07-08-2007, 08:42 AM
"Keeping God at Arms Length" -- this is a phrase used by differnt people in the past.. Some have indicated this is the reason they are Unitarians -- so that they may keep "God at arms length."
To me this is not being a Unitarian. It does not demonstrate a love of God or a love for humanity.
To me:
"God is life" -- How can one be a Unitarian if they do not embrace life and wish to do what is in their power to improve themselves and the lot of mankind? How can you keep life at arms length?
"God is love" -- How can one be a Unitarian and not love? How can you keep love at arms length?
"God is truth" -- How can one be a Unitarian and not embrace the truth? How can you keep truth at arms length?
If you accept the teaching that "In God we live, move, and have our being," -- then it is impossible to say: "I want to keep God at arms length." God must be embraced as a part of your life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We all have a wide divergence of beliefs and rightly so because we are all at different stages along the way home. To journey home, however, we are told in the scripture of many faiths, that we must turn to God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. When we turn to God, He will turn to us and will help us in all we do. If we turn our back to God, He will turn His back to us and leave us to our mistakes and the results thereof.
Keeping God at arms length is comparable to saying and acting as if there is no God. It is saying to your Father that you will just keep Him around in case of trouble, or for your own convenience, or just in case there might really be a God after all. This is not being a Unitarian who says there is "One God" for all of humanity, worshipped in many ways. Where is our faith in an ever-present living God? How can we have a living faith in a living God if we strive to keep God at arms length?
There are many different denominations and religions in the world today who strive to "Keep God at arms length." It is comforting to individuals to say "I am saved because I believe" so that they may spend their days doing anything they want or live as if there is no God because they "are saved" or they are a part of the "chosen people."
Please do not turn Unitarianism into such a denomination or religion. Let us be different. Let us worship a living God by living as if He is a part of our daily living. Let us demonstrate our love of God through our daily actions. Let us have a living faith in an ever-present living God.
Let us be a part of the solution -- not just to be another group of individuals discussing dead religious concepts and not backing up our words with action.
We have two commandments -- to love God and to love humanity as ourselves -- which we must demonstrate in our living. I guess this is only, in reality, one commandment -- "To Love."
To Love, we cannot be luke warm or hold God at arms length. To love we must have commitment to God. God must be a part of our life. God must be in our hearts and minds. If we have not this love of God, we must find or develop it. We must ask God to be the guiding force in all that we do. We must acknowledge that He is present with us in all that we do. We must begin to live as Children of God not 1 day a week, but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To Love God -- the "One God" -- is to be a Unitarian.
With love,
Rev Dorris
To me this is not being a Unitarian. It does not demonstrate a love of God or a love for humanity.
To me:
"God is life" -- How can one be a Unitarian if they do not embrace life and wish to do what is in their power to improve themselves and the lot of mankind? How can you keep life at arms length?
"God is love" -- How can one be a Unitarian and not love? How can you keep love at arms length?
"God is truth" -- How can one be a Unitarian and not embrace the truth? How can you keep truth at arms length?
If you accept the teaching that "In God we live, move, and have our being," -- then it is impossible to say: "I want to keep God at arms length." God must be embraced as a part of your life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We all have a wide divergence of beliefs and rightly so because we are all at different stages along the way home. To journey home, however, we are told in the scripture of many faiths, that we must turn to God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. When we turn to God, He will turn to us and will help us in all we do. If we turn our back to God, He will turn His back to us and leave us to our mistakes and the results thereof.
Keeping God at arms length is comparable to saying and acting as if there is no God. It is saying to your Father that you will just keep Him around in case of trouble, or for your own convenience, or just in case there might really be a God after all. This is not being a Unitarian who says there is "One God" for all of humanity, worshipped in many ways. Where is our faith in an ever-present living God? How can we have a living faith in a living God if we strive to keep God at arms length?
There are many different denominations and religions in the world today who strive to "Keep God at arms length." It is comforting to individuals to say "I am saved because I believe" so that they may spend their days doing anything they want or live as if there is no God because they "are saved" or they are a part of the "chosen people."
Please do not turn Unitarianism into such a denomination or religion. Let us be different. Let us worship a living God by living as if He is a part of our daily living. Let us demonstrate our love of God through our daily actions. Let us have a living faith in an ever-present living God.
Let us be a part of the solution -- not just to be another group of individuals discussing dead religious concepts and not backing up our words with action.
We have two commandments -- to love God and to love humanity as ourselves -- which we must demonstrate in our living. I guess this is only, in reality, one commandment -- "To Love."
To Love, we cannot be luke warm or hold God at arms length. To love we must have commitment to God. God must be a part of our life. God must be in our hearts and minds. If we have not this love of God, we must find or develop it. We must ask God to be the guiding force in all that we do. We must acknowledge that He is present with us in all that we do. We must begin to live as Children of God not 1 day a week, but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To Love God -- the "One God" -- is to be a Unitarian.
With love,
Rev Dorris