Facebook asks a lot of us.  It wants to know everything from our email addresses to our favorite movies to our relatives.  It even asks, so boldly and impolitely, for our religious and political beliefs.  Shouldn’t facebook know better?

I’ve indulged facebook in most of its requests (although I still don’t have a virtual farm), but I left facebook with an intentionally vague answer about religion and politics.  I don’t know that my religious and political convictions are any of facebook’s business, and I certainly don’t want my feelings about two topics that are very important to me to be misinterpreted because I chose this particular label over that one.  Maybe I should have borrowed from my favorite relationship status: “it’s complicated.”  Instead, I responded to both inquiries: “a little of this, a little of that.”

I received a private message from an old friend in life/new friend on facebook wanting to know just exactly what I meant by “a little of this, a little of that” in the religious context.  And so I decided to just tell everyone at once.  

I know what you’re thinking: “Beth, this is a bad idea.”

You are probably right.  But, facebook asks and it will receive.  Here is what I believe.  It’s a little long for the information page, but it will have to do.

I believe in a loving Creator of a vast Universe.  I will call this Creator “God,” but I think this Creator is bigger than a name. 

I believe that God is also bigger than churches.  And I believe that churches serve a purpose but that they are filled with humans.  I think that for some of my life, I valued church as much as (maybe more than) God.  That can only lead to disappointment and a crisis of faith...because churches are just collections of humans.  So, I believe churches are good, but I believe that God is also in my backyard and that finding God in my backyard is as valuable as finding God from behind a pew.

I believe that the Bible is divinely inspired.  I believe there are other works of art, music, literature, and intellect that are also divinely inspired.  I believe seeing God in one thing does not diminish another that has also been divinely inspired. 

For this reason, I believe a lot of things that we spend a lot of time worrying about aren’t all that important.  If every word of The Da Vinci Code is true, I don’t care.  I believe science and religion should take a long walk on the beach together and hold hands and get married because I believe there is no inconsistency in recognizing that God created the earth and then asking how (and then standing in awe of what you discover and marveling that God gave us the capacity to understand it and then wondering what else our minds are capable of but aren’t doing yet).  I don’t care if transfiguration is important to you or if you prefer symbolic ritual.  I don’t care what kind of music you use to express your faith or how many times a day you pray.  I think God is bigger than all of that. 

And, let me be clear, I’m not trying to take anything away from all of that.  In the little bit of traveling that I’ve been fortunate to do, I am always amazed by how much variety we have here.  I think God must like variety.  I think variety is part of God’s design.  So, I have great respect for the many ways people find to express faith.  But I don’t worry about the specifics. 

I believe this is the big picture: Love your Creator and love your neighbor.  Those are the rules I worry about.  Before I go to sleep, when I’m reflecting on my day, I ask myself, “did I live this day in a way that showed love and respect for my Creator and for others?” 

I believe that’s a tough test to pass, and so I don’t spend time worrying about other people’s sins.  I have enough work to do on me.

I believe that how well I meet that test is the best way for me to share my faith.  If I could choose how people see me, I would prefer they think that I am mature and exercise good judgment--characteristics that I believe evidence inner peace and real spiritual conviction--than associate me with a particular brand of organized religion. 

I believe in the teachings of Christ.  I believe those teachings embody truths that permeate most of the world’s religions.  I know...you can disagree with me about that. You can disagree with me about all of this, and we can still be friends.  

I believe that disagreement is part of the design.  I believe that free will is one of God’s greatest acts of love.  In that one idea, “I love you too much to control you,” God shows us how to be good friends, lovers, parents, leaders.  That’s amazing.  So, we don’t have to agree on the specifics or even on the big picture.  We can choose for ourselves.

My belief in the importance of free will heavily influences my politics.  Because I believe in free will, I believe in civil liberties.  I believe we, as government, should not dictate other people’s choices as long as those choices don’t jeopardize the public safety.

I believe that at some point after I die I (in some form, probably a form that I can’t really comprehend with my human mind) will spend eternity in God’s presence.  I don’t know what that will look like, where or when it will be, or how it will happen.  But I trust it.  I don’t know if all my questions will then be answered or if they will be irrelevant.  And I’m at peace with that ambiguity. 

I believe that we each (and all) have a purpose.  And I believe that we will ultimately judged by our Creator on our fulfillment of that purpose.  So, I do not believe that we should spend our energies judging each other--either based on the labels we use to describe our faiths or on the ways that we do or don’t practice those faiths. 

That’s what I believe.  Thanks for asking, facebook.