Which God do I Choose?
May 14, 2013

If asked, I’d have to say that my spiritual education began somewhere down by the creek bed on the farm, where as a child I pondered the flow of water as I filled my palms to drink, or the miracle of the wild raspberries that hung over my rocky perch. But my formal religious education began in second grade, when I was first enrolled in a Sunday school at the Catholic Church for weekly lessons that would continue through my junior year of high school. At first I enjoyed going. We read stories from the Bible, talked about what they meant, and discussed how they might apply to our daily lives. We learned about different ways to pray, and I developed relationships with a number of community members from my church. The trouble for me settled in when I was 14, and my teacher for that year was particularly zealous in his faith. For the first time, I began to hear repeated references to “sinners,” “evil,” “the devil.” Indeed, this teacher seemed so obsessed with identifying the work of the devil, in hindsight I wonder if he placed more faith in Satan than God. He preached to us about the end times, which he felt would take place in March of that year, and about how he relished “the coming,” because the sinners would finally be sorted out from the “true Christians.”

I spent the better part of that academic year in a state of dread and panic. Among my many concerns about this end-of-the-world business was the fact that I had been saving for over a year to buy myself a new bicycle. I was shattered to consider that the world would be over before I could take my first spring ride. (I know…that seems selfish and materialistic, but hey. I was only a kid.)

My family was outraged when, in a state of total distress, I began sharing the contents of my Sunday school lessons. My grandmother was particularly concerned. I sat at her kitchen counter one afternoon, and she gave me her own version of religious education. “Shannon, if you learn one thing from me, it’s this: More people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason.” That’s when she introduced me to the other side of my family’s religion. We talked about the Crusades, the Inquisition, witch trials. She recited James Henry Leigh Hunt’s poem Abou Ben Adhem, then told me that the divine didn’t care which religion I chose. Rather, what mattered was how I cared for and loved human kind and the world.

Our conversation never called into question the existence of the divine. Rather, it examined humanity’s history of justifying violence, manipulation and coercion by presuming that “God was on their side.” I became wary of humans’ proclivity for invoking the divine as a justification for exclusion, rejection of others, or manipulation.
But interestingly, my faith grew and expanded as a result. I became more aware of the role my own conscience played in the evolution of my faith.

As an adult, I began to consider that the monotheistic concept of a male god was merely the most fashionable opinion regarding the form that the divine embodies. We have no proof that Native American spirits don’t exist, that Greek, Roman and Egyptian Gods don’t exist, that Hindu gods don’t exist, that there is no such thing as a Pagan Goddess, or that fairies don’t exist.

I bring this up today, because sitting on my desk is one of many letters I have received over the course of my writing career asking me, since my message seems to align with many Christian teachings, to infuse my work more pointedly with the Word of (the Christian) God.

For several years, I’ve stayed quiet as these little notes have arrived in my mailbox, been passed to me at conferences following lectures, popped up in my email folder, or appeared publicly in written criticisms of my work. I feel like such notes are asking me to take sides and favor Christianity over all other faiths. To be honest, my guess is that only those who are least comfortable with their faith would feel compelled to push me to make such a decision. I know I have many Christian readers out there who nourish my mind and spirit daily, who are comfortable enough with their path that they need not ask me to help generate more converts for their religion.

In truth, it warms my heart to know that the ideas I’m promoting, of living in harmony with our earth and our neighbors, about the power of community, about the importance of the hearth, resonate with Christian teachings. And while I embrace Christianity, I do not embrace only Christianity. If I promoted one particular faith in my work, then I must wrestle with the idea that I am choosing to exclude all the other faiths who might consider it and enrich it further, including Atheists and Agnostics. It is not only Christians who are participating with me in an exchange of ideas. My readers are Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Hindus, Pagans…the list goes on. I am deeply thankful that all of them feel the concepts resonate with their beliefs. When, across faiths, we are able to agree to love and honor the earth and our fellow humans, then everyone gains.

As I move forward with my investigations into how we can build a resilient future, about how we can have a meaningful and enjoyable life in the face of climate change and social, political and economic upheaval, the more I believe that we will all fare better if we can find a way to allow the divine to infuse our lives. But if we worry about whether other human beings adhere to the same religious doctrine as our own, or whether they name the divine using the same words, we will quickly find ourselves back in the Dark Ages, having failed to learn the lessons that history books (and my grandmother) have taught us about the danger of insisting that we all worship the same God. I’d prefer not to go down that route. If I am a failed Christian by my refusal to be only Christian, well, “I pray thee, then, write me as one that loves [her] fellow men [and women].”

Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said
“What writest thou?”—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still, and said “I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.

James Henry Leigh Hunt
Comments
May 14, 2013 8:32 AM EDT
Thank you for writing this! I had a similar experience growing up in the Christian faith (Lutheran, to be exact) and I came to leave the church because I cannot participate in a tradition that teaches that all those who disagree with me are wrong – and not only wrong, but doomed to a fiery eternity of punishment. I now consider myself a student of all world religions, and as Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita, God is one but different faiths depict him in different forms.
– Kelly Coyle DiNorcia
May 14, 2013 9:17 AM EDT
A fiery place of torment is not a Bible teaching, so I don’t blame you. I am a Christian, and members of my faith do not go to war. Because of this we have been persecuted, imprisoned and murdered, including during the Nazi era. I understand… The Bible depicts organized religion as a harlot who consorts with the political powers, when Jesus himself stayed out of the politics of the day.
– http://www.naturalmomstalkradio.com
May 14, 2013 9:18 AM EDT
This was so beautifully and sincerely written. I am not a Christian Although I was raised one. I have no problem with Jesus (Indeed he was a most amazing teacher about loving each other) but some of his followers have given me true pause. I instead embrace the idea that there are many paths to God but that the path is not God him or herself. I think to act with a loving heart as much as we possibly can is our highest mandate as human beings. My heart just will not allow me to subscribe to any faith that separates us from each other. But I love deeply this earth and her people and try to make honorable decisions about my own impacts on the planet and my fellow people. I think what you wrote was gracious and grace filled. Thank you.
– C.K.H.
May 14, 2013 9:20 AM EDT
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about spirituality and faith. You have such a gift for effectively expressing yourself and your ideas. No one could have written about this topic in a more beautiful and compassionate manner. I, too, was raised Catholic in a small town where 95% of the people were Catholic. I never could accept the fact that my non Catholic friends were doomed to a fiery afterlife in hell. I always felt and continue to feel my spirituality through nature. There is no deeper spirituality for me than to sit in the woods by the brook or to sit in the midst of my vegetable garden and just be awed by all the beauty and potential to feed me and my family. My children are now adutls but I always found nature to be the perfect tool for teaching them about a higher power, whatever that may be, and it didn’t matter what it was. When one appreciates and respects all nature, love of humankind naturally follows as well as the desire to live a life that benefits people and the planet.
Bless you for sharing your thoughts and life with us.
– Ann Parziale
May 14, 2013 9:30 AM EDT
Very well said, I couldn’t agree more! My spirituality has evolved in a very similar fashion. I wish more folks understood.
– Halston Craig
May 14, 2013 9:49 AM EDT
Thank you. Such a wonderfully-written, thoughtful post.
– earlgreylover
May 14, 2013 9:51 AM EDT
With love and admiration from one of your Muslim readers, an avid proselytizer of radical homemaking 😉
– kf
May 14, 2013 9:52 AM EDT
Expressed with heart and intelligence as you do so well Shannon.

My mother, a devout Christian who answered too many of my childish questions with “that’s what God wants” was also the one who welcomed my openness to the beauty and meaning of all faiths, and to the possibility of living beyond dogma. When we walked in the woods looking for wildflowers, she explained that all things in nature are an expression of God with shivers of pantheist delight. When I wrote my first research paper in seventh grade on reincarnation she not only encouraged me, but reveled in the case studies I found, quoting the Bard, ‎”There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” When I was a teen obsessed with poets and art from the Mid-East and India, she helped me find more and more resources to indulge in.

She’s the sort of Christian I admire, one who doesn’t think she has all the answers and is open to seeing them everywhere. You are too.
– Laura Grace Weldon
May 14, 2013 9:57 AM EDT
I agree and try to be patient and sympathetic to people who are more concerned about involving the correct (their) God in every conversation and excluding things that don’t completely align with their narrow views. Honest, helping deeds and offering an open, loving heart to all other creatures are the true measures of being a good person — not pious words and doctrines.
– Jean Nick
May 14, 2013 10:41 AM EDT
Thank you so much for writing this. It is greatly appreciated and expressed many of our thoughts.
– Tricia
May 14, 2013 10:51 AM EDT
Your post resonates deeply with me, for many reasons.

The Indian saint, Ramakrishna had a saying, “God cooks fish to the taste of each of her children.”

The consciousness of our deep unity as a people, all of whom are united in ways far more profound than our particularities, seems to be seeking voice through many of us at this time. And none too soon, given the global nature of the challenges that face us.

If the message of spiritual unity ain’t the Word of God, I don’t know what is.

(On a related and unrelated note, my blog is now in Mother Earth News. Here’s a link to my author page, which will give you an idea why this post spoke to me: http://www.motherearthnews.com/biographies/anna-alkin-founder-of-lunasol-farm.aspx#axzz2THL1J5AD)

– Anna Alkin
May 14, 2013 11:34 AM EDT
thank you Shannon;Once again, a great and important insight, beautifully stated. Your integrity and authenticity shine through all that you write;for me,that’s the essence of ‘religion’
– Ed M
May 14, 2013 1:20 PM EDT
Well done Shannon! You have written very clearly about waters that are frequently muddy. And, thank you for sharing the poem your grandmother shared with you. Love it!
Two strong women stepped up today, to the benefit of us all, you, and Angelina Jolie. Of course, on -very- different topics, but in both situations, clear thinking, and the willingness to take a stand publicly, sharing information and a perspective that can help us all to be knowledgeable and thoughtful about the decisions we make regarding our individual lives.
– ItsAllGood!
May 14, 2013 3:41 PM EDT
Thank you for such an honest and straightforward post! I was so surprised to hear that you had received not one, but *numerous* letters, asking you to “spread the faith”. It seems so odd to me.
– Karen @ www.makingshift.com
May 14, 2013 9:35 PM EDT
Here I go, there can only be one God and one truth, to say otherwise would give us all no hope(and that is the key word, hope and love), and Jesus hit it right on the head, but it seems that others were enlightened too, and seemed to have much of what Jesus said. It is about the journey, bloom where you have been planted, I would invite all of you who are or were Christian to go back to where Jesus started and see what He built and how He did it, anything that changes after that is just man’s sin, but we should not fret over that, stay true, stay strong for the truth shall set you free. As for those who do not believe or believe in other ways, also bloom where you are, it is about the journey and God will bring you to the truth, in your time, in your way, but you must pray as God is a gentle person and waits forever patiently for you to call God for the truth. I invite you all to watch EWTN especially Mother Angelica, they appeal to all and of all faiths, if you want to know what Jesus started start there, and if you disagree, start there anyway, you have to go to the horses mouth to check it out, any other source is just that, another source. Have fun with this and enjoy the faith, be deep, be traditional, it goes on forever, and yes hell will not prevail against it, it has not yet and it’s been over 2000 years, and by the way, science keeps proving the truth too. Go to ewtn.org or check your satellite. Don’t let some sour grape chase you from beautiful things, humans are just that imperfect, but when we say yes to God and His will we can show what humans can do that even the angels can not do, do it with frailty and do it with love, how can you beat that? God will help you with anything, just ask, you are all the beloved children, princes and princesses of the eternal kingdom, may you enjoy saving each other in this life to love it all forever in the next life. Sorry about the endless post, but yes I am a Jesus freak and all too willing to share the love with all of you here and on the otherside in Heaven. Remember this, it is hard to just believe, but yet it is simpler to just believe. Ask God for all that you need and study His love, the way He sent it to us, through His son, but for now, just pray, hope and don’t worry (Pio) never give up the ship, stay true.
– Tatiana
May 16, 2013 9:40 PM EDT
Ghandi is purported to have once said: “I like your Jesus Christ; I don’t like your Christians – they are very unlike your Jesus Christ.”
– bob
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