Emancipated
So what you got in your bag? I got a little bit of everything. I have been fortunate enough to have met some very divine people my life. My kids dad, Dennis Lee Bailey who showed me the American story about G_d, my moms West African ex-husband Celestine, and countless Ethiopian Orthodox Christians [The true holders of the African titles Ras and Empress]. To the naked eye, they do not have anything in common but if you get a chance to gaze at them when their not looking you will have see it. That thing they all share is an emancipated energy that fills the room, a vibration of liberation, an aura of abandonment. It is larger than life.
Five Percenters, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, and Buddhist, all strong, valid religions with different beliefs. Yet the believes of one does not weigh more than the other. The Five Percenters believe that they are the only gods worth talking about…until the bill comes due and Father Abrahams’ rent goes unpaid. The Ethiopian Orthodox Christians believe in the power of the holy trinity but the Rastafarians believe in replacing G_d with pyramid schemes. The Buddhist teach the importance of peace on Earth but preparation for war is a common to them as pray. With all these different ideals one may be left wondering what makes them tick. William Wainwright hit the nail on the head in chapter two of Reason and Religious Belief when he stated that their religious experiences resulted in their religious believer. That makes me think that no matter how different your religion is from the next person your religious experience it can have the same results.
The chapter did how ever leave me with more questions than answers. Such as what gives one the right to question the validity or authenticity of another religious groups experiences? Why are some peoples’ claims to religious experiences validated and more credible than others just because they have met a man made criterion? Why does my religious experience effect you? Do you have to meet a certain social or religious standard in life in order have an encounter with your higher power? If their was no language and we could only use our eyes to communicate would that be eye language? Why does 2+2=4?
Tags: Ethiopian Orthodox, Mister Dennis Lee Bailey, Reason + Religious Belief
Comments are closed