Did God create life? Or by doing so did he just share love?
I have a dad who is atheist and so understandably, I have some trepidation around religion. I received a Jewish upbringing that was both highly non-religious, from my dad's Humanistic Judaism group and also modern, from my mom's Reconstructionist group.
Religion was not pushed on me too much. I was assigned to Hebrew School up until 7th grade. It was a commitment to Judaism, but not a huge one, and I learned the culture and have some pride in it. I also hated it because I felt I didn't fit in with the kids in my classes and my mom's chavurah (social) group. If I went to a synagogue now, its a similar social anxiety to being at a crowded theater for a family movie, except people are dressed less casual.
I had my Bat Mitzvah when I was 13, and didn't develop any stronger interest in developing ties to the synagogue. While both parents would be happy if I had a Jewish boyfriend rather than Christian, being a practicing Jew, or even having a spiritual life was not mentioned much.
What my dad did continue to mention, is his anti-religious views. Such as: There is no God, Religion is just people believing in something fake, its stupid, There is no Afterlife and believing in that is stupid, I'm not going to pray to something that isn't real. etc
It wasn't until pretty recently that I started realizing a trend: It appears that other religions (Christianity mainly, Buddhism) talk a fair amount about love.
Yes, love. Love isn't something I used to associate with religion. To me, religion is about community, hope, ethics, summer camps, customs. meaning, confession, chanting, praying. Its not about love.
But it seemed to keep cropping up for me in references. What first set me to noticing this trend was Amie's Buddhist teaching of 'make love your primary reason for all the good you do, do it out of this massive love towards all beings'.
Then I started to requestion my view on some things I equate with religion: 'God is love', and 'Jesus loves you', from Christianity. I haven't gone to a Christian service but I have seen or heard these before plenty of times.
From my point of view with my atheist dad's take on it bending me with skepticism, this love stuff was just sort of wishy washy, fake, unbelievable. It was just something that religious people believed, irrational(how could there be a God? how could Jesus still be alive and just be so loving?), almost embarrassing to believe.
Since I don't believe in God, I never had to worry about being disconnected from God in my sins, or that God would be there to choose my afterlife of heaven or hell, based on my deeds in this life, and so that I should act morally because someone above is paying attention.
But in not believing in God, here's what I miss out on continually: all the God is Love, and Jesus Loves you stuff - not a shred of it ever entered my perspective. The being loved, feeling God's love. Being loved unconditionally, being loved enormously, being loved in any and all states of mind, being loved always, feeling love and goodness in and around you.
In my upbringing, I never before saw the value of religion, of believing in a God.
But I fully can see a value in believing that you are loved. And I can see how religious belief in a God, in God's love is beneficial. And I think that religion is a celebration of life, too, an honest-to-God commendation for all that we go through.
Who wouldn't want to be loved? Everybody wants to be loved.
Who doesn't deserve to be loved? Everyone deserves love.
If religion is about love, that is very down to earth.
Goodness, This realization seems to call into question my established attitude that religion is just so inapplicable or false, in its belief in God and its focus on the bible.
Rather, the focus on love seems kindly. It doesn't seem so far off and wrong in its God talk. It seems like of right.
Plus as I know from psychological therapy arguments, being loved gives one a sense of value, and hope, and security. And a desire to love in return. Which makes it even more right.
So athiests, how about you just chill out. If someone says, that Jesus loves you, you don't have to get yourself in a knot. Just let yourself feel it if you believe it, and ignore it if you don't. Its not going to hurt you.
I am writing this of course, because I'm unhappy with my unreligious upbringing. I wish I could just let the love wash all over me, without all this resistance against religion.
I know that other people believe in a meaning in life, that isn't God and isn't religion. A belief in connection of all living beings since the beginning of time, but that is even larger than life, that transcends our world. That probably is a life view in itself, or pairs well with religion, too.
Its not what I'm looking for though. I want down to Earth, I want here and now and I want love and unfortunately I'm going to resist any attempts for people to say that God loves me with the only perspective I have, that disbelief in God trumps the attempts at goodwill that could occur by Gd loving people.
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