Conversations with Christians
May. 26th, 2004 04:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kukla_tkoOk, I think I have mentioned that I am a Christian. A Catholic, no less.
And the reason why I stay that way is that there are some neat things about Christianity, and Ol' Mother Church.
And, of course, there are the things I don't like about it. Fanatics, for example. People who give Jesus a bad name, for example.
All Holy Wars.
Those piss me off. (I refuse to wax philosophical about whether Dubya declared Jihad upon Iraq.)
I don't know where the quote comes from originally, but "Someone once said" that Holy War is a bit like two kids fighting on the playground, over who has the better imaginary friend.
So, I would like to share a piece my faith with you. Keep in mind that Faith and Religion are NOT the same thing. AND they are not mutually inclusive.
God is Play Doh.
Yep. That stuff that comes in a plastic tub in an amazing array of colors. You played with it as a child. (And if you didn't you are a deprived person. I must buy you some play-doh RIGHT NOW.)
Come with me down the path of this metaphor.
I believe that God is.
I believe that in our natural state, we cannot perceive God, whole and in complete truth. It takes years of work to reach that kind of enlightenment. And even still, we are limited by our senses, both real and metaphysical.
But for this explanation, God is a big ball of multicolored play-doh. When we are born, a small piece of that play-doh is included in the package. We all have play-doh. It all came from the same place.
And when we die, the play-doh goes back to the great ball and merges back in with it.
Now, I might have a different colored play-doh than you do. Everyone does something different with their play-doh. Some people open the can slowly, sniff it, and immediately get it out and start playing with it, molding it into this shape or that.
Some people eat it.
Some people will only use part of it at a time, saving the other part untouched "for later."
Some people go around trading pieces of their play-doh so that they have more colors to work with.
Some people gather together with others and work together to create something large.
Some people make a shape that they are happy with and bake it in the oven to preserve it.
Some people just let it dry up or get moldy in the can.
And some people are going to try to tell you how to play with your play-doh. You know the ones, the bossy people who feel that there has to be instructions, and they have the main line to what you are supposed to be doing. BS. It's my play-doh.
However, if you are bored, or lonely, or having a creative block... what helps? You can always go ask someone else what they are doing with their play-doh. You might learn a new technique that you can incorporate into your play. You might find a use for play-doh that you hadn't thought of, like home repair.
Ultimately, when you die, your play-doh goes back to the great whole, and it remembers how it was treated and brings those experiences back with it.
The problem is, most of us have forgotten that our play-doh used to all be together as one. If we could remember, we would have access to infinite compassion and power.
So... what does all this metaphor have to do with being a Christian?
Jesus had play-doh just like everyone else. But he remembered. He remembered what it was like to be God. He tried to get this idea across to everyone. Most people just couldn't wrap their heads around it. Most people got caught up in the jargon, the words. They missed the message. How do I know this? Because Jesus ended up having to teach great ideas in parables. Jesus liked metaphor, too.
What was His central message?
Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes.
Jesus explained that we are all children of God, not His Slaves. He tried to get the people to mellow out, man. And his most effective recruiting tool was NOT to tell people that they were doing it wrong. No, sir. He said "come follow me."
Back to Play-doh:
If you were sitting there, minding your own business, and doing what makes you happiest with your play-doh... and someone walked by, and they were doing the MOST EXTRAORDINARY THING with theirs...
Wouldn't you want to know how he was doing that?
You're just sitting there, making coils and happy faces. This is fine. This guy walks by and his play-doh is in the shape of a little mouse.
And the little play-doh mouse is running along his shoulder and twitching its play-doh whiskers at you.
"Holy Crap!" You would say. "How in the world does he DO that?"
And if you were brave and you asked him, what if he smiled at you and said, "You can do this, too. Hang out with me and I will show you how."
That's what The Man had to have been like. This is the Jesus I pray to. He lived, he loved, he worked, he played, and he struggled. He taught, and he learned, and he laughed and he drank and he died. I believe that he got 30 years of real human experience. I believe that he may have been a bit of a smart-ass as a boy. I believe that he grew up to be a remarkable man, and that he sometimes lost his temper.
I believe that he gave new depth to the very concept of Forgiveness and Reconciliation.
I had a weird flash as I was driving. I saw in my mind two people talking about Jesus. Not in a "we're at a church meeting" kind of way, but more of a "No shit, you knew that guy?" kind of way.
The one says to the other that he was really something. And gets wistful.
Person: But what was he LIKE?
Jesus's Buddy: He believed in people. I mean, really.
Person: I thought that he was so cool because people believed in HIM.
JB: No, no. You have that backwards. He changed everyone's lives not because people believed in HIM but because HE believed in PEOPLE. See, if you were struggling, or upset, or worried about stupid stuff, he would look at you. He'd give you this... look. And he would smile-- oh you should have seen this smile. He would look right into you, and tell you that it was ok, and that you were a good person inside, and that he believed in you. That he believed that you could overcome whatever was troubling you.
Person: Is that all?
JB: Yep. It was... overwhelming. This man, this... important person was telling you that you were special. And he believed it. He believed in the goodness of people. He made friends with prostitutes, sinners, tax collectors, you name it. He hung around the docks and talked to sailors and fishermen.
Person: But did you get to see any of his miracles?
JB: You aren't paying attention. I just told you about one of his miracles. But the other good one was Forgiveness. Seriously, no one knows how to do this anymore. People did horrible things to him, and he not only forgave them for those hurts, but he asked God to forgive them as well. That takes balls, man. He could see into people's hearts and tell what they had done wrong... and he would look at them and tell them that it was ok, and that they were forgiven, because they regretted what they had done. And he meant it, man! Think of it, the guilt just lifted off of you!
Person: I hear that he healed the sick, and brought the dead to life. Is that true?
JB: I never saw any of that, but I heard about it too. I heard him talk about how some things are illusions, but that he was there to tell the truth. I gotta tell you, if I were sick, and he came to me and smiled at me like that, I would have gotten up on a broken leg to get near him.
Person: It's a shame that he isn't here now. I would have liked to have met him.
JB: Oh, he isn't gone. I mean, his form isn't around anymore, but he's here.
Person: What do you mean?
JB: Go forgive somebody. Go put your faith in them. Go find someone who needs you to believe in them and then tell them what Jesus would have said, that they're a good person and a child of God. When you do, I promise that you will get a glimpse of him.
My God is a god of Love. I asked my mother (at a very young age) what God looked like. Was he the guy with the long beard and the robes? Was he a spook, or did he look like the statues at church? And why wasn't there a "God" statue?
Mom told me something that was prophetic and wise.
She said, "Think about the faces of the people who love you. Picture in your mind all those faces smiling at you at the same time. Got it?"
I was an imaginative child. I had it.
"Ok. That's what God looks like."
Brilliant.
So, I want to be like Jesus. I think he had the right idea. I like the ritual of Ol' Mother Church, even if the Pope and I don't see eye to eye. I love the sacrements, and I recognize them as markers at the major stages of life. And I love to stand there and sing happy songs in a minor key. I know that what I do with my play-doh is different from what you do, and I don't think what you're doing with it is wrong. Whatever it is, it is right for YOU.
And those of you who haven't done ANYTHING with it... I am not telling what to do, but I am warning you that you are missing out on the fun.
And the reason why I stay that way is that there are some neat things about Christianity, and Ol' Mother Church.
And, of course, there are the things I don't like about it. Fanatics, for example. People who give Jesus a bad name, for example.
All Holy Wars.
Those piss me off. (I refuse to wax philosophical about whether Dubya declared Jihad upon Iraq.)
I don't know where the quote comes from originally, but "Someone once said" that Holy War is a bit like two kids fighting on the playground, over who has the better imaginary friend.
So, I would like to share a piece my faith with you. Keep in mind that Faith and Religion are NOT the same thing. AND they are not mutually inclusive.
God is Play Doh.
Yep. That stuff that comes in a plastic tub in an amazing array of colors. You played with it as a child. (And if you didn't you are a deprived person. I must buy you some play-doh RIGHT NOW.)
Come with me down the path of this metaphor.
I believe that God is.
I believe that in our natural state, we cannot perceive God, whole and in complete truth. It takes years of work to reach that kind of enlightenment. And even still, we are limited by our senses, both real and metaphysical.
But for this explanation, God is a big ball of multicolored play-doh. When we are born, a small piece of that play-doh is included in the package. We all have play-doh. It all came from the same place.
And when we die, the play-doh goes back to the great ball and merges back in with it.
Now, I might have a different colored play-doh than you do. Everyone does something different with their play-doh. Some people open the can slowly, sniff it, and immediately get it out and start playing with it, molding it into this shape or that.
Some people eat it.
Some people will only use part of it at a time, saving the other part untouched "for later."
Some people go around trading pieces of their play-doh so that they have more colors to work with.
Some people gather together with others and work together to create something large.
Some people make a shape that they are happy with and bake it in the oven to preserve it.
Some people just let it dry up or get moldy in the can.
And some people are going to try to tell you how to play with your play-doh. You know the ones, the bossy people who feel that there has to be instructions, and they have the main line to what you are supposed to be doing. BS. It's my play-doh.
However, if you are bored, or lonely, or having a creative block... what helps? You can always go ask someone else what they are doing with their play-doh. You might learn a new technique that you can incorporate into your play. You might find a use for play-doh that you hadn't thought of, like home repair.
Ultimately, when you die, your play-doh goes back to the great whole, and it remembers how it was treated and brings those experiences back with it.
The problem is, most of us have forgotten that our play-doh used to all be together as one. If we could remember, we would have access to infinite compassion and power.
So... what does all this metaphor have to do with being a Christian?
Jesus had play-doh just like everyone else. But he remembered. He remembered what it was like to be God. He tried to get this idea across to everyone. Most people just couldn't wrap their heads around it. Most people got caught up in the jargon, the words. They missed the message. How do I know this? Because Jesus ended up having to teach great ideas in parables. Jesus liked metaphor, too.
What was His central message?
Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes.
Jesus explained that we are all children of God, not His Slaves. He tried to get the people to mellow out, man. And his most effective recruiting tool was NOT to tell people that they were doing it wrong. No, sir. He said "come follow me."
Back to Play-doh:
If you were sitting there, minding your own business, and doing what makes you happiest with your play-doh... and someone walked by, and they were doing the MOST EXTRAORDINARY THING with theirs...
Wouldn't you want to know how he was doing that?
You're just sitting there, making coils and happy faces. This is fine. This guy walks by and his play-doh is in the shape of a little mouse.
And the little play-doh mouse is running along his shoulder and twitching its play-doh whiskers at you.
"Holy Crap!" You would say. "How in the world does he DO that?"
And if you were brave and you asked him, what if he smiled at you and said, "You can do this, too. Hang out with me and I will show you how."
That's what The Man had to have been like. This is the Jesus I pray to. He lived, he loved, he worked, he played, and he struggled. He taught, and he learned, and he laughed and he drank and he died. I believe that he got 30 years of real human experience. I believe that he may have been a bit of a smart-ass as a boy. I believe that he grew up to be a remarkable man, and that he sometimes lost his temper.
I believe that he gave new depth to the very concept of Forgiveness and Reconciliation.
I had a weird flash as I was driving. I saw in my mind two people talking about Jesus. Not in a "we're at a church meeting" kind of way, but more of a "No shit, you knew that guy?" kind of way.
The one says to the other that he was really something. And gets wistful.
Person: But what was he LIKE?
Jesus's Buddy: He believed in people. I mean, really.
Person: I thought that he was so cool because people believed in HIM.
JB: No, no. You have that backwards. He changed everyone's lives not because people believed in HIM but because HE believed in PEOPLE. See, if you were struggling, or upset, or worried about stupid stuff, he would look at you. He'd give you this... look. And he would smile-- oh you should have seen this smile. He would look right into you, and tell you that it was ok, and that you were a good person inside, and that he believed in you. That he believed that you could overcome whatever was troubling you.
Person: Is that all?
JB: Yep. It was... overwhelming. This man, this... important person was telling you that you were special. And he believed it. He believed in the goodness of people. He made friends with prostitutes, sinners, tax collectors, you name it. He hung around the docks and talked to sailors and fishermen.
Person: But did you get to see any of his miracles?
JB: You aren't paying attention. I just told you about one of his miracles. But the other good one was Forgiveness. Seriously, no one knows how to do this anymore. People did horrible things to him, and he not only forgave them for those hurts, but he asked God to forgive them as well. That takes balls, man. He could see into people's hearts and tell what they had done wrong... and he would look at them and tell them that it was ok, and that they were forgiven, because they regretted what they had done. And he meant it, man! Think of it, the guilt just lifted off of you!
Person: I hear that he healed the sick, and brought the dead to life. Is that true?
JB: I never saw any of that, but I heard about it too. I heard him talk about how some things are illusions, but that he was there to tell the truth. I gotta tell you, if I were sick, and he came to me and smiled at me like that, I would have gotten up on a broken leg to get near him.
Person: It's a shame that he isn't here now. I would have liked to have met him.
JB: Oh, he isn't gone. I mean, his form isn't around anymore, but he's here.
Person: What do you mean?
JB: Go forgive somebody. Go put your faith in them. Go find someone who needs you to believe in them and then tell them what Jesus would have said, that they're a good person and a child of God. When you do, I promise that you will get a glimpse of him.
My God is a god of Love. I asked my mother (at a very young age) what God looked like. Was he the guy with the long beard and the robes? Was he a spook, or did he look like the statues at church? And why wasn't there a "God" statue?
Mom told me something that was prophetic and wise.
She said, "Think about the faces of the people who love you. Picture in your mind all those faces smiling at you at the same time. Got it?"
I was an imaginative child. I had it.
"Ok. That's what God looks like."
Brilliant.
So, I want to be like Jesus. I think he had the right idea. I like the ritual of Ol' Mother Church, even if the Pope and I don't see eye to eye. I love the sacrements, and I recognize them as markers at the major stages of life. And I love to stand there and sing happy songs in a minor key. I know that what I do with my play-doh is different from what you do, and I don't think what you're doing with it is wrong. Whatever it is, it is right for YOU.
And those of you who haven't done ANYTHING with it... I am not telling what to do, but I am warning you that you are missing out on the fun.
