After my previous post, I thought it only fair to explore my own theological views regarding people who follow a different religion and the nonreligious. I will admit up front that what I’m about to share is fragmented and tentative. It’s not actually something I think about because, for me, my spiritual tradition is about my own relationship with the Divine. Other people’s relationship with the Divine (or lack thereof) is none of my business, and I’m inclined to trust them to find their own way through this world as long as they don’t devalue or harm others.

To explore this question, I need to talk about my most abstract and “highest” understanding of the Divine. If you peel back all the “isms,” I think that ultimately, the Divine is the universe itself. In my old coven, we would acknowledge this ultimate form of the Divine when we spoke of “The One Eternal Reality, in which we live, move, and have our being” or “The One” for short. All life — divine, human, animal, plant, micro-bacterial, and other — is a part of and flows from that One Eternal Reality. And each individual relates to that One Eternal Reality in a way that is appropriate for them.

For atheists and agnostics, that relationship is a purely materialistic one. For pantheists and many mystics, they develop a relationship with The One by seeking union with and/or connection to it on a spiritual level. For other theists, we find one or more expressions/manifestations of the One that we relate to on a more personal level.(1) We pray to them. We talk to them. We draw them into our bodies and attune our energies to them. We obey what we understand/believe their commandments to be. Or some combination of those things.

I believe that the way in which each individual connects to the Divine is something that they are ultimately drawn to by the Divine for itself. It is something that they and The One Eternal Reality understand is appropriate and best for them.(2) And as every individual’s needs are different and complex, it makes sense that the “right relationship” would also look different for every individual.

I will say a bit about monotheistic religions like Christianity. Yes, I believe there is a god that responds to their prayers and all attempts to reach out. I do not, however, believe that said god is actually the only god and I doubt it’s exactly like many of the followers it draws to itself envision it to be.(3) I’m not sure why said deity allows them to continue to believe some of the things they do, but I mostly trust that to be a matter best kept between those believers and their own deity to be resolved as they see fit.

As I mentioned previously, all I care about others’ religious paths is the fruit: how do they treat others in this world? Are they loving, affirming, and a seeker of dignity and justice for all? Or are they othering, dehumanizing, tearing down, and harming others? Because if they’re doing any of the latter, I have a Divine mandate to call that out.

Otherwise, may you have a blessed journey as you find your own way through this wonderful world we share.

Notes:

(1) There are probably other ways to relate to The One and/or its many manifestations that I’m not even thinking of — and maybe that I’m not even aware of.

(2) It occurs to me that I’m actually suggesting that a Divine force that atheists don’t believe in is actually drawing them toward being atheists. I’m curious what atheists might think of my presumption here. I hope they can at least forgive me on the grounds that I believe that they are drawn to that because it is the proper and best path for them to take.

(3) Then again, I’m not convinced my favorite goddess, Freyja, is exactly like I currently envision her to be. At the very least, I suspect she’s much more than I currently understand her to be.