I'm an Explorer

I've been having a wonderful conversation with a friend through FB messenger and thought that these sections were good enough to share for blog post.  

I believe in God. I believe that he cares for us deeply and wants for us those things that will help us to grow and become more like him. I believe that his influence can be seen and felt in many ways in this world. I'm not planning to convert to Catholicism, but I do see God working through Pope Francis. And I see God when I look at the Dalai Lama or Desmond Tutu. I think they are among the most Christ-like people alive today.

 

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You asked, "What parts of other religions appeal to you?" The simplest answer is that many religions talk about similar concepts but talk about them in different ways, using a different vocabulary. As you're probably well aware, I'm a word nerd. Each word carries a slightly different connotation than it's synonyms. By exploring different religions, I open up my perspective. 

As a voice teacher, I know that every student learns differently and will need to find their own best way to approach vocal technique. Although I taught the same principles to you and other students, the actual exercises and ways of talking about the technique that I used with you might be very different from another student that I was teaching at the same time. To take this comparison even further, when you went to college, you were ready for new ways to approach vocal technique. The goals of your college teacher and my goals are probably pretty similar, but how you learn, what you are ready to learn, and the insights and experiences of your teachers all effect what you learn. That's where I feel like I am religion. 

I mentioned before that Mormons believe that we existed before we began this life and we will continue to exist after it. We also believe that the choices we make in this life affect where we will spend the afterlife. Although I'm not sure I totally believe in reincarnation, studying it in the context of religions that do helps me to gain insight about this idea of eternal progression. I'm not content to think that when I die, I have done everything that I can to learn and grow and will be assigned to stay at that level for the rest of eternity. I think I will continue to have learning experiences. 

I'm very interested in Catholic saints. Although I don't really agree with the process of how that church declares them saints, I am fascinated by their lives and find a lot of insights as I read about them, or read their words. As a musician, you'd probably be interested in Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Fascinating woman with a great story. 

I'm also very interested in religions that talk about the Divine Feminine or goddesses. Although it is not talked about a lot, Mormons do believe that we have a Heavenly Mother in addition to our Heavenly Father (God the Father). It fits well into the Mormon belief that our God has a physical body like ours, only perfected. Because there isn't much known about her and we don't really worship her exactly, I like to explore religions with goddesses, looking for major concepts or ideas about Her that maybe we have lost. Catholics don't really consider Mary a goddess, but they do revere her, certainly more than Mormons do, and look to her for guidance. (Just read the Ave Maria text.) 

The thing about exploring religions is that it really is an extremely broad topic. I've explored some of Islam, a little Buddhism, a very little Hinduism, and a lot of other branches of Christianity. I also have some pagan friends who have shared things with me. And although you don't really call atheism a religion, my atheist friends have taught me a lot about being a good and moral person without needing the incentives of punishment or reward from God. I've also done a little exploring into more New Age approaches to spirituality reading authors like Eckhart Tolle and Neale David Walsch. In fact, I love Walsch's take on the 10 commandments. He says that God explained to him that they're not really "do this to be good" statements. They are "you will notice this happening when you are on the right path" signposts. 

The world of Christianity alone is so huge and diverse that you could study just that for an entire lifetime and still not understand everything about every sect. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, had some fascinating ideas. As I read her work, their were many things that I just said, "Nope, doesn't work for me." But there were other ideas that I really like. I remember reading her explanation of the atonement and it clicked with me more than any other thing I had learned up to that point. 

This link takes you to a religion tree. It's not 100% accurate, but it does give you a wonderful idea about just how diverse the world of spirituality is. (If I remember correctly, it lists Mormonism as growing out of Methodism. Joseph Smith did have exposure to Methodism, which is probably why the chart maker put it there, but Mormons believe that the LDS church is not a branch, but actually the restoration of the true gospel of Jesus Christ that he taught and organized when he was on earth. Also, you'll see branches on the Eastern religions sides that take you to tai chi and yoga. Neither one is a religion in and of itself, but they grew out of and are influenced by their parent religions. Many practitioners do use tai chi and yoga as part of a spiritual practice. 

I'd love to hear more about what you believe and why. No rush or time limit, just get back to me when you can. 

The invitation I gave her is open to you to.  What do you believe?  Why? What difference does it make in your life and the way you live?