Metaphori

"Give me any word in English and I will tell you how it came from the Greek." My Popou is a proud Greek man and he loved to play this game with me. Metaphor he told me came from the Greek-- Metaphori-- wheelbarrow.

Wheelbarrow: a device that takes you from one place to another. That is purpose of a metaphor as well.

Americans are very poor at understanding this-- probably because the only time we learn about it is 7th grade English when we are at our worst: all pimples and hormones, why should we give a damn about devices that take us from one place to another-- our bodies and minds and collective psyche are doing enough of that already by moving us from childhood to adulthood.

Is it any wonder that here we are as a nation struggling with Religious Right who can't see the Metaphor through the JESUS salvation trees and the Spiritual who are frightened to death of the church because so much mystery, the apophatic and the understanding of the Cosmic Christ have been sacrificed for the sake of certainty and dogmatics.

And then there are the believers themselves. As one bumper sticker put it, "Jesus, Save Me From Your Followers." Yup. Sometimes I'm there too. How Christianity and Bigotry ever got into bed together is beyond me.

a fav vlog ger of mine had this awesome theology around the very loaded word, Sin. Rather than separation or pride or missing the mark, the vlogger said it was a spiritual blockage. Wow... I thought... cool, I could go there... there's a good metaphor that takes me from one place to another. It worked for me-- I've been stuck and blocked a lot in my life.

Could hardly believe the comments that people made-- once again, I say it: it amazes me what people say in Cyber-space to each other-- damn we're mean-- no wonder people are scared of Christians-- I'm a little scared myself! People railing on and on: that's NOT the traditional answer!!! Yadayada... burn in hell, heresy... yadayada...

I sometimes wonder why we just can't see theology as wheelbarrow. And no-- it doesn't make God or Spirit or Higher Power any less "real". Why do we need such rigid boxes for God? No wonder why atheists are so strident-- its because Christians can be so ridiculous.

Who wants an image of God & a religion that hasn't changed one iota since the 1oth Century? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Ah, but I am a product of my generation.

The importance of religion is that is a tool-- a wheelbarrow in our soul that is takes us from one place to another.

I suppose that there are those that would cleaverly retort, "Yes and your wheelbarrow will take you to hell." Well, all right... just be sure to save me a seat at the bar if you end up there first.