Turns out it is shockingly hard to even think about the sacred, and even harder to write about it in a public forum in which I really don’t want to offend anyone. I also find myself trying to phrase everything carefully so as not to trigger the knee-jerk reactions with which I am so very familiar. People just react automatically when one discusses the intertwining of the sacred with the spiritual, with the bible, with churches and their doctrines. We can’t help ourselves, I think. We compare what is said to what we think we believe and we feel compelled to take stands or worse, to hide the fact that we don’t really have a stand to take! And who wants to make anyone either feel uncomfortable or offended? Not me.
For example, I certainly don’t intend to question anyone’s unwavering belief in the bible as the source of revealed knowledge. Or to question anyone’s unwavering belief in their church’s interpretation of what exactly that bible might reveal. Or to question what their church’s interpretation of what exactly that bible might reveal about current political events and choices. So, to even bring up topics that are thus intertwined with the sacred is to step right up next to that slippery slope in which conversations end with “I’d rather not talk about this.”
They say that politics runs deeper and that people are more likely to fall in unquestioningly with the politics of their families than they are to fall in with the religious traditions of their families. But both politics and religion are sometimes “kept away from the dinner table and polite conversations” so as not to offend. From my point of view, though, I’m not sure that offense is really the issue. Perhaps people feel these matters are too private? Too vulnerable to attack? Too fragile to sustain in the course of discussion? Too ephemeral to be translatable into the verbal sphere? Only meant to be shared with fellow believers?
I certainly don’t want my own world views – by which I include views about the sacred – to be questioned or discussed at dinner. I certainly don’t want my own world view trammeled on by someone who knows better or by someone who is pretty sure they have a more direct line to God’s intentions and revelations than I do or by someone who would rather just not think about these things.
I don’t see any particular solution do these “dilemmas” except to acknowledge their existence and apologize* ahead of time that I am aware of the deep intertwining of religious belief, personal psychology, social psychology and … what I actually want to think about … the sacred.
*not unaware either of how this word functions in theological circles. Hah!
What a fascinating narrative! You seem to have incredible insight and sensitivity. I find your comments thought provoking and informative especially if one keeps an open mind! I think your choice of photo is very illustrative of your thoughts and words.
