Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sticking with the Bible at the Tikkun phone-in

3/10/2010—My thanks to Dave Belden and Alana Price at Tikkun magazine for the wonderful phone-in conversation Monday night. My thanks as well to all those who listened in and especially to the persons who asked questions and entered the discussion. It was a terrific give and take.

Several people called in to talk about their religious experiences, which were often similar to mine even though this audience has been able to remain within the religious traditions, such as liberal forms of Catholicism, or Unitarianism or Ethical Culture, while I have not been able to find a place to land. I have been wondering why this is, why others have not been set adrift as I have been.

One reason is my own impatience and pride, which of course is no compliment. I cannot sit and listen while other people participate in forms of faith that I have left. There is not much point in acknowledging that this is a flaw. I am tired of being so judgmental and everyone I was around was tired of it as well. In leaving my synagogue I did myself and everyone else a favor.

But the reason I could not move over to Unitarianism or the Ethical Culture movement or other forms of humanism is that I remain biblically oriented. The Bible, Old and New Testaments, seems to me to contain the truth about existence. I don’t believe in the Bible. Rather, in many ways I believe and trust the Bible. I just don’t believe in God. Odd but true.

1 comment:

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