“God is a verb more than a noun, God is a flow more than a substance, God is an experience more than a deity sitting on a throne. And we live naturally inside that flow of love—if we do not resist it.”
Jesus said God is Spirit (pneuma - breath/wind) which in itself is active, transcendent and yet present. Father is also a good word for God.
— she “could no longer speak the things of God,” because it was too loaded with patriarchal abuse
Whew! I feel this in my bones. Especially when it comes to the songs I used to love and sing with joy and tears. 😭 They are like noise now, sadly. I miss them, but cannot tolerate the loaded meaning in the words. So many are truly saying, "If you do this, then God will do this IF/BUT/UNLESS you do/don't/aren't XYZ..." 🥺 So many conditions and contradictions.
I so appreciate this post right now. I got diagnosed with scrupulosity OCD (nobody in my life is surprised lol), and my anxiety makes me feel like the “center of the world” in a bad way at times. This was a good reminder that deconstruction is a strenuous process for nearly everyone who goes through with it, and it’s okay to let go of the labels for a while.
I’ve been there! It sucks to have to be “functionally atheist” for a while, but I’m so grateful for all of the people and resources in my life who have filled the “God space” while I’m taking a break from explicitly religious spaces.
Girls!!! Same! Every day is A nightmare in my brain, trying to figure everything out, panic attacks about hell. Ive had diagnosed OCD since I was 13 and it had affected me in many different ways. But this existential, religion and scrupolocity, man it's tearing me apart. Sending 💕
Dude. I have been thinking about language attachment all day, and now this. I’ve been writing this week to explore ways of finding common ground and finding that we may speak the same language, but carry completely different connotations and meaning for the same words. My brain keeps looping and connecting it back to Babel and then Acts 2… communication is so hard and we are lazy, hence the need to simplify and reduce, as if spirituality and humanity are algebraic equations. It’s maddening. But your words comforted me, so thank you for that.
While in addiction recovery I completely revamped my ideas of god to heal from my unhealthy indoctrinated ideas. I needed a higher power who could help me. I even gave him a name for a while. Ultimate I landed on calling him "Friend".
So resonant, as always. I agree with you that any God worth our interest wouldn't care whether or not we believe in God as a person or even God as a cosmic force. All any God worth our interest would care about is whether whatever we believe leads us to mutual thriving and joy. When the gospels portray Jesus advocating belief in him, I think if we consider the entirety of the gospel message as context, what Jesus is saying is believe in the kind of life he teaches. Believe in love. Believe in kindness. Believe in compassion. Believe in courage. Believe that the kingdom of heaven he describes really is within us, waiting for us to discover it.
I like a quote from Richard Rohr:
“God is a verb more than a noun, God is a flow more than a substance, God is an experience more than a deity sitting on a throne. And we live naturally inside that flow of love—if we do not resist it.”
Jesus said God is Spirit (pneuma - breath/wind) which in itself is active, transcendent and yet present. Father is also a good word for God.
Ohh that’s a good one, do you know which work it’s from?
Its taken from an article -Aliveness- written 10th May 2019 at the Centre for Action and Contemplation about the Trinity
— she “could no longer speak the things of God,” because it was too loaded with patriarchal abuse
Whew! I feel this in my bones. Especially when it comes to the songs I used to love and sing with joy and tears. 😭 They are like noise now, sadly. I miss them, but cannot tolerate the loaded meaning in the words. So many are truly saying, "If you do this, then God will do this IF/BUT/UNLESS you do/don't/aren't XYZ..." 🥺 So many conditions and contradictions.
I so appreciate this post right now. I got diagnosed with scrupulosity OCD (nobody in my life is surprised lol), and my anxiety makes me feel like the “center of the world” in a bad way at times. This was a good reminder that deconstruction is a strenuous process for nearly everyone who goes through with it, and it’s okay to let go of the labels for a while.
I have scrupulously too. It feels like hell sometimes. It has almost cost me my faith. You aren’t alone. God won’t let you go through it alone.
I’ve been there! It sucks to have to be “functionally atheist” for a while, but I’m so grateful for all of the people and resources in my life who have filled the “God space” while I’m taking a break from explicitly religious spaces.
Religious spaces are hard for me too. I’m grateful you have had people to fill that “God space.” That sounds really special.
Girls!!! Same! Every day is A nightmare in my brain, trying to figure everything out, panic attacks about hell. Ive had diagnosed OCD since I was 13 and it had affected me in many different ways. But this existential, religion and scrupolocity, man it's tearing me apart. Sending 💕
Thank you Brian❤️
So stunning friend!
Dude. I have been thinking about language attachment all day, and now this. I’ve been writing this week to explore ways of finding common ground and finding that we may speak the same language, but carry completely different connotations and meaning for the same words. My brain keeps looping and connecting it back to Babel and then Acts 2… communication is so hard and we are lazy, hence the need to simplify and reduce, as if spirituality and humanity are algebraic equations. It’s maddening. But your words comforted me, so thank you for that.
While in addiction recovery I completely revamped my ideas of god to heal from my unhealthy indoctrinated ideas. I needed a higher power who could help me. I even gave him a name for a while. Ultimate I landed on calling him "Friend".
So resonant, as always. I agree with you that any God worth our interest wouldn't care whether or not we believe in God as a person or even God as a cosmic force. All any God worth our interest would care about is whether whatever we believe leads us to mutual thriving and joy. When the gospels portray Jesus advocating belief in him, I think if we consider the entirety of the gospel message as context, what Jesus is saying is believe in the kind of life he teaches. Believe in love. Believe in kindness. Believe in compassion. Believe in courage. Believe that the kingdom of heaven he describes really is within us, waiting for us to discover it.