There’s this person at my office that drives the most interesting car. I say the car is interesting, but what I really mean is the bumper stickers on their car are what get my attention. The bumper stickers are not political. There are no campaign ads. But, they do make statements about what is important to them and give us some insight as to what they care deeply about. After all, I’m sure the adhesive used to attach the bumper stickers to the car can’t be good for the paint. For the owner of the car, the sacrifice in the car’s value or appearance must be worth the opportunity to spread the messages printed on the bumper stickers. I guess you could call it their “blog on wheels”.
I can’t recall the specific date now, but there was an afternoon I walked by the car and noticed a new bumper sticker. And that was the thing about this car. The stickers would change every once in a while. For the most part, they typically focused on a particular theme, but on this day, the new sticker was different. It read: “God is too big for one religion.” Interesting. I’ve come across the viewpoint before, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen it put in this particular way. “God is too big for one religion.”
I have to admit, I’ve always wondered about this idea of God. After all, the world has been full of religions and you could look at the god of the Christian faith, and in particular, Jesus, as just one more god in a string of many over the course of human history. Human beings have always been a religious bunch. In recent years, there has been this move by some to claim no affiliation with a religion whatsoever. Certainly, they may avoid any specific, institutionalized form; but ultimately, everyone devotes their lives to something – whether it’s an idea, a value or an activity that brings meaning and purpose to their life. The fact is you can’t actually live your life without being religious in some way, at least in the broadest sense. Over the course of human history, gods have taken on many forms, shapes, and ideas, including people (generally kings and later, rock stars or movie stars…well, you get the idea) and different aspects of nature (sun, moon, stars, rivers, mountains, etc . Note: For many, science has supplanted the idea of God, but they still develop a philosophical framework from which to live, which at its very essence is religion – a topic for another time). So, in one sense, this person’s bumper sticker is very true. Humanity’s ideas about God have been way too broad and diverse – the word “big” works – for just one form or type of religion.
And maybe there’s something else we can learn as we consider the role religion has played in the history of humanity. After all, you could make the observation that from one perspective religion has largely been a “man-made” enterprise designed to control and coerce a population towards a particularly narrow and sometimes frightening pursuit. Given our hunger for meaning and purpose (the “big questions” religion is supposed to answer); you can see why the deception works. Unfortunately, while we like to think of ourselves as a species evolving to greater awareness and enlightenment, our religious nature has a tendency to be corrupted by the one desire of mankind which seems to transcend history. We could call this the pursuit of power. It’s driven by this idea that my group has found the ultimate truth, so we are right and you are wrong. Then, validation of our way of life gets wrapped up in believing the notion that anyone who doesn’t agree with us is a threat. And, when we’re threatened, power is the ultimate trump card we love to play. If we can somehow eliminate our opposition or defeat our enemy (typically through overwhelming force) or control those less enlightened (through legislation, let’s say), the world will be saved. Admittedly, Christianity (a movement in which I consider myself a part) has participated in the game. Heck, it continues to participate.
Which, I will admit, bugs me. But, it doesn’t surprise me either. Whether it’s through a simple act of manipulation in the words we say to a friend or spouse or the desire to spread your beliefs by threats and/or violence, the use of power is the most established and accepted method for solving problems. It is completely unnatural for us to accept the view the true way to make a difference in the world is found through acts of sacrifice; and yet, that was what Jesus’ message was all about. Given the human race’s longstanding love affair with power, perhaps it’s no surprise Christianity would at times be corrupted and find some followers attempting to spread this belief by the sword, shame, or through political might.
All this has led me to the thought: perhaps, Jesus had no interest in creating the ultimate or right religion. Maybe, what Jesus came to show the world was what it means to be human. This purpose would go well beyond what mere religion can offer. As the Bible describes it, being human is about living in this world, which was created as good. So, in the broadest sense being human was about living in a wholesome, respectful and loving relationship with God, each other and even the earth. It was about living in the here and now and (hopefully) getting a glimpse of what it meant to live in a kingdom under the rule and reign of a loving and gracious God. We would get to experience what it means to live in peace in the here and now; and yes, it would carry on for eternity. Eternity wasn’t necessarily the primary point with much of what Jesus taught; but the things of God, and by implication the things that ultimately matter most, are by their very nature eternal.
Let’s compare that with the other ideas of what many believe being human is all about. On one side of the coin, there is this notion being human is about becoming a “little god” rooted in the lie one has been endowed by the gene pool (of course, all “little gods” have some sort of power to yield, usually money). You know what I am talking about. It’s this notion you need to be faster, smarter, stronger, richer (through your brilliance or hard work) or more beautiful (or just famous) than your neighbors or acquaintances to live a meaningful life. The other idea says to us being human is about being some highly developed animal driven by instinct or material determinism out to claim territory or exert physical superiority in the pursuit of wealth or self-gratification of any form (those empty “rewards” of obtaining power). Outside of your club, country or group (which could be a group of one, by the way), everyone else in the world can be dismissed or labeled as lazy, sinful, weak, ignorant, etc.
To be sure, these two options have been out there since we rejected our proper place in the created order. And, to be sure, they have brought great strife and sadness to the human race, including those times when they have contaminated Christ’s teachings. It was inevitable I suppose. The lust for power is just too great to leave even “the Way” alone. So, I would admit the faith tradition of which I am a part has suffered from corruption throughout the course of its history.
But what we know and what we come back to is this story of a cross, which on one particular day a couple thousand years ago, proclaimed earthly power ultimately fails. In a very real sense, it declared this notion the world can be made right by overwhelming force or control is a lie. Yes, at times it seems like this lust for power is winning, but throughout history, no matter how corrupted it may seem at times, we see followers of the Way bring us back to the true message of the Gospel through their toil, sacrifice and simple acts of love. They keep trying and they keep doing. You see, what hit me when I saw the bumper sticker on that car that one particular day a few years back and what has kept churning in my head ever since is this one thought: God is too big for any one religion, because religion was never the point. The point was following Jesus and learning what it means to be human in a world obsessed with being someone or something else. It was about learning to be the person God made me or you or us to be. It was about learning what it means to die daily and giving up the need to be right; and instead, doing the right thing for the sake of the world.
Please note: I hope this exploration of religion wasn’t offensive to anyone because I freely admit it is a bit of a play on words. The reason is simply based on the fact that the definition of religion or concept of religion will vary widely from person to person and across communities, cultures and countries. We can probably all agree on that. For some, religion is just another club or an extension of their political party or beliefs. For some, religion is a way of life. The point of the blog was just to invite each of us to reconsider why we declare ourselves religious or not. I share this entry because it is something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. Perhaps you have been too.