The Word According To Lady Starlight
The recent loss that our family has experienced has left me thinking a lot about things spiritual. Mike has insisted upon having countless discussions on the deeper meaning of life. The funeral, in my humble opinion, was a farce. It has all been very emotionally draining. But why do I say this? What do I really believe?
I guess that it really disturbed me to listen to my mother in-law's fundamentalist Christian pastor preach at the funeral. Yes, I said PREACH. His words held no comfort, at least not for me. He seemed more concerned with converting the family to his way of faith than he did with comforting the family. And if he would have used the word "Bible" one more time, I would have bloody screamed! Sorry, Rev, but the Bible is just a book. Granted, it is a great expression of faith and we can learn much from it, but God did not toss it from the sky. It was written by human beings, just like you and me. It was also limited by the intelligence of these human beings. If I were to base my faith entirely on the words written in there, it would die very quickly, indeed! Faith must come from something much greater than the words written in an ancient book.
Mr. Preacher Man then went on to tell us how we all must accept Jesus as our personal saviour if we want to be accepted into heaven. What a great comfort to a group of people who knew that Keith was not a religious man! (Am I being sarcastic enough?) It seems to me that this moron was telling a bereaved family that the departed went to HELL! How dare he! Keith may not have gone to church. He may not have read the Bible. He did not go around yapping about Jesus to everyone that he met, but he was a good man. He was kind and helpful. If you needed something, all you had to do was ask. If he could help, he would. He was always smiling, even when times were difficult. He knew how to enjoy life. He led a life that I am quite certain would have made Jesus proud. There is NO WAY that he is anywhere other than in heaven today, so don't go telling me anything different Mr. Self Righteous Fundamentalist Christian!
There, I've said my piece, but what do I believe? Cerainly I am a good little Catholic girl. I was raised in that church and it is my home. I feel comfortable there, even though I may disagree with many of its teachings. My faith is pretty much my own. I like to call it "The George Burns Theory of God." What is this exactly?
Remember the 1977 movie Oh God ? In it, God (played by George Burns) was asked if Jesus was his son. He replied that, yes, Jesus was his son, as also were Buddah, and Mohammed, and many others. This is what I believe as well. How could a God who had created a universe so diverse not be manifest in many different ways? We all have different needs. Certainly the God who created us knows that. I do not knock anyone's faith. If it brings you closer to the god of your understanding, that's great. All I ask is that you do not try to foist your beliefs on me. We are different. What brings you closer to God might very well push me away.
As I see it, the beliefs of most faiths teach mostly the same things. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Care for the gifts that God has given you. Give thanks to God for all of the good things that you have. When all seems hopeless, God will be there for you. I would never say that anyone was going to Hell just because he called his God by a different name or none at all. I am not so arrogant. The life you lead is more important than the words you speak.
I shall conclude The Word According to Lady Starlight with a photo of something quite beautiful that was created by some people who call their god Krishna...
