In order to transform we must be willing to give up our
culture of identity and move toward a culture of solidarity. There is a tendency
to belong to groups based on how closely those groups mirror our own beliefs and backgrounds. As a result, those groups
have little potential for transforming themselves, the individuals who belong
to them or the larger world.
Mere “believing and belonging” in religion (or in any
sphere of human activity) tend to lead us toward like-minded people and groups that
look and think much as we do. A commitment to real transformation, on the other
hand, tends to lead us toward diverse groups of people who most likely look,
think and believe differently than we do. The transformation that takes place in and through such groups enables us to see those who seem radically different from ourselves to be like-hearted and united with us and all the world in an essential way.
When people first discover a religious community that
feels like home to them, they might believe that their religious journey is
done. But such a religious community is at best a starting place or home base
from which the transformational journey might begin. This journey leads us toward
a culture of solidarity—a culture of “acting with” rather than “believing in”
or “belonging to.”
Very good point. Thank you for writing that.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point. And I think it applies internally as well. I just read Tom Schade's post "The Emerging UU Consensus" and it made me think about how soldiers under attack bond in deep, lifelong ways. I think that as a faith tradition, perhaps, we are moving from our own individual identities to solidarity with our larger faith. There is an internal and an external component to what you wrote, and I like them both!
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