God is more a humble "Ground of Being" or "Sky" than a "thing" who needs defending.

In today's world, we endure frequent headlines about innocent people killed by those who believe they are defending the honor of God, or the honor of God's messengers. Of course, this sort of thing has been going on for centuries in a variety of different religions.  I think all of us would agree that the amount of blood historically spilled over religion is horrific and almost unbelievable.  It certainly would seem to justify the atheist's belief that religion represents humanity at its worst.

These kinds of attacks are based upon the mistaken notion that God is a definable thing - an anthropomorphized person, perhaps - that is vulnerable to human insults and whose honor needs to be defended.  However, the contemplative traditions of all of the world's major religions teach us otherwise.  The practice of meditation helps us see that God is more like an indescribable Ground of Being out of which all creatures miraculously emerge at every millisecond.  Or like an  infinite "Sky" out of which the "clouds" of phenomena are magically given birth.  Rather than existing as some sort of thing who needs defending, this God is more a "No-Thing" - a personal PRESENCE rather than a definable person - who gives himself or herself to be the humble "ground" or "space' out of which all things spontaneously emerge.

Rather than being a reality that can be FOUND in a tangible way, this is a Love that LOSES  itself eternally in blissful abandon in order to become the ground out of which all things mysteriously arise.  Here, God is like a Word of Love that never had a chance to be spoken on account of the bliss of divine ecstasy, yet which somehow results in the echoes of individual creatures arising on Earth as though out of nowhere!  Or like a series of mirror-images appearing in a sky-mirror, yet with no Original ever to be found!  Such is the mysterious and humble self-emptying of God.

This kind of God is so humble, that he (to use the traditional term) wants more than anything for us to focus  on the amazing creatures who emerge out of his humble, nameless ground, rather than on the ground itself.  Instead of asking for our defense, the humility of this God asks that we defend ALL OF THE CREATURES who emerge from It, regardless of their religion, culture, gender or status in society.  The question is this: are we human beings - as mediators of this humble God - "up to" such a task? May we all wake up to the grandeur of such a humble, self-emptying vision, and may religion become more a beautiful thing in this world than a terrible scourge.

Photo: Mountain Gentian and Medicine Bow Peak, Snowy Range, WY; August 19, 2012