Brethren,
Let me first say that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all 25 pages of this thread…I only wish I had found this forum sooner I feel that a couple excellent points were made throughout, but were overshadowed by the larger debate. I believe that the majority of this debate (the discussion around spirituality) is simply based in semantics. Religious versus Spiritual. It is my opinion that in many instances you must move beyond the religious/dogmatic to find the spiritual.
To clarify my stance on the two terms:
Religious teachings are dogma-based doctrines that attempt to explain what is in my opinion unexplainable. Simply a hierarchical structure put in place by those who claim to know the unknowable and expect you to accept their understanding of it without question. They come with lots of labels like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc. They attempt to simplify that which cannot be simplified. They are someone’s best guess.
Spiritual teachings are found through experiences that cannot be put into words and do not fall into any given religion. I experience G-d everyday, in everything, not because I have read that He exists in the Bible, but because I can feel His presence in every part of me. I can see what He has built (whether in 6 days or 6 millennia) and appreciate the complexity that, though I seek to understand it, I do so knowing that I most likely never will. This is the universality of Deity.
That is my perspective. To the OP. I believe that the removal of any religious connections to Masonry would have no impact on Masonry to me. Lack of religious connections is what brought me to Masonry to begin with. As was mentioned somewhere in the 25 pages, it is not my business the name that my Brother has given to his G-d. It is not required, nor is it appropriate for me to inquire as to the religion of a candidate. Let us not forget the “universality of Masonry”. We require only that a Brother has a belief in G-d. NOT that he has a belief in OUR G-d.
The man who calls his god fireman999 has every right to do so. There have been many “religions” over the course of history with many different “gods”. Simply because it is different from ours does not negate its value to those who believe it. I would speculate that the first man to label himself as Christian got a few strange looks as well. Does the premise that Christianity is accepted by a vast majority of people make it any more true? I would contend that it does so only to those who already believe it. We believe based on our spiritual experience with Deity, not because a book tells us to. We are told in our ritual (at least in Ohio) to “erect our spiritual temple according to the rules and designs laid down by the SAOTU in the great books of nature and revelation”, not the Holy Bible. G-d is not found in the HB but in the heart of those who believe in Him. The HB is simply a map (borrowing the analogy) that others have created.
Perhaps some redundant points, but thought I would put them out there just the same.
Your Brother,
Jason