Zen Baptist Bible Reader

Since I am in what is sometimes called the advancing years and sometimes the declining (no wonder we Geezers get confused), I am looking to give back to the community what I can before I kick the bucket, throw in the towel, buy the farm, fall into grave disorder. The "what I can" part is my take on various realms. I'm already giving my comments on the application of martial art principles to daily life, on the Gospel of Thomas, and on the Bhagavad Gita, so why not dive in and start a blog on the Bible? After all, I cut my eye teeth on it, having grown up as a Baptist in the deep South. (The Zen part, of course, came later.)

So despite and even because of the heaps of excrement thrown these days at folk who follow the teachings of holy books, here I go!

Okay you Baptists (and all you individuals who make up the nearly 7 billion religions -- one for each person -- in the world), turn in your Bibles to Micah 6:8.

This is a verse that brought me much comfort during my existential angst back-of-hand-to-brow years. I had pretty much soured on all churches, but still derived some understandings and some heart glow from this verse in Micah. The latter part of that verse: "what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" rang my chimes.

I read that and thought, okay, I can do this or at least keep at it as a spiritual practice. All that is required is to do justly (heck, I learned that in the scouts -- Scout Law: A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.), to love mercy (that's a deep one, I'm still understanding what that means), and to walk humbly with thy God.

That latter one snags a lot of people who think of God as some kind of floaty creature out there who doesn't have the sense of a billy goat in heat and has screwed up the world something terrible. It didn't take me long to realize that what that ("God") means is my source, our Source (whether you capitalize It or not). The Great Mystery, The Big Hoohah, The Eternal Mother, Father. The One Who Breathes Us, The Original Kin.

And it doesn't say I have to walk humbly with people. I am only required to walk humbly with God. The rest takes care of itself.

So close your Bibles, all you Baptists. Time to go to all day singing and dinner on the grounds!