Dear People Whom God Loves,
We have been looking at science, music and art, and nationalism—all of which are good—which can become substitutes for religion. Now we will look at something that may seem surprising. Religion—while good—can become a substitute for God.
To understand this we must ask ourselves: What do we mean by God and what do we mean by religion?
By “God” I mean the great intelligent love from whom the universe comes. This great intelligent love is beyond a supreme being. This intelligent love is beyond being the greatest of all beings. This intelligent love is the source of all beings both great and small. The whole universe is the created expression of this intelligent love. We humans are the beings who are conscious, self-reflective, and endowed with understanding and free will. More than any other beings of the universe that we know, we reflect—though imperfectly—the intelligent love we name God.
We cannot form an image of this intelligent love because intelligent love is not a being. We do use images because we do need something to think and speak about. But we must remember that Intelligent Love, though something like what we imagine, is also not like what we imagine and is far more than what we imagine.
Intelligent Love is faithful and free. The universe—which is the created expression of intelligent love—also has fidelity and freedom. There is neither rigidity nor chaos. The universe is free to be part of its evolution but can do so only within certain limits. That is what intelligent love is like. When we say that intelligent love is all powerful, we must remember that Intelligent Love (God) acts powerfully according to God’s nature. To act otherwise would be something other than God. More next time.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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