An Essential Element
A great Navajo tribal leader once said that the biggest risk
to his nation’s spiritual culture was that of fundamental Christianity.
The
problem, as he identified further, was not about Christ’s message to
love one
another, it was in the arrogant approach that many Christian churches
take. There is a repugnant aspect of fundamentalism, whether it is
fundamental Christianity, fundamental Islam, etc. that I personally
cringe at. It
is the perspective that “My God is better than your god” (please notice
the capitalization).
The basic tenant of Christ’s message to “Love one another” (Bible, John
13:
34-35) is expunged by an exclusive approach of a fundamental approach
which dishonors the
path taken by other cultures in the seeking the divine.
Quite a number of years ago, I went into a fundamental Christian Church
where a part
of the program announced that there would be a discussion about a book
entitled
“I will kill for Christ” written by a local Arizona author who, in his
writing,
supported the justification of killing when it is necessary to show your
love for God. While the author, in the excerpt printed in the
program, went on to justify killing based on the weaving in of various
scriptures into his rant, it made me wonder about how many people
brought into
his particular vitriol and venom because he happened to use Bible
quotations in his diatribe. As a “consumer of information” of any type,
not only should one
look at how the particular item is written and referenced, but we should
also view
the spirit of the dialogue in which the author puts forward. And, in
this case, what
was put forward was not a message from God, but a note from darkness.
It is no surprise that I still hunch in embarrassment when
people ask if I am a Christian. My embarrassment is because of the
horrific fundamental stance that is not founded in love by many
self-described "Christian" churches. I am a Christian, but please only
associate me with Christ’s
message of love and not the fundamentalist movement that has overtaken
Christianity in America. It is no wonder that “In Christ’s name” wars
have
struck at the essence of cultures that “are different.” Remember that
there was an Indian (Native American) holocaust of 100 Million souls in
our country.
The Divine Spirit is seen and felt in the face of nature, is expressed
by many poets and authors, and is a basic foundational part of many
indigenous cultures. And, in particular, this foundational part runs
thick in many native American tribes. The
essence of God, the divine Creator, is emphasized in this brief
statement by an
Iroquois leader:
“Everything that is negative will
lead you away from the Creator. Everything that is positive will guide you on
your path to the Creator.” Tadodaho (Iroquois leader).
Continue to seek out the positive in people that you meet, their divine
essence, and live out Christ’s true message to love one
another, including those who do have a varied perspective of the divine. It's an essential element.
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