Semantics kill faith.
If we take the words of the Bible or any holy book literally, we miss the symbolic messages that span the ages and bring the words to life millennia after they were written.
We stand at the shores of the Red Sea with a faith that has the power to part it. Instead, we run back to look for a cute bathing suit to swim in its waters.
We insist on taking the Red Sea literally instead of the symbolism beneath it — life, problems, any obstacle that impedes our spiritual growth — and look for solutions with our puny little human minds, thinking we can swim through its waters on our own.
The Biggest Semantic Confusion Of All
Let’s be clear. Religion and spirituality are not synonymous.
I was blessed to have been raised in a home where spirituality ruled over religion. Although I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school for the first 12 years of my education, I was exposed to other religions at a very young age.
My college years were spent at a predominantly Jewish institution, and my spirituality expanded even further in this religious about-face away from Catholicism. But thanks to the foundation my parents and the very progressive priests and nuns at my high school had given me, my faith never wavered.
To me, other beliefs did not negate my faith or my interpretation of God. On the contrary, they expanded my vision of God’s majesty. She could not — and should not — be confined to one religion (or one gender, for that matter).
Take the word church, for example. Most people hear that word and immediately think of a building, maybe a cathedral, a place where people go to worship.
But a church is more than that. If we limit the concept of a church to a building, then it’s no surprise that those who go to that building weekly consider those who don’t heathen non-believers destined to eternal hellfire. (Another symbol that needs updating.)
God’s word is an invitation for us to update our spiritual software with one that can handle today’s challenges. God didn’t leave His message in ancient times.
His word is a living, breathing, ever-evolving symphony. Its core message never changes, but our interpretation of the symbols must be updated so we can relate to His message in the present.
God is the hardware.
To understand God, the Bible, and all things spiritual, we must first update the symbols — the software — we use to translate them.
If we don’t, God’s message will be lost in the past, and He will not be able to communicate with us in a language we can relate to today.
The Devil Is In The Details
Don’t say you don’t believe in God just because the ancient symbols don’t speak to you. God doesn’t live in the details. The details are where the devil lives.
Don’t deny yourself the gift of spirituality just because you can’t relate to someone else’s interpretation of God, Christ, or whatever.
Find your definitions and let the spirit speak to you.
But once you find your definitions, don’t try to convince others that your belief is the only belief. Never forget how it felt when someone tried to impose their beliefs on you.
Every holy war ever fought has semantics as its foundation because people thought their interpretation of God’s word was right and everyone else’s was wrong.
Self-righteousness is as repulsive to spirit as arrogance is to wisdom.
Your only responsibility is to keep your spiritual software up to date, to update your understanding of all spiritual teachings and symbols not through an ancient filter but through their message for you today.
Then watch the magic happen.
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