Touching the Stove

"I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglect to do it to me."
-Jesus

The pursuit of experiencing the divine is the age-old goal of religious and spiritual seekers. For those that believe or want to believe, such an encounter can be transformative and confirming to one's faith.

Yet, organized religion has manipulated this desire and used it to control the masses through fear, guilt, and shame masked as theology, dogma, and practice. They've taught us to ignore our humanity because they see it as flawed and sinful. Then, they tell us to deny our senses, past experiences, and logic if we want to experience the Almighty.

That way isn't a way towards a transcendent encounter. It only leads us into a circular path of submission and sameness.

Seeking God doesn't require us to ignore our humanity or check our brains at the door. Though that's what is often taught and preached. We are an amalgamation of our experiences in life, both good and bad. To ignore this is to neglect ourselves.

As children, we're told not to touch the stove but sometimes do it anyway. We learn from the pain. We grow from the encounter. These happenings and our responses to them make us into who we are. Events like these help frame our perspective and make us who we are. We need to learn to be and accept ourselves.

If God is real and at work in the world around us, we need to realize that seeking the divine requires us to engage with reality and help others. It's not as sexy as a vision, miracle, or transcendent moment, but God lives in the spaces where the forgotten and marginalized dwell. So, if we want to experience God, these are the places we go. It's just that simple.

We'll talk about that along with the Hillsong scandal, Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, and plenty more in this episode. This will be part one of a two-part discussion on experiencing the divine.