Imperfect

I had a friend describe to me the other day why her husband won’t enter a church. Though it was a brief conversation, she conveyed to me a sentiment I have heard many times before: church and religion have done awful things. I don’t want to be a part of that.

I will be the first one to admit that, in the name of religion, and by people who profess a faith in God, atrocities have been committed. The human person is capable of terrible actions and no denomination, faith, church or organization of any kind is immune. Because every denomination, faith, church and organization is made up of people. And people are profoundly imperfect.

Of course people do awful things in the name of politics, love, education and advancement, as well as religion. But we expect more from our religious organizations—and we should. Which is why I can also say with some certainty that much good has come out of church and religion, and in many cases much more good than has come out of politics or education, for example.

Imperfect human beings make up the church. Is that reason enough to throw out the baby with the bathwater?

The Dalai Lama said: “My religion is kindness.” This is such a wonderful teaching. It also helps to articulate a deeper, broader truth. If, according to the Dalai Lama, religion is kindness, when something goes wrong, when a person isn’t kind, would we say kindness has failed? Or would we say the person or people involved have failed to be kind?
So it is with the God of my understanding. My religion is Love. When things appear unloving, this does not mean Love has failed, any more than we would blame kindness when a person shows us unkindness. (We would, of course, find fault with the person or the situation but I’ve yet to hear someone blame kindness itself.)

I don’t care whether people go to church; really, it’s none of my business. But I do hope that people come to know Love, Divine Love, because, I believe, doing so is life’s purpose, as well as life’s reward, and the very thing that makes life worth living. In that way, if someone comes in the doors of a religious organization or stays away matters little. But that the person comes to know kindness, comes to know love, matters much.

Too often, in our humanly imperfection, we might say, “My religion is religion.” Instead, let’s keep our eyes on the Source itself, the Origin of all religious seeking, inquiry, longing, education, and organization, God, or Love, itself. Therein we find healing and the true perfection we seek.