pathways

we have been talking about pathways to experiencing God this week at church. the nine discussed were naturalist, sensate, ascetic, enthusiast, activist, caregiver, traditionalist, contemplative, and intellectual. here are mine and why, in no particular order (i have trouble ranking them):

sensate: God's creation enamors me. when i hear pleasing sounds (music, birds, babies crying), when i see things (art, nature, beauty), when i smell and taste goodness (a good homemade meal), it makes me think of the wonderful creation all around me... people say they look forward to going to an event where they'll feel "God's presence,"... i don't get that, because these things i mentioned above are God's presence to me... they're everywhere and inescapable.

activist: i think that God created us in a certain way, and that his ultimate "will" is for us to be able to live and enjoy life to the fullest - just like he intended. and that often when the bible speaks of the 'Kingdom of God', it's not talking about life after death, but life here on earth. therefore our job is to try and bring this life to fruition. to help end oppression, poverty, suffering, hate, etc., etc... how we (or i) do that is the tougher question for me. but i want to do something.

intellectual: one of the things that has always frustrated me is when people make the argument that being 'intellectual' implies that one can't believe in a higher power or divine being; that science and religion don't mix, etc... i believe the opposite, making it sort of a mission to help people see that the 'intellectual' things of this world actually point towards the God that we believe in. i think that our faith isn't as blind and science-hating as some people make it to be... i think that when we make a scientific discovery, we are doing what God would want us to do: explore this great place he made for us. he created us with brains and a curiosity for the world around us... i feel like when we find out more about the world, we find out a little more about God... and that not everything in the bible was intended to be literally interpreted, and that when we refuse to acknowledge that, we're being naive... slippery slope, i know...