One Mountain? Many Mountains?

The Prophet Isaiah called upon Israel with these words:

For you will go out with joy
and you shall be led back with peace
the mountains and the hills
before you shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the fields
shall clap their hands.

In every historical religious tradition,
mountains are symbols of the presence of the divine:  we recall the sacred mountain, the seat of the Eternal,
sanctuary of angels, the home of the Gods.

Today I will be sharing one such story,
this is the story of a Mountain
which has many trails leading up to the summit

One of the characteristics of our liberal religious tradition  is an openness to the insights of the peoples of this earth. People who have created different and varied wisdom traditions.  We need to remind ourselves that these are distinct and separate religions each with their unique stories and myths,  each with their own powerful understandings.

As religious liberals, can we honor all of the world's religious traditions and at the same time be deeply rooted in one tradition, in one practice, does becoming a religious Universalist, mean becoming scattered, and rootless? 

Imagine a mountain.

There are many trails up the mountain in our story
all the trails begin at the base of the mountain
but each trail is located in a different context,
one near a rushing river, one near a bustling village,
one at a seat of learning, and another in the grazing country of sheep, the care of which is the principal human economy.

We could continue explore the origins and context at the base of each path, but the point is established. Even though all the trails are quite distinct, both in origins, and in scenary along the way, they all go up the mountain.  Those traveling each of these trails shall encounter similar obstacles and similar challenges
as they climb up to the clouds

But at the top of the mountain the trails begin to merge, and run parallel.  And finally there is only one trail, one path, and one summit.

Yes.  all the trails lead to the top of the mountain.

Those who retell this tale  relate it to illustrate a particular understanding on the various spritual paths,
provided by the different  and distinct religious traditions, that constitute the world's faith communities.  The people who participate in Buddhism, Christianity,  Islam,  Judaism,  Hinduism, 
or one of the many different earth centered spiritualities live in very  different social conditions,
narrate different stories and articulate very different world views.

And this means that in the opinion of the people who follow the various religions their way is unique
and it contrasts so sharply with all the others,
they can see nothing in common with the other religions.

The rites they perform the myths that inform their lives, are so special to them that they see no parallel,
And experience no community with the believers of the other religions.  It is as if they were taking paths on different mountains.

But those who devout themselves to a spiritual path, for those who actually ascend the mountain,
and in the process encounter the rigors of the climb,
and if they look they will discover their fellow pilgrims
who have ascended to similar high attainments, but by different paths.

The point of this parable is that the world's faith traditions, all lead to the spiritual summit, they argue that the mountain top is the mountain top, and while the paths are unique, those who have truly learned the lessons of each faith, come to similar experiences, and eventually to the same place.

The second point of this parable, especially pertinent to Unitarian Universalists is that if you want to get to the top, one must take a path up the mountain,
wandering around at the base of the mountain, admiring the different trail side shops
might be intellectually interesting but is beside the point spiritually, the point being to climb the mountain,

Nothing wrong
with collecting  souvenirs from here and there,
watching a Navaho rain dance,  admiring a Greek icon, 
saying a nice Sufi prayer,  chanting an ancient Hindu mystery.  Such cultural exchanges can expand our awareness of the other,  broaden our understanding
of the human expression of faith.

We could say that checking out each others context
can universalize our ways of expressing our own deepest feelings, but if we do not climb the mountain  we won't understand any of the religions.

Now there are those who hear this story and object.

They argue that the world's religions do not go up the same mountain and that the goals of each religion are quite different. They argue that Judaism with its emphasis on holy community, understands salvation as going home  going home from all our experiences of exile and slavery, and by going home to righteousness and Jewishness becoming free, which is they assert quite different from Christianity,  with its much more individual salvation, its invitation to personally accept and be embraced  by the love of the Incarnate God.
and then again Christianity's story of salvation
salvation from the pain of our shortcomings and wrongdoings, a wound caused by our own turning away from God's love, contrasts these experts say, with Buddhism.

Buddhism teaches that good and evil,  suffering and pain,  are illusions of the human mind, and that we find salvation through non-attachment, through being fully aware, and not seeking to possess that which is of the moment.

And so on,  and so on, 

Yes, Taoism is indeed different from Confucianism,
Hindism has a quite different world view from Islam.
each world religion is unique, each teaching its own salvation, and each world religion addresses different problems

In the far north of our continent are the Inuit people.

The shaman of the traditional Inuit religious traditon
considers it to be a horror and a sin,
the voluntary leave-taking
of young people from their villages, their clans.

These young people go the universities in Canada
and in Alaska
they integrate with the larger culture
and bring their own background into a mosaic
of many backgrounds

Let me suggest
that liberals might see that as progressive,

As a rule liberals value higher education
and the opportunities for travel
wouldn't we assert the right of young people
to explore new challenges,
to find themselves,
and create individual personal meaning.

How can we be congruent with these liberal values,
and support keeping Native people's
in their villages
keeping them isolated
so that their very meaningful culture
will not disappear.

a conflict of values,
based on religious visions
how can such religions have much in common.

I am a Unitarian Universalist minister.
Unitarian Universalist ministers rountinely perform
interfaith marriages, 

Jewish Rabbi's consider intermarriage

the number #1 threat to their continued existence

again a conflict in values.

I raise these examples to illustrate
that not all religious people value the same things.
the paths don't always seem
to be going up the same mountain,

Our liberal religious tradition values questioning,
dialogue and claiming one's own authority,
We don't admire submission to authority,
we don't cherish self humiliation,
and metaphors of sacrifice

If another religion
talks about salvation
as the willing death of the ego,
that certainly contrasts with our practice,
which is to cultivate personal empowerment,
to become more self aware
and competent as persons.
salvation by the progressive development
of character we used to say.
How can Unitarian Universalists

be climbing the same Mountain

with the Hindu's who say
the self is an illusion,
the source of suffering and rebirth

Does the mountain parable obscure
the many contrasting differences
in approach and even in aim and purpose
in order to teach its feel good lesson ?

All faiths lead to the same goal,
all faiths lead to the same peak experience.

This is a problem that I leave to you to resolve,
there strong arguments in both directions.

The mystics in all faith traditions
Have tended to lean toward

the Universalist affirmation

The professors and theologians
Tend to emphasise the contrasts
And distinctions.

My own take on this is
that indeed the various religions do
seek very different goals,

what one religion teaches as its salvation
is not the same
as what another religion teaches.

And the differences are profound,
but the advanced practioneers of Buddhism
strengthen the same spiritual muscles
as the advanced practioneers of Christianity,
They have similar experiences
in their different disciplines, 
and the practical results
in terms of loving kindness,
patience, joy in the moment,
generousity, and gratitude,
in other words the virtues
of these spiritual practices are common.

for me,  that is what is important.

I am not sure whether we can resolve the question
as to whether the top of the mountian
is the same for a Buddhist,  for a Christian, 
or Jew,  or Moslem.

What I do know is this.
I experience my climb up the mountain,
and I wish to share my experiences of the climb,

I find the sharing
is most intense with similar climbers,
whether they are Anglicans or Sufis
or followers of Buddha

or Unitarian Universalists
who are forging their own path

and I note that growth in character
and personal virtue is most noticable in pilgrims

yes, in our different tradtions
we may be using different maps, 
and taking different trails,
seeing different things
but each climber grows in depth nevertheless.

I have found that depth of soul is most pronounced
in those who have reflected deeply
on life and its lessons.

Again for me,  that is what counts.

So I no longer feel that I must answer that question
same mountain,    different mountain.

I have come to the conclusion
that is must be the climbing that does it,
and not the particular real estate.