[A] personal God
can become a grave liability…a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection
of our limited needs, fears and desires. We can assume that [God] loves what we
love and hates what we hate, endorsing our prejudices instead of compelling us
to transcend them.
~ Karen Armstrong* 1944-
In an us and them world, where do we place God as Creator of All in God's own image? Is it that there is only one side that God is on and is it always ours?
Dear God,
Of course you're on our side ~ don't we always kneel on the field and pray to You before the game to help our team win? Aren't we the right color, political party, gender, sexual orientation, and citizen of the best country?
For today, I will give up trying to have You act on my will. I will take on looking more closely for ways to discern Your will. At the very least, I will think more deeply about the teachings of Jesus to love You with all we have and to love others as ourselves ~ to love them as if they were us. I will pray for the will and the courage to walk this walk and think differently about whose image I serve. amen.
*Karen Armstrong is a British commentator and renowned author of a multitude of books on quite a breadth and depth of comparative religion studies. A former Roman Catholic nun, she has given us such books as A History of God: A 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Through the Narrow Gate; and Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. Her work centers around the commonalities across major religions and, in particular, the importance of the Golden Rule and Compassion. Her work, research, and authorship has garnered her - among many other awards - the $100,000 TED prize in 2008 with which she started the Charter for Compassion: "A document that transcends religious, ideological, and national differences. A cooperative effort to restore compassionate thinking and action to the center of life." Individuals, groups, and even countries can sign and participate in this most human quest to develop humanity to its highest ideal. http://charterforcompassion.org/
In an us and them world, where do we place God as Creator of All in God's own image? Is it that there is only one side that God is on and is it always ours?
Dear God,
Of course you're on our side ~ don't we always kneel on the field and pray to You before the game to help our team win? Aren't we the right color, political party, gender, sexual orientation, and citizen of the best country?
For today, I will give up trying to have You act on my will. I will take on looking more closely for ways to discern Your will. At the very least, I will think more deeply about the teachings of Jesus to love You with all we have and to love others as ourselves ~ to love them as if they were us. I will pray for the will and the courage to walk this walk and think differently about whose image I serve. amen.
*Karen Armstrong is a British commentator and renowned author of a multitude of books on quite a breadth and depth of comparative religion studies. A former Roman Catholic nun, she has given us such books as A History of God: A 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Through the Narrow Gate; and Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. Her work centers around the commonalities across major religions and, in particular, the importance of the Golden Rule and Compassion. Her work, research, and authorship has garnered her - among many other awards - the $100,000 TED prize in 2008 with which she started the Charter for Compassion: "A document that transcends religious, ideological, and national differences. A cooperative effort to restore compassionate thinking and action to the center of life." Individuals, groups, and even countries can sign and participate in this most human quest to develop humanity to its highest ideal. http://charterforcompassion.org/
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