Creeds – those long lists of things you’re supposed to say you believe so you can belong some place – are everywhere. The issue ain’t religion. The issue is this one component called a creed that is often found in religions. One that doesn’t belong there. It’s a – gasp – separating one. I mean, are people really being asked to lie about what they believe? To separate themselves from what is real for them in order to earn “connection” in a community?
Yep. Yep they are. Case in point: the response I witnessed Nadia Bolz-Weber, famed progressive Lutheran minister of the House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado, give a teenage girl at a speaking engagement here in my community last month. In the Q&A session, the girl said she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through confirmation in her church because she had reservations about some things in the Lutheran creeds. Nadia Bolz-Weber’s response? “The creed is a team sport!” She explained that surely someone in the community believes this line, someone believes that line… so you’re covered! She chose to justify the use of the creed in this way, instead of going all Real on the creed. And I couldn’t decide if I wanted to throw up – or cry.
This opportunity to help was changed into an opportunity to justify making people say shit they don’t believe. How does that help? Well, it makes the kid feel better about lying. So, there’s that. But what it all comes down to is this – why make the kid lie?
Let’s play a game. True or false: Reading bitchin’ blogs is the best way to up your coolness. Now pretend I told you that you have to say you believe it as a condition of reading my blog and hanging out with me. Because, you know, I am such an insecure raving cultish bitch. Game over.
We should never deny what we believe in any given moment – what is, now.
When you’re presented with a concept, in that moment you either believe it or you don’t. It’s there, or it’s not. We should never deny what we believe in any given moment – what is, now. I say this a lot in yoga class – “be with what is [very necessary pause] now.” This is what going Real is all about. Don’t start at a pretend place and think you’ll get anywhere. Start where you really and truly are. Know the place. Examine it. Acknowledge it. Be fuckin’ okay with it. It’s all you got. Or is it?
OMG faith! Of course! The solution to creeds is faith!
Uh, no. It’s kinda the opposite. Faith is a solution to the problem of holding tight to limiting, rigid, supposed-to-believe beliefs.
Faith vs. Belief 101: Faith is being okay that just because you don’t get it doesn’t mean it’s not true. And it is not stating that one very specific possible truth is the only possible truth. It is being open to what could be true. Believing, on the other hand, is different. I present this: In order to believe, you have to get it, be able to make sense of it. In order to have faith, you don’t have to get it, and you certainly don’t have to say it’s true – you just have to leave room for it to be true. Or to not be true.
Hey, what would happen if you wrote your very own Not Creed? A list of all the things you feel you’re supposed to believe – that you just don’t. What about if you just made this Not Creed for your eyes only, and really put your eyes on it?
I did this. And I cannot show it to you. Maybe I’ll show you just one item. Okay. I’ll show you one. But only because I want to give you an example of how not scary this can be. How to just say it like it comes and take a look at it laid bare. So. Here goes. Disclaimer #10: I am about to say something that goes against all Christian creeds. Holy shit. (Or, holy shitting?)
I don’t get – and therefore I can’t believe – that there are three gGod entities that are separate, but whoa – not separate gGods – separate somethings… and all one… God. Oh Gawd!
Many thoughtful, resourceful people spend decades actively trying to get whatever it is we’re supposed to grasp from a concept like this one, and can’t. So, why the bleep is a charitable community organization telling 2.2 billion people that they must say they believe this concept is true to be “in”? Why not ask ‘em to just leave room for it to be a (rather confusing) possibility?
Someone said to me when I was ranting about creeds, that what I have here at Real is the New Good is a creed. Well, I’ve got a core concept that fuels everything in my blog, that’s for damn sure. But you don’t have to say you believe it. Ever. I think I’ll state that core concept now: There is an optimal way to live, defined by using the most objective perspective you can muster to decide which way will lead you to more connection. That to move in the direction of separation is to move in the direction of coming apart – it’s destructive to humanity. It’s what I’ve come around to, through avid pursuit and responsible exploration of all things spiritual. It’s where I am.
I can make sense of any situation using this core concept. It is a common denominator I’ve found in spiritual traditions. It never harms anyone, and I don’t ever go against what feels “right” in my heart – my beliefs. It works because the basis for connection is an authenticity that requires us to acknowledge what we believe. That you acknowledge what you believe – not what I believe. And that you don’t forget to stay open to more.
What the hell did I just say? Don’t believe a word of it.
Tagged: belief, Christian, community, confirmation, creed, faith, lie, Lutheran, Nadia Bolz-Weber, religion, spirituality, truth
Thank you Mary. I like the distinction you made between belief and faith. Keep doing the real. I read it.
Good thoughts!
“So it’s very interesting that curiosity is a great antidote to fear.” -Meredith Monk
Allowing your Not Creed to air out online is so refreshing and affirming. When something doesn’t ring true it is enough to simply bring spaciousness and curiosity as an authentic response.
PS- I choose: True
♥
So wise, Adeah. But what else would I expect?
ok, so I am a little worn out and brain a bit foggy. i had to read this one twice…you rocked it as usual. I remember being very very young, 7 years old maybe, and reciting the apostle’s creed…in church….and thinking about it then. being very aware that we were going to confession every friday…and thinking that reciting that i believed in the ‘communion of saints”, I believed in the holy trinity….what? wait, do i have to go to confession now and confess that i don’t believe those things so i am lying when i recite that ‘creed’ every Sunday under the watchful eye of my devout catholic of a mom?…none of it made sense to me…i always felt i was floating in some sort of weird not-so-wonderful- land…”pay no attention to that man behind the curtain”……or to the man dressed in the curtain :)…I think I may try to tap into that 7-year-old brain…she was much wiser than she was ever allowed to believe…
I agree! Look back to that wise 7-year-old mind that didn’t have so much between it and your heart!
My good friend Dr. Suzanne Bartlett uses the following question on herself and others (she learned it in Dr. Andrew Weil’s Integrative Medicine program or from Martha Beck – I forget which): What did you love to do when you were 8? It appears as if lying wasn’t one of them for you, Mary. 😮
Here is something awesome I just found from Martha Beck on reconnecting to your inherent truth:
When I questioned where is the proof that Jesus existed, I was promptly told that it’s faith that allows one to believe. What? I had no clue what that meant back in the day and today I am still questioning many “beliefs” that were handed down as truths. Your blog is food for thought, this particular post giving me pause to wonder what the heck are my beliefs? Thanks for sharing your words that are equivalent to brain exercises so we may critically think about life. So real.
Mary, if you want a religion which 1. has no creed, 2. helps you follow your own inquiry, & 3. encourages you to follow the dictates of your own conscience in deciding spiritual matters, you’ll want to consider my local congregation: Cedar Valley Unitarian Universalist (http://www.uusbhc.org/).
I left theological Christianity decades ago when I couldn’t reconcile the contradiction of a loving God condemning anyone to eternal punishment.
The orginal basis for Unitarianism was a refutation of the Christian trinity. The idea of universal salvation was the original basis for Universalism. By the time the two denominations merged in the 1960s neither required any belief or creed as a test of membership. We have Christian, Jewish, atheist, agnostic & pagan members as well as others. Note the basic ethics most people follow regarding how to live with others are found in many religious traditions.
“Building Your Own Theology” is the title of one of the most popular study groups in many UU congregations. Being responsible for your own theology and allowing all other members the same freedom is at least one large step beyond “the priesthood of all believers.”
Most UUs agree on seven principles. One is: “The inherent worth and dignity of every person”. You probably agree, at least generally, with each of the seven principles. (See them at http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/)
Regarding Unitiarian-Universalist sources of inspiration: “the living tradition we share draws from many sources: Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder affirmed in all cultures……words and deeds of prophetic women and men…wisdom from the world’s religions….Jewish & Christian teachings….Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science.”
“Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches …our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision.”
Christine & I have been UUs for many years.
Del, thanks so much for this. I do love the UU’s. Spiritual community that leaves room for all kinds of beliefs is essential for everyone. I find this kind of spiritual home in my yoga community. This is often misunderstood – wait, spirituality in an exercise class? It has nothing to do with exercise, of course. It has wholly to do with spiritual growth, expanding one’s worldview and feeling one’s heart grow along with it. My spiritual community consists of my yoga colleagues near and far, my local studio community, and my dear teacher Karina Ayn Mirsky’s individual guidance and support. The one thing I miss is the structure of a religious community. The guaranteed regularity of a time and place for spiritual pursuits. And so, I just may drop by, Del.
Yoga is a spiritual practice teaching us we can rise to meet a challenge. And meeting challenges is fun. (So yoga is a spiritual practice because it is fun!) A similarly fun & spiritual meditative practice for me is doing “throat singing.” Because I have a bass range, I keep trying to produce two notes at once at a low level. But it is actually easier for me to do it in a middle or higher range. And as holding a balance pose in yoga is a challenge, I also try the challenge of producing the sounds for as many seconds as possible. As when balancing or holding a “plank,” I never think about something else while “throat singing.”
In a responsive reading in the UU hymnal is the line, “creeds divide us, but we share a common quest.”
Throat singing – very unique, Del! Mindfulness, expanding awareness – indeed a common quest!
Physical practices can help us get more aware, starting at the grossest level, the easiest access point – the body.
And just so’s everybody reading understands – my intention here is less physical, more actual. When I’m talking yogic spirituality, I’m talking every connecting concept I’ve explored and studied through yogic texts and sangha and satsang, and put into practice in my everyday being. Not even one pose. The connecting stuff of a more subtle level. This is my yoga. My blog is a representation of the contents of yoga – more so than what we are normally exposed to unless we pursue yoga at a teaching level. Why keep it there? This gold – why not chuck it at everyone? Some will catch a few nuggets, some won’t, but here it is, available. Glittering away, regardless of who catches a thing. 😉
I’m not sure I see much of a difference between “belief” and “faith,” or if to believe something or someone, means you have to get it. I can say, for example, that I believe that my husband loves me, but I certainly don’t get it! ha! I think beliefs exist because we don’t get them. If we did, wouldn’t they be more like facts?
Thank you, Julie, for this opportunity to clarify! Bottom line: you just said what I’m saying.
BELIEF:
A belief is based in your past experiences and current state, and it’s like a binary snapshot in time. Right now, you either believe your husband loves you, or you don’t. If I said you had to believe he doesn’t love you, could you? Or is there too much within your realm of experience reinforcing your belief that he does love you to be able to deny, no matter how hard you try? Tomorrow, you may read about brass-sexuals, and decide that your husband’s behavior is textbook. Add in a little premenstrual effect, and in that moment, you believe he is totes in love with his trombone. I can tell you then that you are being premenstrual and paranoid, and you can acknowledge that as your current state, but you can’t flip the belief switch. Your husband is def a brass-sexual.
FAITH:
It’s not binary. It’s continuous, and therefore has infinite possibilities. On the faith continuum, I might leave a wide band of possibilities open about what love could be, or I might leave a smaller band. The point is – it’s a band. It’s not a discrete thing. There are many aspects of this love crap that we can’t say we believe as singular truths – he loves me because he doesn’t see my foibles. He loves me because of my foibles. Hmmm. Is one true? Are both maybe possible, in varying doses? Are other things possible? In your faith band, you probably leave room for people to love each other for all kinds of reasons – logical ones, illogical ones, and anything in between.
Faith is a part of your current state in the belief formula. Your faith supports your belief. The non-pre-menstrual non-paranoid one. 😉