Thought for the Day: Divinity in many forms.
My Father was a devout Christian. He was a doctor and had patients of a variety of faiths seeking medical attention in his over 40 years of service to the community. He had patients from all over the world whom would make a special trip just for their annual physical with him. That is how much his work and presence was valued.
When I was in my 20's, my Father and I were talking about the variation of beliefs that he encountered in his work as a physician (everything from Christian Science to Atheist). He shared that his philosophy was many spokes to the center. There was not ONE belief in his experience and belief that held validity over another. He shared that each of us has the right to choose our path and follow it!
I had an interesting interaction the other day with what I would call a legalistic Christian. Their asked me over and over again why I would not categorize myself into one particular faith. I respectfully answered that there was truth present in every belief system, and that I did not want to be pigeon holed into one belief only. From Buddhism there is non-attachment to the lower states of being (anxiety, fear, worry, shame, blame, anger, depression), from the Christian sector Angels and Divine intervention, from Judaism the Kabbalah, and the list goes on. There is so MUCH truth to me, but it is not all contained within ONE religion, church, or belief system. I let them know that I was willing to dialogue as the subject as long as there was reciprocal respect. I chose to end the conversation with kind but firm energy. There is never a reason to feel shame for what you belief, for we are each a work in progress. Shame is the energy of being disconnected from Divine energy.
I have been studying religious pantheons for many years and encourage each of you to do the same. Thubten Chodron talks about the need for us to QUESTION to arrive at our own conclusions, rather than simply accept the rote being fed to us. You would not eat something if you did not know the ingredients, why should religion and faith (two entirely different things!) be any different?
In Divine Love,
Razzi <3