries) it’s hard to express to those deep in other faiths or philosophy how the Christian worldview isn’t a totally different song from the one you’re already singing… its more like learning some new lyrics to enhance an old favorite.
That being said, the thing I would like to present for consideration… (to anyone curious) is why Christianity is the more logical, more complete choice when compared to those others…
Yes, they all acknowledge a larger system of justice, morality, truth, guidance, and an existence that predated (and will likely post-date) humans. However… none except Christianity:
- Define a creator as having done so with intention…
- And because of that intention, this creator loves what was created and wants the best for it.
- So much so that the creator desires for all of his creation to see that love reflected in them
- And is therefore directly accessible, personally, and intimately to those creations.
- And in that personal relationship, that creator lovingly acknowledges (and wishes for you to acknowledge) that your human flaws will always outweigh your positive net effect on the world at large… and that you can’t possibly earn your way to a quality ending by yourself.
- So, that creator offered (as a sacrifice) a way to atone for YOUR faultiness, that you may still be able to die and to rise in perfection (that you yourself cannot earn alone)
- And lastly, gives the all to you via a text which is based in reality, but… part mythology, part symbolism, part numerology, part history, and part textbook… that so clearly align with human experience that even those not of the faith can clearly gain wisdom from them. And that can reveal itself to all in ways that most gainfully apply to them…
And while, again, all of them start from a similar, simple, basic “beginning”… what you have to understand is that each of these separations of “religions” or “philosophies” diverged when people tried to decode them, to make sense of them, to make sense of it all… and… humans are prone to understanding parts but not wholes…. then it becomes clear why some may share basic beginnings, but have misconstrued the details. So, then you have to ask yourself… which of these seems most true to my experience (offers the most useful daily wisdom)? Which of these puts the onus of responsibility on the right party (God, not me, the very fallible human)? Which of these explains why anything matters (because love of creation and desire for creation to grow and succeed continues to rise from that love) ? When you really come to the end of that questioning, the answers become rather clear.
———— Post-script————–
I’m not a fight-you-into-submission-type Christian, it’s just not my style… I believe that truth has a way of bubbling to the top all on it’s own with out someone having to hammer it into you…
But I do feel compelled to share two very basic truths I’ve learned are through my journey:
- Yes, you might find goodness and guidance in other religions, but it’s not becase they’re right, it’s because God is good and present in all things. He loves his people and he wants good for them, even when they seek him in the wrong setting. And he’s giving you clues to find him correctly… (*cough, cough* reading a post like this *cough, cough*)
- All other religions fail because of one basic point… they require the human to live up to (or earn) their “salvation” or “their place in heaven” or their “enlightenment.” But, if you’ve ever met “people” (or have been people) you know humans are not good enough to do so. A God who created you would know that… and he would offer you another way.