But ultimately that which I call God is beyond names and
forms – beyond all human conceptualizations.
All God talk is but metaphorical. All bible
and church dogma is but a cage to shut out the experience of the ultimate.
God talk is necessary, but must be seen for what it is – a
human invention – metaphors for the inexpressible.
I do not believe the bible is the inerrant, infallible,
inspired word of God.
I do believe it is a human product – an historical record
(sometimes glorious and sometimes inglorious) of peoples’ conceptualizations of
God.
I am not an atheist. I admit ignorance about many things.
I am a moderate mathematician, a linguist, and a lover of
general relativity and quantum physics. But I know the more I know, the more I
realize I don’t know.
I have read the Bible many times. Some parts thrill me (e.g
1 Corinthians 13) and others fill me with utter disgust (Leviticus 25: 44-46).
I believe that (in my metaphorical God talk) that all people
(color, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation … even fundamentalists) are
welcome at God’s table.
I believe that the only things that really count are love, our
common humanity, and the mystery that we choose to call God.
