Theology

I am a spiritual humanist. I see God as a web. I see the universe as God. God is the web of interconnectedness of which we are a part. This God-Web is not just a universe of scientific systems, however. I see it as truly holy, and there is an energy (a breath) created by that web that is more than the sum of its parts.

In Christian terms my sense of the divine connects most deeply with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the breath of life working in the world here and now, bringing grace and strength, stirring our hearts. It is the feeling of God being present. I think this fits in well with my conception of a warm energy of the universe which is creative, healing, and energizing. But rather than being sent from above, I see this energy as being very much a part of the universe, part of the God-web. It can be present with us or absent from us as we are conscious or unconscious of our place in the web. It is like when people hold hands and the connection of their hands creates a warmth which spreads through all of them.

This web of connection is revealed to me most in nature, but also in music, art, and other people. When I catch my breath at a sunset, feel my breathing come into the rhythms of the waves as I sit beside the ocean, or feel the earth on my hands as I dig in the garden, I am in awe, and I feel like a small part of something so much larger—something beautiful, something spiritual, a life force pulsing through me and the sun and the earth and the water.

It is easy, or at least possible, to see God's revelation of this web in moments of beauty—the sunset, the song, the hug, the Buddhist teaching. What I struggle with is recognizing as revelation the moments of intersection that are not beautiful. Seeing so much injustice while working in Roxbury hurts. Witnessing and grieving death hurts. But it is our sense of connection to others, to the web, that causes this painful tug on our hearts also. So if revelation equals those moments of knowing we are part of the God Web, then the hurting moments are revelation as well. And so my view of God is gradually expanding to include this understanding.

In my world view, God is not the cause of suffering, though suffering is part of God as the universe. And yet we are called to heal suffering and work towards ending suffering, motivated by the idea that God is all and all is God.

It matters how we interact with each other because the nature of our connections reflects the nature of God. And with this understanding of the universe, when I call upon God in prayers, I am partly calling upon whatever it is that we have created there between us.

Although I am clear about my own beliefs, I know that there are a diversity of beliefs in the world, and within each congregation. I do not believe that I am right and others are wrong. I have found what works for me and it is my job to support others finding what works for them.

My education in a Christian Seminary, my time spent at a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, my work as a chaplain to people of all faiths, and my experience in many different Unitarian Universalist churches has prepared me well to work with a spectrum of beliefs and with those who are struggling with what to believe. When working with people who hold different beliefs than myself, I prioritize listening and find that by doing so I always learn something.