Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Faith in Hard Times

If you haven't noticed it already, I hope you'll take a look at my current column on the UU World web site, A Religion for Hard Times.

What I'm trying to do in this column is challenge both Unitarian Universalism and the too-easy critique of Unitarian Universalism by asking how much substance we provide for people when life becomes difficult. The question itself is challenging, and the too-easy critical answer is: not much, because we don't have dogmas that make the promises people need to hear in hard times.

The gist of the column is first to introduce the idea of radical uncertainty: that we really, really don't know what's going to happen to us, to our communities, or to the world, even though we like to tell ourselves that we do. Second, to look at the two obvious ways of responding to radical uncertainty: panic and denial. And third, to say that real faith has nothing to do with promising people that some higher power will make everything work out the way they want. That's just another kind of denial, and even religions with an all-powerful God (in their higher forms) are not that naive.

What I want to call faith -- and I think I'm being consistent with many major religions here -- is a third response to uncertainty, one that senses a way to move forward without demanding promises about how it will all come out. That kind of faith is independent of dogma, and many UUs have shown it at some point in their lives.

But we tend not to talk about it, and I think that's a mistake in times like these. I think we need to offer each other assurance, not that everything will come out the way we want, but that there is a third way -- a way of faith -- in which to face life's uncertainty.


Naturally, it's all said better in the column. But the UU World web site doesn't have a comment feature, so if you want to comment you can do it here.

4 comments:

Robin Edgar said...

"What I'm trying to do in this column is challenge both Unitarian Universalism and the too-easy critique of Unitarian Universalism by asking how much substance we provide for people when life becomes difficult."

Does this answer your question Doug?

In short the UUA offers precious little substance when Unitarian*Universalist ministers go out of their way to make life difficult for some people. The UUA's callous indifference towards victims of clergy misconduct is a shameful betrayal of UUA principles and ideals to say nothing of the Golden Rule.

Tom (Mystics Meeting) said...

Panic: "whats going to happen to me?!" = Future

Denial: "it wasnt supposed to be like this!" = Past

Radical Uncertainty: This moment, unfolding, perfection, just as it is... Now...

Belief: the mistaken notion that the infinite nature of Nature is the Eternal- "Because its so BIG, Ill never understand it"... Infinity is still a time bound mathematical concept- an invention of man...

Faith: the ending of time, Eternity

Joseph Campbell put it like this:

"Eternity isn’t some later time. Eternity isn’t even a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is that dimension of here and now that all thinking in temporal terms cuts off. And if you don’t get it here, you won’t get it anywhere. The problem with heaven is that you will be having such a good time there, you won’t even think of eternity. You’ll just have this unending delight in the beatific vision of God. But the experience of eternity right here and now, in all things, whether thought of as good or as evil, is the function of life."

Im saying, its in the meeting of the Eternal with the Infinite, where Time comes into being, is where Panic and Denial are born... but to stay in this moment, and not get lost in the mathematics of life, but to just be with the unfolding of this moment, just as it is- then something new can be seen- something that has been spoken of by sages throughout human history...

Im saying that Faith is this meeting place- between Time and the Timeless- between the "what about me" thought, and the truth of no separation- between Form and the Formless- Heaven and Earth- I and Other...

the ending of Debate- of the agree/disagree mind... the ending of Expertise, of ones resume- past/future... the ending of Comparison- "whats in it for me"- "what have you done for me lately?"... the ENDING of these things, will transcend our panic and denial- will lift us out of the wild forest- and into the loving arms of the Universe Unfolding- whatever condition it finds us in!... I would like to say, its not an arc- its not "of time", where Love meets us, its life itself...

this is not "easy", I know...
but there is a truth to this, what Im speaking about, that heals...
life is suffering, yes... we are bound to time, as long as we are bound to time... when we look to see what of this moment is NOT timebound- THAT is what heals... that is what we would call, Compassion... it transcends the "you" and "me" - its not even about "we" per se... its beyond that... and this is what heals...

Mickbic said...

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen is how Scripture defines faith.

There will never be any final statement about faith among UUs. We are a diverse lot. A little dialogue is about all we can hope for, hoping others will be inspired by our stories and us by theirs.

kim said...

Your description of faith reminds me of a line in an old song:
"and I know I'll be alright, but I don't know when."


word verification is "geogoodi"