"...I am fully alive and flying with faith soaring above the clouds creating what will be from what is not yet and meeting God in me and all around me. I dance with the doubt so I can fly with the faith."
From "Dancing Into Doubt, Flying Into Faith" Diana Wilcox ⓒ 2010

Saturday, September 25, 2010

One Path To God?

I heard a chaplain say the other day, "there is only one path to God...the one you are on."  This wisdom is important for all to hear.  We try so often to box God in - defining who or what the divine is, and how we are to hear and experience God.  When we do this, we are also drawing circles around our understanding - and those on the outside of the circle, we mark as outside of God's embrace.  


I know that there are many Christians who believe that the only path to God is through Jesus.  On the other hand, there are many, myself included, who believe that there are as many paths to God, as there are grains of sand.  Jesus for me is the window that I look through to"see" God.  It is the teaching of Jesus that I follow, and that has helped bring me closer to God.  But to say that Jesus is the only way is to say that God could not have created other windows through which to look, other paths to walk.  It is to imply that God could not have sent others, or communicated directly to others.  Who am I to say what God can and cannot do?  In the "house" of God, I would imagine there are many windows and doors, as many as might be needed for all of creation to experience the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer.


When we make these claims of exclusivity in relation to God's grace we begin to define boundaries.  It is the beginning of marking some as God's children, and others as condemned in some way.  We are not here to judge.  God loves EVERYONE, not just those who share our chosen path to the divine.  


Also at risk when we attempt to box God into one religious path is ecumenical understanding and relationships.  If we start with Jesus as the only path to God, the only way to receive God's grace, then we fail to recognize the Holy Spirit working in other ways.  Worse yet, we may try to force others to walk our chosen path, without regard to the culture or spiritual path of those we try to "save."  The Crusades and many missionary efforts are a testament to what can happen when we box God in, no matter how well intentioned we may be.  And, if God is capable of creating other paths, other windows to see through, then our efforts are a misguided attempt to board those windows up, to block the other paths.  We are trying to play God.


So, what are we, who define ourselves as Christians, to do?  "Walk in love, as Christ loved us" (Eph. 5:2, RSV)  It is really that simple.  When we model ourselves on Jesus, when we follow the two commandments he said were most important - to love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves - when we stop judging and look at everyone as we would Jesus himself, then we live out the Gospel.  It is in living it out that we open the door to others to experience God through Christ, and it is in opening ourselves to the many possibilities of God's movement within creation that we can truly "walk in love" with respect and open hearts to the spiritual windows that God has provided to others.


"There is only one path to God... the one you are on."


Peace,
Chaplain Diana
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5 comments:

  1. debd94September 25, 2010 at 7:36 PM

    Amen, sister! This is fabulous writing that speaks to me.

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  2. Chaplain Diana WilcoxSeptember 25, 2010 at 9:58 PM

    Thanks!

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  3. AnonymousDecember 10, 2010 at 12:37 AM

    If you follow Christ's teachings then how did you miss the part where he said "I am THE way THE truth and THE light" not a* way or a* truth ..

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  4. Chaplain Diana WilcoxDecember 10, 2010 at 9:41 AM

    "Anonymous", I am posting this comment, but it will be the last one without a name associated with it. Yes, the community that wrote John believed that to be true, as do many. That Gospel was written furthest from his life, and is more a theological treatise, than an historical account of Jesus and his ministry. Nevertheless, we have within it an understanding of the λογοσ that is beautiful and without measure.

    However, even if historically accurate, the verse you quote does not prohibit others from also being "the way, the truth, and the light." In fact, in that same part of John, Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit coming as a παρακλετοσ to help us. Folks also love to quote "no one comes to the Father, but through me." Again, he likely did not say this, but even if he did, that does not preclude the Creator from sending others before and after Jesus. Our Creator cannot be limited and bound in by anyone or any writing.

    Jesus continues to be the way, the truth, and the light those who follow him. And for those who follow Mohammed, the same is true, as it is for the followers of Buddha, and so on. We all needed God to help us find the way to her/him. In Jesus, God decided to come among us as the incarnate Word, so that both God and we may be in full relationship with one another.

    Who am I to box God in and say that God is incapable of doing this again, or living into an incarnation on this life that speaks to others in a language and form that is perhaps foreign to me? Who am I to say that God cannot speak through those sent in the form of paracletes?

    Our Creator is capable of anything, and loves us beyond measure. We are to love ourselves, love our neighbors, and love God. That is what Jesus commands us to do. Around the world, God is known by many names - Allah, Yahweh, Brahma, among them. God has reached out to all of us in a way that speaks to us to help us come into full relationship with the her/him. For me, and apparently for you, it is the incarnation in Jesus that does this, and that is a wonderful thing. For others, there is another path that God has provided to them.

    All we are asked to do is to love ourselves, love each other, and love God. Not fight over how we got to the Creator.

    In this season of Advent, I wish you the blessings of joy and peace.

    Chaplain Diana

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  5. UnknownOctober 26, 2012 at 10:57 PM

    thanks chaplain!

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