Revisiting Beliefs

A member of our Angel Group told us she wasn’t sure what she believed anymore. And so, last week it was suggested we all share what we believe. A lively discussion ensued. I listened silently.

Then Carol turned to me and said, “Linda, you haven’t said anything. You’re our expert. What do you have to say?” She mistakenly thinks I’m an expert because I have a theological education.

I surprised the group by sharing I’m uncomfortable with discussions about religious beliefs. I see a lot of damage having been done in the name of beliefs. Historically, we’ve experienced religious wars because of differing beliefs. Even today extremist groups attempt to purify our world of “wrong” beliefs by murdering anyone who thinks differently. Our own culture wars and gridlock in Washington are a product of entrenched differing beliefs. Families can be torn apart. My son chose a more conservative path than mine and was sure I was going to hell. While I didn’t appreciate his judgment, I supported his finding a path that served his needs.

The Angels didn’t display any discord in our discussion last week, but then we are a group of like-minded women. Our differences in beliefs are miniscule, but we have a wide variety of experiences of the Divine. And that’s what interests me.

I find the wide variety of spiritual experiences fascinating. I’m more aligned with William James who wrote The Varieties of Religious Experiences. James was described as having been impatient with his academic colleagues and their endless hairsplitting over matters that had no relation to life. That’s kind of how I feel about discussions about beliefs. In his book, he attempted to penetrate into the hearts of human beings rather than establish dogma. I, too, am most touched by heart-centered sharing.

I also belong to an Integral Spirituality Study Group. We’ve just begun studying Steve McIntosh’s book, The Presence of the Infinite: The Spiritual Experience of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness. In the introduction, McIntosh outlines the values found in our country’s major worldviews along with the differing beliefs stemming from them. In Chapter 1, he expresses respect and appreciation for the strengths of each worldview–our experiences of beauty, truth, and goodness. He then holds up a vision of using these experiences as guiding principles in overcoming our belief system’s shortcomings. In that way, we can generate powerful spiritual leadership for resolving the many challenges we face in our world today.

I am inspired by McIntosh’s vision and grateful to have been given the ability to approach a dialogue about beliefs in a way that has the potential for co-creating a better world. I’ve moved forward since our discussion at Angel’s last week. That has to be an experience of goodness. I’ve grown.