Today's MOZEN: With God On Our Side

Words and photo by F LoBuono

"When we have the favor of the Lord, we rest in quiet confidence that our sins are forgiven" (Romans 4:7).

This was a Facebook post that I saw recently and it prompted me to ask this question: what happens when we don't have His favor?

A nice gentlemen attempted to explain it to me by saying that we are all born into sin and that only our acceptance of Jesus will free us from our plight. This is how we seek favor from the Lord.

Well, I'm not buying it. First, I do not believe that we are "born into sin". No, I do not believe that AT ALL. In fact, to the contrary, I believe that we are actually born into grace. We enter the world innocent, "god-like", if you will. It's only during our lifetime that we experience the so-called pollutants of human nature like greed, jealousy, and hate that separates us from our inherent god-nature. It is with the practice of compassion and, as the Buddhists say, mindfulness, that brings us back to the path of righteousness, enlightenment and, if we get it right, salvation.

I understand the Christian ethic of "giving it to god". All of us experience the feeling of being overwhelmed, especially in times of great emotional stress. I think most of us at one time or another in our lives have uttered, God, PLEASE HELP ME. It's really tough to go it alone. When we have an omnipotent power in our corner, we can't help but be confident in our ability to overcome.

However, what happens when god doesn't hear our prayers? Is he not listening? Is he angry with us? Am I not worthy? After all, bad things DO happen to good people.

The answer may be that "god" does not operate that way.

In order to accept the scenario of Divine Intervention we must believe in an "active god", i.e. a personified deity that has a direct hand in every aspect of our lives - you know, the bearded old guy in long white robes. This, to most, is the very DEFINITION of faith. I get it. I just don't see it that way.

I prefer to think that ALL of us are god. At least, that should be our goal. It really is THE goal! We need to return to the state of complete innocence that we were born with. In this way we come back to god by becoming him. When we see ourselves in our OWN divine light a number of positive things happen. First, we respect ourselves more - we ARE god-like! Next, we respect others. Remember, if we are ALL god-like, consider whom you are dealing with. We also take personal responsibility for our own actions - there is no more the devil made me do it. And, finally, god can't be on EVERY ONE'S side - otherwise, the concept of good vs evil has no merit.

The Bob Dylan song, With God On our Side, perfectly reflects this last sentiment. If, in war or conflict, god is on one side then he can't be on the other. And, then, who is to say which side is more righteous? Does winning the war ALWAYS insure that?

I also think of Christian athletes who praise Jesus for their success on the field. We've all seen the interviews. The winning pitcher is asked, " how'd you do it"? "All praise to Jesus" is often the response. That may be, but how does the same pitcher explain that, in his very next start he got torched for ten earned runs! Did Jesus abandon him? Did he do something wrong to fall our of favor with the Lord? No. I think it's more a matter of it simply just not working that way.

I was raised a good, Catholic boy and spent K-8 grades being well indoctrinated at Madonna Parochial School in Fort Lee, NJ. I was even captain of the altar boys. So, I'm pretty well versed in comparative religions. All are interested in providing a path to salvation for their practitioners. However, how they go about doing it makes a world of difference. I am not interested in those whose vision if obscured by guilt or dogma that is not inclusive. I seek a spirituality that is truly open - one that encourages me not to fear god but, rather, embrace him - for we are ALL god.