Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, June 4, 2009

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down
for many generations. Do not believe in anything because it is
spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply
because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe
in anything simply on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything
agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of
one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

- The Buddha



I’ve commented on this before. But I love it. It is so “right on the money”. What I really like about it is, it presupposes that each one of us will take responsibility for our lives, will test out things for ourselves, will test out everything we observe with careful analysis, will ask if it makes sense, and consider carefully if believing or acting on something will enhance the common good and benefit of the human community, not just a limited portion of it. No person will be able to abdicate responsibility for their Life, or for others’ lives.

What some people consider to be “God’s Voice” in the Bible or other “Scriptures” is not, I say from long experience, the voice of God. It is the human voice of those who put ancient tradition into writing – and were lucky enough to “get into print”. As we know, the victors write “history”. The worst atrocities of hate and prejudice and contempt against fellow human beings have been committed by those who irresponsibly embrace the traditions, the rumours, the religious books, the authority of “teachers”, without engaging with the lives of others and without personal “observation and analysis”. It is such people who kill people like Dr. Tiller in his church.

I’ll tell you why I chose to be an Episcopalian. Because I was expected to examine everything, test it with my Life and against the qualitative touchstone of the love of Jesus – a love willing to die for the life-giving privilege of loving others as the ultimate expression of “saving” one’s own Life. I was expected to be responsible for myself, not to transfer blame for hate or indifference onto God or any other person.

We have too many of the latter in the World today – and many of them profess to be “good” Christians or Jews or Muslims or whatever. Time for a change. Time to claim responsibility. Time to live our own examined Lives instead of parroting the mistakes or the twisted perversions of others.

Brian+