Searching for God # 139

 We all struggle (or am I just imagining that?) with our own contradictions, paradoxes, internal conflicts, tensions, and uncertainty. It is the uncertainty that accompanies all of our contradictions, paradoxes and internal conflicts that seem to ‘trouble’ or unsettle us....and with both the paradoxes and the unsettling, we are, is also seems, attempting to put things back in order, unity, harmony and our ‘comfort zone.’ 

Starting with an original separation from both God and nature, depending on the source of that original interpretation. For Christians, it starts with Genesis and The Fall. Whether from disobedience in the eating of the forbidden fruit, or the separation from androgyny into male and female, or the separation from ‘infinity, the ineffable, Paradise’ and ‘matter’ or reason, or the separation of the senses from the imagination....however we might ‘construe’ the separation, alienation, abandonment, and whatever specific word or definition we might give to that separation, (even from womb to external universe) the experience is universal. 

However we each go about ‘addressing’ or ‘confronting’ or ‘denying’ or ‘accommodating’ or ‘wrestling’ with our own sense of being separate, different, inadequate, sinful, evil, maladjusted abnormal, at different times and in different stages of our lives, that theme seem to be a constant dynamic. For many of us, the tension is depicted as our ‘internal voice’ juxtaposed (not always in conflict) with the ‘external voices’ of others, many of which we may well have internalized to the point where we actually consider them ‘our own’. What we may be perhaps ‘missing’ or ‘glossing over’ or ‘minimizing’ or ‘externalizing’ is the significance of our own ‘inner voice’ that itself may be living, perhaps even comfortably within a nest of paradoxes. 

Busy, engaged, productive, ambitious, determined, willful, along with respected, valued rich, responsible, could be a reliable set of appropriate adjectives, taken together, that ‘frame’ our perception of our place in the world, indeed, for many, our identity. Roles, duties, responsibilities, family and parenting obligations, earning a living, attaining a title, a profession, a social status, and even a ‘religious affiliation’ are all integral to the development of a mature, respected, valued, honourable, ethical, moral and legally-conforming life.  

The Greeks, centuries ago, considered that their lives were somehow, mysteriously and inescapably connected, related to, responsive to and interacting with the gods. For them there was a dimension ‘beyond’ (the here and now) with which their imagination interacted. For Plato, that ‘beyond’ comprised ‘beauty, truth and justice’...in forms that imaginatively ‘existed’ ‘above’. Aristotle, on the other hand, attempted to collapse that ‘myth’ into a sensate, rational perceivable kind of flatness, we might say. Essentially removing, robbing or erasing the ‘mystery’ from the perceptions of many, have we been left with lives so engaged in ‘proving’ our value based on extrinsic standards, benchmarks and the expectations of others, leaving us separated from, alienated from, the privacy, the complexity, the contradictions, paradoxes and truths of our souls. 

If, in our performative life we consider our fears, anxieties, embarrassments, failures and inadequacies to be equal to, or more significantly, identified with our dark side, and our public performance to be equal to, identified with our light, good, ethical, moral and publicly honourable side, we might readily identify with Paul’s words in Romans 7: 15-19: ‘the good I want to do, I do not do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing’. 

Irrespective whether we fashion ourselves as Christians, many of us can likely identify with the sentiment and its implications that Paul articulates. In literary terms, it is called the ‘divided self’. And whether we life in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and whether are poor or rich, educated or not so much, gainfully employed or still searching for work with dignity, healthy or ill, male or female, and whether we consider ourselves to be adherents to this specific religious faith or that religious faith, it is highly predictable that we can identify with this divide. 

Indeed, it may well be the primary purpose of all religions to bridge the divide between our separated, alienated, abandoned inner life from our external extrinsic life....Irrespective of the doctrine, the mythology, rituals, traditions, hierarchies, teachings, sanctuaries’ names, expectations of ‘membership’ there is likely far more that overlaps between and among religious denominations or sects than actually divides. 

I recently read an interesting invitation from a Salvation Army leader to all those who had in any way ‘committed some transgression’ (various ones were named) to be welcomed in their church on Sunday: “Nevertheless, this is where you will be welcome! Here Jesus can save you!?’...was the essence of the message. Highly insightful, sensitive and honourable is the leader’s message given the interpretation of the Christian faith, with its ‘conception of both sin and the grace of forgiveness and the salvation that accompanies redemption. Inviting men and women to become open to the grace of God irrespective of their personal sense of shame, guilt, separateness, alienation from God, perhaps their marriage partner, their job, their personal reputation is a highly venerable process in which to be ‘faithfully’ engaged. 

Invitations to ‘Confession’ have a similar purpose, with a slightly different methodology and venue. The Roman Catholic priest in Florida who has been feeding the homeless and hungry from his parish building for decades, ‘because that is my job,’ only to learn that because of a zoning change, his actions are no longer compatible with the zoning of his building. He is, and has been, fined persistently, with added interest for violating the zoning regulations, up to a cumulative total debt now of some $500,000. The state’s zoning regulations apparently subvert, eclipse, obviate, or perhaps will eliminate this form of his ministry, from this location. Such divides, however, between one’s personal, faith-inspired-and-driven ‘mission’ are replete in Western history. 

Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You posits a separation between the pagan life that witnesses the abuse of power over innocents, a dynamic familiar to everyone, juxtaposed adjacent to the Sermon on the Mount which he interprets as requiring the non-violent confrontation of evil with force whenever Christians encounter such evil. Optimistically, and developmentally, he sees signs of hope in the transformation of many from a pagan consciousness and conscience to an ‘enlightened’ Christian incarnation. 

Many others who have ‘left’ the womb of organized religion, particularly those who have left the Christian churches, are considering how their early indoctrination and adopting of church doctrine, dogma, practice and expectations have left them bereft of feeling ‘loving’ of themselves. For many of them, it has become an internal alienation from self-respect, dignity, honour and emotion and psychic health and well-being, that has over decades often been replaced with a kind of proforma incarnation of the expectations of the church. Some are seeking refuge in therapy, others in yoga, others in various forms of meditation, while others, specifically Jim Palmer and his Center for Non-Religious Spirituality, where according to their web site, ‘We help people navigate the painful, courageous journey of leaving religion—and begin the slow, sacred work of building what comes next.’ 

Buddhists, for their part, focus on the wisdom of the Buddha, starting with three Universal Truths: 

1: Everything in life is impermanent and always changing 

2. Because nothing is permanent, a life based on possessing things or persons doesn’t make you happy. 

3. There is no eternal, unchanging soul and ‘self’ is just a collective of changing characteristics or attributes. 

Supplementing these truths Buddhists are taught The Eightfold Path, (the Middle Path) that focuses on ‘right understanding,’ ‘right values and attitude,’ ‘right speech,’ ‘right action,’ ‘right work,’ ‘right effort,’ ‘right mindfulness,’ ‘right meditation.’ 

Hinduism’s seven core tenets begin with Atma: an eternal fragment of Myself becomes embodied as the living beings-jivas—within this mortal world. It acquires the five senses, and the mind, which is the sixth, all of which reside in this material nature (Bhagavad Gita 15.7) (from blog.bhaktimarga.org)` 

Jewish people believe in the Torah, which was the whole of the laws given to the Israelites at Sinai. They believe they must follow God’s laws which govern daily life. Later legal books, written by rabbis, determine the law as it applies to life in each new place and time. (from United Religious Initiative (uri.org) 

Update: September 13, 2026 

Sometimes when we omit what never warrants omission, we have to question why the omission happened. The omission of Islam from this list is both inexcusable and somewhat understandable. I apologize if the omission has offended. I offer a meager glimpse of one reflection based on both the conscious and unconscious influence of 9/11. Having visited ‘ground zero’ a few weeks after the event, those images have never faded....burned buildings, photos of ‘lost’ men, women and children, confusion, and some internal note that blurted to me wife, ‘this devastation seems like a dagger deliberately thrust into the heart of the United States/Israel relationship.’ I have no idea if that ‘blurt’ has any empirical evidence to support it. I have wondered about it for the quarter-century that has elapsed. Anyway, the West continues to struggle with its personal, collective, institutional and state relationships with Islam. In this space, while noting with anxiety the implications of Sharia Law, decades ago, a spectre that hangs over the conversations in many quarters, I have also attempted to envision joint projects between and among all of the world faiths, as a demonstration of the shared empathy, compassion, and public intersection with those faiths and a universal and growing issue of displaced, homeless, desperate and frightened millions. Those lives transcend, in their importance, the dogmatic, doctrinaire, historic and traditional differences, including the depth of animosities and contempt that various faiths have for other faith communities. In my personal attempt to better understand even a glimpse of the meaning and purpose of Islam. 

From the Metropolitan Museum (metmuseum.org) we read the ‘Five Pillar of Islam: 

1. Profession of faith (shahada) The belief that ‘There is no god but God, and Mohammed is the Messenger of God’ is central to Islam....One becomes a Muslim by reciting thi phrase with conviction. 

2. Prayer (salat) Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day; at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark. 

3. Alms (zakat) In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their income to community members in need. 

4. Fasting (sawn) During the daylight hours of Ramadan, the ninth moth of the Islamic calendar, all healthy adult Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink. Through this temporary deprivation they renew their awareness of and gratitiude for everything God has provided in their lives—including the Qur’an, which was first revealed during this month. 

5. Pilgrimage (hajj) every Muslim whoCse health and finances permit it must make at least one visit to the holy city of Mecca in present-day Saudi Arabia 

The clear and direct relationship between faith and public governance in Islam (as compared with what is touted in America, the complete (?) separation of church and state,) has emerged as one contentious issue in the West. Some have prepared legislation banning the establishment of Sharia Law in their countries. Others, sadly, have adopted a posture of ‘mimicking’ this Islamic trait by declaring, as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, they are going to ‘establish the kingdom of God on earth, now!’ 

Public debate, however polite and reasonable, nevertheless brings with it an undercurrent of tension in many quarters as increasing numbers of Muslim politicians seek and attain public office. The mayors of both New York and London are both currently Muslims. A candidate for Senate in the U.S. from Michigan is Muslim. Others are currently members of Congress. According to muslimnetwork.tv, Canada’s 2025 federal election has marked a historic breakthrough for Muslim representation, with 13 Muslim Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons, up from 11 in the previous legislature. 

From Jewish Post News (jewishpostandnews.ca): The recent (Canadian) federal election saw the re-election of all eight Members of Parliament who were at least half Jewish, and the addition of one new Melissa Lanstman.  

There are currently 18 Members of the Canadian Parliament who are Sikhs. (from AI) 

One of the current and variously pressing or latent issues in the West is the question of how and if minority faith public figures can and will integrate into a traditionally Judeo-Christian culture. 

This space is dedicated to the premise that, irrespective of the doctrinaire, dogmatic, religious laws and expectations of each faith, each in its unique manner is attempting to value, respect, observe and sustain a relationship with the ultimate reality, the cosmos, eternity, nature. Whether the strength of common aspirations is or will be adequate to limit or prevent open conflict (as it currently it not in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran) will remain an open question not only for the political class, but also for the respective religious entities. Many of us, while hoping for some forms of reconciliation, remain skeptical, dubious and frequently dismayed. Religion has the power to enliven and enrich and ennoble one’s personal life; it also has the power to enhance one’s contempt for the ‘other’. And the strength of this two-edge sword continues to challenge all of humanity. 

This next section, based on a Gaelic (Celtic) spirituality may seem to some highly idealistic aspirational and challenging. It is included for those various qualities. 

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In a small book entitled Anam Cara, (anam is the Gaelic word for soul; cara is the word for friend; anam cara means soul friend), by John O’Donahue, I have read some insightful and impactful spiritual nuggets. 

The body is in the soul (not the other way round). Your soul reaches farther than your body, and it simultaneously suffused your body and your mind. Your soul has more refined antennae than your mind or ego. Trusting this more penumbral dimension brings us to new places in the human adventure. But we have to let go is order to be; we have to stop forcing ourselves, of we will never enter our own belonging. There is something ancient at work in us creative novelty. In fact, you need very little in order to develop a real sense of your own spirituality. One of the things that is absolutely essential is silence, the other is solitude....Only in solitude can you discover a sense of your own beauty. The Divine Artist sent no one here without depth and light of divine beauty. This beauty is frequently concealed behind the dull facade of routine....There is a deep beauty within each person. Modern culture is obsessed with cosmetic perfection. Beauty is standardized; it has become another product for sale. In its real sense, beauty is the illumination of your soul. There is a lantern in the soul, which makes your solitude luminous. Solitude need not remain lonely. It can awaken to its luminous warmth. The soul redeems and transfigures everything because the soul is the divine space. When you inhabit your solitude fully and experience its outer extremes of isolation and abandonment, you will find that at its heart there is neither loneliness nor emptiness but intimacy and shelter. 

The gateway to our deepest identity is not through mechanical analysis. We need to listen to the  soul and articulate its wisdom in a poetic and mystical form. It is tempting to use the soul as merely another receptable for our tired and frustrated analytical energies. It deserves to be remembered that from ancient times the soul had depth, danger, and unpredictability precisely because it was seen as the presence of the divine within us it becomes an innocent cipher. To awaken the soul is also to travel to the frontier where experience bows down before the mysterium tremendum et fascinans of Otherness. (pages 69-93, in a section entitled, Solitude is Luminous. 

Another, this time Celtic, inspired initiative to bridge the divide between the inner self/soul/psyche and the ‘routine, duty, responsibility, chores, performances, expectations, in which it seems the world can and does so easily, readily, and almost unconsciously fall victim. 

Realizing that in most, if not all instances, when we perceive, believe and act upon the premise that we are being victimized by some external person, situation, competition or conflict, it may very well be time for us to pause, in silence and in solitude and ask, what about me is being so irritated, challenged, infuriated and aroused that is ‘velcro-ing’ me to this person, circumstance from which there seems to be no escape. 

Based on an original (Christian) premise, belief, accusation and the mythology that sustains that story, one can and often does defer to a default position...what’s wrong with me? Or, alternatively, s/he is a complete jerk (fill in the blank of many other expletives!)....thereby scapgoating the other, without looking in the mirror of our soul. 

While there may well be a universal gestalt of isolation, alienation, separation, and the despair that comes with any and all of those perceptions and experiences, it would seem that religions and cultures like the Celtic spirituality are worthy, imaginative, different, yet compatible in their attempt to bridge the various, personal, cultural, ethnic, religious and psychological divides that plague our lives. As an Archbishop Desmond Tutu once asserted, we can be human only together, the African philosophy based on his worldview, incarnated in the African word ubuntu. From The Vancouver Sun, in a piece entitled, ‘God is not a Christian,’ Tutu tells Dalai Lama, by Douglas Todd, January 10, 2013, we read this quote from Archbishop Tutu in his dialogue with the Dalai Lama: 

The glory about God is that God is actually incredible in many ways But God allows us to misunderstand her—at this the audience went wild; the applause was loud and spontaneous--’but also to understand her...the God that I worship is an omnipotent God....he is also incredibly, totally impotent. Th4 God that I worship is almighty, and also weak....(T) he glory of God is actually mind-blowing. He can sit and not intervene (when I make a wrong choice) because he has such an incredible reverence for my autonomy. He is prepared to let me go to hell. Freely. Rather than compel me to go to heaven. ‘He weeps when he sees us do the things that we do to one another. But he does not send lightning bolts to destroy the ungodly. And that is fantastic. God says, ‘I can’t force you. I beg you, please for your own sake, make the right choice. I beg you. ‘When you do the right thing, God forgets about God’s divine dignity adn he rushes and embraces you. ‘You came back, you came back. I love you. Oh how wonderful, you came back.