It is my contention that all religions are true.  Obviously I do not think they are objectively or historically true. For instance, I do not believe that the cosmos is formed out of the carcass of Tiamat, an ancient Sumerian deity, or that the angel Moroni delivered golden tablets to the prophet Joseph Smith, or that Jesus was born to a woman who was a virgin. What makes a religion true is that it works. By works, I mean that in the practice of any religion, the follower experiences a sense of deep connection and meaningfulness of life.  Religion does this by helping us connect to the whole of our being. This is also true of UUism.  

In a sense religion is a tool.  Just as hammers, airplanes, and 1040 tax forms are tools designed for specific tasks, so, too, is religion a tool designed for a task.  That task is to help the follower to experience wholeness.  When we are whole we experience life as meaningful and holy. There are many names for wholeness in religious literature. They include God, Ground of Being, the Tao, Great Spirit, the Mother Goddess, and the Brahman, to name but a few. So, what are the dynamics of the task of religions?

Let's start by taking a look at the chimpanzees.  As it turns out, chimps, like humans, are tool users.  Some tribes of chimps (not all) have developed a way of retrieving tasty termites from their rock hard hills by sticking a twig in an opening and waiting for the termites to address what they see as a threat by attacking the twig.  When the twig is fully loaded with termites, the enterprising chimp pops them into his mouth and enjoys a high protein snack.  The symbols of religion are our twigs.  Just as a chimp reaches into a termite mound to connect with the nourishment found within, so do we use symbols to reach into ourselves to retrieve the nourishing substance of our being. Religious symbols, as embodied in mythological characters and places such as Zeus, Satan, Nirvana, the Kingdom of God, the river Styx, and mount Sinai, represent parts of our being.  To be whole is to be in touch with all of one’s being. By projecting our multifaceted being on to the screen of religious story we handily keep these representations of ourselves available to work in our spiritual fields.

By giving them heed we can enjoy a sense of connection, wholeness, and even joy while working out life's difficult issues.

Have a joyous and fulfilling Fall.       

Jim