Friday, September 10, 2010
Faith Music and thought
I've spent the evening worshiping with my native brothers and sisters on youtube. Amazing technology. I've been to living rooms, community halls, powwow and Tipis. I've been in parking lots and feilds. I've been lots of places with my virtual native brothers and sisters as we both and all worship the creator. Its been uplifting for me as I can feel the rythmic connectivity. I was listening to these Native American Church songs here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZoGKMvRYW4&feature=related
I was captivated by the beauty of this music. Then I read the comment:
"aho very good songs i am 14 and still learning these songs im very proud of this chruch bt where i come from we cant really pratice it becase the christins in our areas think that is a bad thing and throw rocks at s when we have our pray services but we still pratice it and we r proud of our chruch."
For the record...Christians who do this are assholes.
I think I might have a problem hooking up to a christian church here. I went to an eccumenmical service which was kinda like a Meet the Pastor parade. After three pastor mini sermonettes and some cheezy music I was lookin for the door. I spied my escape and pretended I had to take a leak and I was gone. Wheww that was close. There was still time to catch a service so I was pleased to make it to the Pentacostal Church in town. Worship was lively and I was feelin kinda good until the preacher started trash talking and donation mining. When he got to the part "and let me tell you another thing...the holy spirit is a man!" That is when I got up and walked out.
Wow, two walk outs on one Sunday. I wanted to find some sack cloth and ashes and drag my sorry ass home in shame.
I refuse to be engaged in petty thought which defines the very Spirit of God, as a man. Sorry...no go for me. You can quote all the scripture you want, and you know in your heart, that the Spirit of God is so far beyond any earthly containment or description.
I refuse to accept that one must worship God this way or that way, saying this or that, doing this or that. These are cultural things. No, the true worship of God is seen in how we live and love. It is in our faith and love of God, which is visable because it is what and who we are, not because we follow some rule or say some prayer.
I listen and watch as line after line is drawn in the sand. Are those lines to keep the christians in, or the "bad guys who need saving" out? I say erase, or better still....dance on those lines!!!! We have been granted freedom now. The very Spirit resides in us. We no longer need to be engaged in petty thought which is ultimately designed to rate ones righteousness on a scale of 1 to 10 which would directly correlate to ones ability to love God? &^%$-OFF already. BYE.......oops.....deep breathe.
peace and sorry about telling you to %$^&-off.
Great post by the way Don, I hear you on the structure of Hierarchy that is as thick as peanut butter with regard to religious dogma that is quite prevalent out there.
ReplyDeleteIt is what it is, acceptance of that reality is a sure must in these sometimes very strange times. On a lighter note though, I see you have come to a crossroads within the realms of faith. Making peace with the contradiction found within belief structures has brought me a lot of peace about the difference of opinion, experiences, and mostly individual ideas pertaining to faith and God in the first place.
I would suppose that at the end of the day, what matters most is tolerance and compassion for each and everyone. A little fire can go along way too with regard to not agreeing with everything that is out there....hahaha, but once again at the end of the day, we all individually have the SOVEREIGN right to express ourselves with the hope of not impinging our ideas, beliefs and experiences as the one and only true way.
God is either everything, or he is nothing, what is our choice to be? Found on page 53, second paragraph of the Bigbook in AA. I live by this as best as I can, it rings so true to me that indeed he is EVERYTHING.....ALL OF IT, having purpose and intelligent design. Even in what appears to be stupidity and absolute ridiculousness, even there, there is purpose. I may not understand the why's all the time, but this is fine, I have come to understand that about God. I feel that the crossroads in what I see with regard to your perspectives are that it isn't a matter of believing in God for you, what matters for you in what I am trying to understand in your perspectives is that what really matters is.....KNOWING GOD. A big difference I think in the idea of believing in God is, that there still is an infancy in believing in God, where as in knowing God, what has come to the place of experiencing God. To me, there is a process in that or a sort of baptism in what one experiences with these different processes.....both good, but one being more personal through the actions of prayer, faith, listening, mediating, sharing, understanding and letting "it happen" so to speak.
Anyways, just a thought to share with you and congrads on finding the beautiful movement of the peyote prayer songs....these songs are very "spirit filled" and have eternally touched my heart and soul. Thanks for all your support and love with us who continue to shine the light with regard to you know what.....I send you blessings in love, hope, faith and charity.......all my relations......MAJ....2010
P.S- great prayer song by the way, I can sing well over 120 songs with 4 verses in each song now.....I can sing in 5 languages....ojibway, cree, navaho, sioux and enlist verses as well.........cheers Don......MAJ......2010
ReplyDeleteenglish verses as well....darn spelling...hahaha
ReplyDelete