Godliness...

My personal spirituality has evolved from the Roman Catholic catechism of my childhood, through an exploration of the sacred texts of the eastern religions – particularly Buddhism – and the stories of indigenous traditions. What I learned was, once you strip these religions of their dogma, parables, and myth, they all pretty much point to the godliness of all living things. In other words, the creative force of the universe (or God, if you prefer) reveals itself in each and every one of us.

In a world where religious traditions seem to divide us rather than unite us spiritually, a worship service that honors all of the religious traditions of the world as equal spiritual sources makes a lot of sense to me.

I recently learned of the Universal Worship Service, a service officiated by the clergy of Universal Sufism. During this ceremony a candle is lit and readings taken on a particular theme from the sacred texts of six of the world’s major religions and traditions. Each reading evokes a Divine Quality the tradition is said to illustrate: Divine Wisdom (Hinduism); Divine Compassion (Buddhism); Divine Purity (Zoroastrianism); Divine Covenant (Judaism); Divine Self-Sacrifice (Christianity); and Divine Unity (Islam).

Other candles may be lit to honor other world traditions, including the Earth Goddess tradition (Divine Feminine), Taoism, and the local indigenous tradition.

The first candle represents the light of Divine Truth and from it all of the other candles are lit.

Perhaps this godliness that is each of us is The Word that has been passed down – though, unfortunately, misinterpreted by us – from Jesus, the Buddha, and all of the other revered leaders of the world’s spiritual traditions.