The Three Things that God Told Me
As far as I know, God only ever told me three things in over sixty years of living:
In my teens, when I doubted whether God existed, God told me, “I AM here.”
In my twenties, when I held my first child for the first time, God told me, “I AM with you.”
In my forties, when I made a colossal error, God told me, “I AM not forsaking you.”
That is all that God ever told me, that is all that God may ever tell me, and that is enough for me.
I have read too much Christian history and theology to believe that any Christian scripture is inerrant or that any Christian tradition is infallible, and I have studied too many religions to believe that any one has a full knowledge of God or an exclusive relationship with God.
Most religions teach that we are all the same in God’s eyes, so I cringe when religious leaders try to divide us — Christian and non-Christian, clergy and laity, men and women, straight and gay, etc.
Most religions teach that we should help others and not hurt others, that we should support people who are helping others and oppose people who are hurting others, and that we will be judged by whether our actions and thoughts and words are helpful or hurtful, so I cringe when religious leaders discourage helpful actions and encourage harmful actions.
Some say that God told them that contraception is evil, that gay people are disordered, and that everyone should believe what they believe. God never told me anything like that. God never told me to make decisions for others or to pass judgement on others or to suppress others with my beliefs.
I will keep listening, and maybe God will tell me someday, but I really doubt it — it would not be consistent with anything else that God ever told me.
In my teens, when I doubted whether God existed, God told me, “I AM here.”
In my twenties, when I held my first child for the first time, God told me, “I AM with you.”
In my forties, when I made a colossal error, God told me, “I AM not forsaking you.”
That is all that God ever told me, that is all that God may ever tell me, and that is enough for me.
I have read too much Christian history and theology to believe that any Christian scripture is inerrant or that any Christian tradition is infallible, and I have studied too many religions to believe that any one has a full knowledge of God or an exclusive relationship with God.
Most religions teach that we are all the same in God’s eyes, so I cringe when religious leaders try to divide us — Christian and non-Christian, clergy and laity, men and women, straight and gay, etc.
Most religions teach that we should help others and not hurt others, that we should support people who are helping others and oppose people who are hurting others, and that we will be judged by whether our actions and thoughts and words are helpful or hurtful, so I cringe when religious leaders discourage helpful actions and encourage harmful actions.
Some say that God told them that contraception is evil, that gay people are disordered, and that everyone should believe what they believe. God never told me anything like that. God never told me to make decisions for others or to pass judgement on others or to suppress others with my beliefs.
I will keep listening, and maybe God will tell me someday, but I really doubt it — it would not be consistent with anything else that God ever told me.
