Can’t Control God Through Belief
by Belief provides structure and a foundation for community of like-minded individuals to gather for strength and inspiration. However, belief does not rule the reality of Divine Grace and can never dictate how God may enter a person’s life. This article addresses how the many contradictions in belief ultimately have no relevance to the reality of God’s presence in the life of any particular individual with a spiritual passion.
New Age, metaphysical, wacko, weird, evil are all labels that have been applied to a broad range of studies and beliefs that don’t fit the standard, established religions. The people that populate these alternate spiritual communities call themselves mystics, shamans, new agers, psychics, intuitives, self-awareness junkies, and any number of study related labels. Skeptics call them nuts. Religious leaders call them confused.
The problem with spirituality is that it is ultimately a personal endeavor and personal response to the issue of divine life. No number of labels, judgments, feuds, or persuasions can actually dictate how grace will envelope and fill any one person. Belief neither rules nor creates God. Divine presence does not restrict itself to any one church or religious practice. The love of Christ and the hand of God knows no boundaries no matter how tightly groups of believers or individual commentators may attempt to control that reality.
Many people with strong spiritual passion also parallel it with self-righteous belief in order to protect their nest as though a contradictory view may somehow destroy their love for God or taint their spiritual endeavors. Unfortunately, their beliefs may often support this response and continue to alienate them from a world filled with a huge variety of spiritually passionate people seeking communion with the Divine. Wars have risen out of religious debate and righteous defense of belief. Murder has been committed in the name of God while the true spirituality of their particular belief often references love as the core value.
A person can easily be brainwashed, persuaded to believe, hypnotized, trained from birth or reformed at age fifty to embrace any number of religious beliefs. However, what a person believes ultimately has little relevance to the true nature of their relationship with the Divine. Spirit moves from within and it can be clouded, shielded, or ignored but it will continue to be a gift from God no matter what point-of-view a person dons. Therefore, you might find yourself a tarot-reading psychic, a catholic nun, a lifelong Buddhist, or a devote Muslim follower and be either deeply graced in the love of God or an evil, warped believer with an empty heart. Structure is not what determines one’s relationship with God. It is merely a vehicle. Every individual must answer to the Source about the level of Grace they allow to guide their choices and their life. Only you and God will know the entire truth about the nature, depth, and sincerity of your spiritual passion.
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Post CommentValerieY
On October 22, 2009 at 1:30 pm
My comment would be. Even the word God has many meanings……..is why some religions do not use it. My particular version is not the same as most Christains accept. Susan’s words that only you and God (or the Source, Oneness, the Universal All etc) know the depth of your spiritual passion is true. Hopefully this article helps us look closer to see if we need to go deeper.
Sourav
On October 22, 2009 at 2:42 pm
There is always the believer and the non-believer. And this will go on.
Greg Wolford
On October 23, 2009 at 10:14 am
I agree with some points here. Belief or non-belief matter nada. For instance, if you step out in front of a bus traveling at 30 MPH and say “I don’t believe in buses” the end result will be the same.
I disagree that there are many paths to one end though, which is what I think the author’s attempted point to make is here. There is one God and one way to Him. Scripture is more than a “vehicle”; it is the guide and authority to and for our lives. It is God’s Word revealed to guide us, teach us and grow us. And this takes is back to the bus analogy I used above…
Susan Raines
On October 23, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Dear Greg: Thank you for your polite comment and interest in the article. True, I do not “believe” there is only one path to God, although I do believe there is only One God. I do know that there are millions who “believe” their scriptures and studies of it make them more spiritually connected while they turn around and commit unchristian, unkind and evil acts. The point is ultimately, one can believe anything they like but that belief does not make it real or the “truth.” I “believe” that in the end, God will judge according to what is within each individual heart regardless of the path they have followed. Thank you again.
Greg Wolford
On October 23, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Susan,
I appreciate what you have expounded on. And I agree: Many espouse one thing and live another, as Jesus eluded to in Mat. 15:8 (http://tinyurl.com/yz8ekut). Hypocrisy is one of the worst cancers in the church I believe, and it spreads like one, too.
Thank you again for your comment and the article. I’m sure it will bring much needed thought to the concept.
James DeVere
On December 8, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I really like this article’s short nature – straight to the point. Thank – you . j
Melinda J
On August 6, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Wow! All I can say is I can’t wait for Jesus return whether we believe this to be true or not.
desh.bd
On October 31, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Important article,thanks to share..
Greg Miller
On November 15, 2010 at 12:56 pm
We could have used this article to pass around sometime around the 13th centruy and a lot of grief could have been saved!
Very interesting thoughts; I am part of an organized religion and what bothers me the most is what you’ve identified as the self-righteous who think there’s only one way.
I am comfortable in my religion and what you write here is very logical, and well thought out. People bring their own axes to grind but if they just read this piece and leave their pre-conceptions at the door, they would benefit greatly.
Thanks- good article. (So, when did you leave the seminary- just kidding
)