I’m going to talk briefly, first, about my concept of worship, second, the process of translating or refining the words I use and third, about tolerating differing uses of these words and the beliefs they reflect. First off, a definition from Webster, Worship: 1. to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power; 2. to regard with extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.
I have no problem with either definition, but for myself, I only use the second. I use this extravagant respect, honor and devotion often and especially during Meeting for Worship. When other Quakers are contemplating the devine being or supernatural power, that they believe in, I’m worshiping the bee that’s buzzing on the goldenrod outside the window, the goldenrod itself, my eyes that can perceive these miracles, the rock in the walls of the Meeting House, the other Friends in the room, the TIME it took to create all of this. And all of this, everything, is stardust, atoms born from the heart of stars going back almost 14 billion years. So, for me, it’s not hard to find things that inspire extravagant respect, honor and devotion, that make life such an exhilarating experience, filled with awe. And I believe that those folks who are seeking the devine being, the supernatural power are in a closely-related process: searching for the deeper meaning in this life we have.
Translation: What does Webster say about translation? To turn into one’s own or another language. Translation helps me come to a common understanding of these varied experiences. I consider words that don’t reflect my beliefs and turn them into my “own” language, more personally meaningful, more descriptive of my own experience. I’ve been translating religious experiences for at least 60 years. It started when I was about 12, when I began to say, “Hey! What’s all this ‘He’ stuff? You TELL me that oh, ‘He’ includes everybody. ‘He’ isn’t really a ‘He.’ ‘He’s’ God.” So, I began experimenting with “She” and “It,” and that was only the beginning. I won’t go into my entire spiritual journey but suffice to say, it has included a LOT of translation.
A very recent example: Last week, I attended a funeral for a dear friend, led by a devout woman pastor, who spoke of the ‘life everlasting,’ and the ‘redeemer,’ the one who was ‘born of a virgin,’ and ‘died for our sins.’ While I do have extravagant respect for Jesus and his teachings, her beliefs required a lot of translation on my part. And when she led the huge gathering in the ‘Lord’s’ prayer, I found I couldn’t repeat the beloved phrases. When I attended Meeting a few days later, the Silence led me back to that funeral scene and I began to translate the ‘Lord’s’ prayer into phrases that actually capture what I believe, element by element. Here is what came to me:
We are part of a ceaseless creative force throughout the immense universe, formed in vast time and by miraculous randomness. We treasure our piece of creation and try to discern the right thing to do, here and throughout what we know of the universe. We are grateful for each day and the sustenance each day requires. We know that we make mistakes. We need others’ forgiveness and we try to forgive their mistakes as well. We seek to follow the path of righteousness and balance. We seek the goodness and love in ourselves and others. We take action against injustice for all of creation, even the smallest blade of grass. We are only the tiniest speck in this immense universe. We and all these beings in this stardust realm, human and otherwise, are all we have. This makes each of us and all of us holy. And lastly, about tolerance: Webster says it’s “sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own.” Can the folks in Meeting who are sincerely worshipping their divine being be tolerant of my sincere beliefs? I hope so and even more importantly, I hope that we, as non-theists, extend that respectful tolerance to them. There is such strength in tolerance and diversity. After all, we’re seeking the Truth, each of us as we see it, when we look carefully.