Posted by CB on August 18, 2011 at 14:52:32
In Reply to: Re: so what has your journey been like, post TF? (NT) posted by long time exer on August 12, 2011 at 11:32:07:
I consider myself Christian, but maybe not a “fundamental” Christian the way you described it. I don’t believe God is a guy with a white beard on a throne in the sky. I think what you call “personalizing” God might be what I call “anthropomorphizing” God; that is, making God into the image and likeness of humans, as if the Trinitarian mystery can be contained in a body with two arms, two legs, a head, a penis, or, in the case of TF’s version of the Holy Spirit, into a voluptuous woman wearing a G-string and heart pasties.
I’m a “fundamental” Christian inasmuch as I believe that God can be experienced as Three-in-One. My God is experienced in relationship to Self and Other. The God of my understanding is personal inasmuch as I have a personal relationship with that Self and Other. Mostly I do that relating through communion with Jesus Christ in his mystical body (the church), the word (scripture), and prayer. I believe Jesus has a resurrected body. I can’t speculate about the nature of that resurrected body, because that sort of thing is unknowable in my current state. Right now I’m looking at Him through a glass darkly. How does the Breath of God (Holy Spirit) take shape in scripture? As a dove! Does that mean doves are also made in the likeness and image of God? As far as God the Father (Creator) goes, my thinking is pretty much in line with that of Native Americans. He/She/It is the Great Spirit or Holy Being that permeates all creation.
There’s some dialog in The Color Purple that speaks to me very deeply about this Holy Being:
Shug: More than anything God loves admiration.
Celie: You saying God is vain?
Shug: No, not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it.
Celie: You saying it just wanna be loved like it say in the Bible?
Shug: Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention... except walk? Oh, yeah, this field feels like singing!