I would like to be able to step into your shoes (a proxy for my family, to be honest) and feel what it’s like to be touched by the Holy Spirit or connect with the divine. But I can’t (or at the least haven’t yet). I don’t believe in a model or a language of God, because it isn’t real for me. And it’s not just semantics. You obviously have a different experience of the world.

My point is that you and me can be interdependent (or whatever) to the moon, but will still have this difference, and more importantly, that difference is at the heart of your spirituality. Now, difference is great, I’m UU after all, but what I’m trying to say is that this difference is well, different from all the others, unique. Any thoughts?

What you bring up is one of the reasons that I did my best to make that article about my personal faith, and not about Unitarian Universalism… because I do believe that each of us experiences what is divine in this universe differently.

There was a concept I came across a few years ago that resonated with me on this very topic. I dont remember the title or author of the book (if anyone does please chime in) but it focused on the “Nine Languages of God”. The basic premise is that there are many different ways that different human beings connect with divinity. For some, it is through language and intellect, for others it might be through music or art. For some it is through transcendental spiritual practice, and for others it might be through feelings and emotions. All of these are valid ways to connect to the divine (and many others). What is different about them is that we are inherently different in how we are constituted as human beings.

You and I connect to the divine (which I call God, but you may not) in differnet ways. That does not mean that we can not connect. In fact, it means that we might have quite a bit to teach one another.

Yours in Faith,

David

I often think of this because my sister also rejected her religious origins, but in the conservative Christian direction. We can handle discussion of politics and theology lite, but when we get to the brass tacks, our experiences are from different worlds, and we really can’t connect them in dialogue.

Now my politics and theology is pretty close to yours, but there is still the wide gap between us on the Holy Spirit. How can we relate to each other that bridges that gap?

My beloved and I went to a house concert he played at, recently, on a Sunday evening. A fair number of UUs from several congregations were there (the homeowners, however, weren’t…) and while we were not in “our” community, it sure felt like church.

As I am growing older I am finding this true in my life as well. Thanks for a great blog!