Looking the Part

ONCE A WEEK I sing with a gospel group, and would like to do it more often. I often use expressions like "God Bless" and "I thank the dear lord", and use the word "God" fairly often. And, like most people, i express agreement with and enthusiasm for the teachings of Jesus, what we call "Christian values". In fact, I am not a Christian, never have been, and probably never will be, it now seems. What interests me is that I get the impression that many people, unless I happen to tell them otherwise, which I generally do not unless asked, simply assume that I am indeed a Christian. And in fact I have found throuought my life that the more devout the Christian, the less inclined the person to accept other religions, and the more iunclined to believe that everyone should be a Christian. And all it takes is a few words and songs to impell people to presumptuous assumptions. One of my fellow progressive-spiritual friends agrees with me that we left wing non Christians who love Jesus should not, must not allow the right wing evangelical Christians claim any exclusive or special relationship to Jesus. Nobody but ourselves has the right to determine our relationship, or anyone's relationshhip to Jesus, or God. My pantheistic spirituality inclines me to reject the notion of sacred books, animal and human sacrifice, and strict dogma generally. I find all religiosity fascinating, and wholeheartedly accept that each person follow her own path, and must. It may be that the future of human culture includes the withering away of large, powerful, organized religions. A pervasive, infinitely unique human spirituality, the acceptance of individual religiosity, might one day inspire most people. I would be as interested and willing to attend Islamic, Buddhist, or Hindu rituals and servics as Christian or any other, and would consider the experience to be of educational value. Humanity's long cultural heritage includes thousands of fascinating religions, all of which serve the purposes for which they were invented, then, like all other aspects of human culture, fade away into history. The best source of truth, truth of all kinds, including spiritual, derives today from science, not religion. It is through science that we are learning and will continue to learn about the universe, and hence, God. "My religiosity consists in humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit which reveals itself in what little we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. I cannot conceive of a personl god who would sit in judgment over creatures of its own creation. Morality is of the highest importance for mankind, but not for God". Einstein said that, and its as close to my religious gospel as any other words could ever be.