lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Some time last year while I was defending Christianity in my church, it occured to me that the Spirit of Life, of and to whom we sing every week, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same. We've just changed the name a little bit to make it more palatable to the ex-Christians in our congregations. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God - the active principle - working within creation to manifest God's will. In liberal Christianity, God's will is love and justice, and the Holy Spirit is that which unites people in love and stirs them to action against oppression. The Spirit of Life is that which permeates creation (blow in the wind; rise in the sea) and that which we call on to help us in our quest for love and justice ("sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion"; "move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice").
Don't know about the rest of UU but in the congregations to which I've been exposed, we generally have a reluctance to talk about "God," and while we may occasionally mention Jesus as a great social activist, we are loathe to use the word "Christ." Yet even the staunch atheists in my congregation don't mind singing about the Spirit of Life and inviting the Spirit into their hearts. It seems to be something around which we can set asside our theological differences and unite. Why is the Spirit of Life more acceptable than "God"? How are the two perceived differently? What does the Spirit of Life mean to you as a UU?
thanks,
-lilith
Don't know about the rest of UU but in the congregations to which I've been exposed, we generally have a reluctance to talk about "God," and while we may occasionally mention Jesus as a great social activist, we are loathe to use the word "Christ." Yet even the staunch atheists in my congregation don't mind singing about the Spirit of Life and inviting the Spirit into their hearts. It seems to be something around which we can set asside our theological differences and unite. Why is the Spirit of Life more acceptable than "God"? How are the two perceived differently? What does the Spirit of Life mean to you as a UU?
thanks,
-lilith