What does it mean for religion to be lived out in our daily lives? To have our religious beliefs, ethics and practices inform our actions and interactions, day in, day out?
Too often, I think, religion can be seen as lofty, abstract or aspirational — a set of beliefs or tenets or creeds with a long and sometimes murky or mysterious history, unapproachable and irrelevant to those of us living with today’s pressing issues, surrounded as we are by the trappings of modern life unimaginable by those who first scribed sacred texts and doctrines.
Or, sometimes religious practice is set apart from the rest of our lived lives, experienced when we attend services on a designated day, with a select group of people, but left behind when we depart those times and spaces. Somehow the connection between what we hear and do in community with others — with whom we share much, and who we may know well, and in being together, receive great comfort — may not extend outside that set-aside place.
But what happens when we intentionally, mindfully (and dare I say joyfully?!) see our whole lives as an expression of our religious selves? Our understandings of the Divine, of how to act with moral integrity, of practices that nurture and sustain a world where life can thrive? Or even venture to talk with one another about why we say what we say, and do (and don’t), do what we do?
The truth is — many do speak up and out. Right now, the public square is awash with religion “out loud.” Yet, when we take a careful look, there seems to be a lack of diversity of views, or religious identities, and very little tolerance, or embrace, of meaningful dialogue. Perhaps that’s not the point: events constituted of a single interpretation of a particular religious tradition are more for adherents than for the general public.
What I mean to say is … we need religions — plural — and, we need those faith traditions to be holistically informing our day-to-day lives in ways that are thoughtful, integrated, and down to earth.
We start with our theology: our understanding of the Divine, the source and force in our lives which connects us to the much, much larger purposes of living and the long arc of the Universe. For example, if I believe that there is a spark of the Divine in every living thing, I see my kin as fellow participants in this extraordinary living, breathing, evolving world we inhabit together. I guess you could say my own theology is indeed, “down to Earth!”
And if that’s my theology, it means my sacred text is literally all of the world — that tree, this river, the star yonder, as well as all the inspired words written by women and men through the ages who have paid attention, reflected, and made meaning of the sacred that is all about us.
And if that’s my belief about the world — that we’re all in this, together, each with our own unique gifts and roles — then I strive to act in ways that protect and promote the fullness of life for them as well as for me. My ethics, my choices about what is morally right and wrong, flow from this understanding. For example, I might choose to eat in ways that reduce the toll on Life. Or I might choose to support — with my time, talent and treasure — individuals and organizations which help to promote the well-being of this living Earth.
Though to be truly “down to earth,” I need to find ways to practice religion. Sometimes the “down to earth” of religion can be quite literal — as in, what I do each and every day to care for the living soil, water, air, plants, animals around us. Yes, composting can be a spiritual practice! And so can walking, or riding a bike, or using public transportation. Or a commitment to learn about the flora, fauna, geology and waters of this particular place we live. Each of these daily choices are also practices of living out beliefs and ethics.
So, let’s take religion off the high shelves of history, down from its lofty pedestals, out beyond the walls of church and synagogue, mosque and meetinghouse. Let’s give religion some air, a little dirt, and a generous drink of cool clear water. Let’s invite religion to join the world of the living!
The Rev. Alison Cornish is a Unitarian Universalist minister, lives in Shelburne Falls, and currently serves as the Chaplaincy Initiative Coordinator for The BTS Center. Find out more and connect, thebtscenter.org.