Truth be told

Truth. This is the hard one. Unitarian Universalists are often cajoled into believing there is no truth, that it’s all relative. Actually, I believe in universal truths, just few that we can know – maybe gravity or the power of Love. Science gives us a good set of facts to work with, although even in science there are significant gaps. Religion gives us another set of resources, but the trick is that Truth affects us all differently. It affects cultures differently. That is why there are so many religions. They’re all worshiping, adoring, praying to, reflecting on, acknowledging the same Truth–but it’s manifested in ways that are appropriate to different times and places. Once in a while a great teacher comes along (such as Jesus, Mohammed, Zoroaster, or the Buddha) and a bunch of people get on a more singular track. That’s OK because the truth Universal can be felt in singular as well as plural ways. The trick is (and here’s our challenge) to allow ourselves to be open in ways that let us feel truth. If praying allows you to feel what you cannot know and express, then pray. If sitting in meditation allows you to feel what you cannot know and express, then sit on a cushion and let Truth flow in. If walking in nature is where the divine is known to you, then take the time to walk. The challenge is to open yourself up, to be receptive to the mystery, and to give up just a little of that control that our Western culture tricks us into thinking is control.  Truth be told: none of has much control. That’s one reason we gather each week in community to sit in the awe of the known and unknown.