This post will give you a deeper look at what (I think) the story is all about.

At the top level, the story is a means for me to share my spiritual views.  Sharing this part of me is very difficult, but I’ll give it my best.  This is not intended to some kind of manifesto, just my attempt to put some structure around my thoughts about God.  This post is just an overview; more to follow later.

The main themes of the story are faith, love, and forgiveness.  These are the “confessions” that Mason has the opportunity to share with those affected and signify his growth in these areas.

Many of the discussion points or topics that Mason and Ashrael discuss are not new to this story or unique, but are my interpretations of learnings to date.  We are all affected by our inputs: ideas (our own & others), other pieces of literature either fiction or non-fiction.  How many different authors have you been influenced by?  How about something like John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany where the key theme is someone as a tool in the Hand of God?  Give that one some thought if you believe that God has influence on our lives.  Click here for a list of my favorite inspirations.

I’ve had many sources of influence through my life, including a traditional upbringing in Western Christianity.  For the last 15 years, my own path has been heavily influenced by A Course in Miracles.  Those who are familiar with ACIM will recognize the foundational themes that resonate throughout my story.

My wife and children were raised in the Catholic Church.  Over the last 20 plus years I’ve read and studied a wide variety of  writings ranging from the traditional monotheistic religions through many New Age authors in search of that common thread that I believe runs through all expressions of spirituality.

Did God stop talking to us 2000 years ago?  I think not.  I believe that He talks to us all of the time.  We only need to quiet the babblings of our ego mind and listen.

I’ve certainly been influenced heavily by Eastern thought: Buddhism, the Tao, Zen are all very appealing to me because of the emphasis on clarity of thought and a view of the world that looks on all with lovingkindness.  Read some of the Dali Lama’s writings or of the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and you will understand that God works through all of us.

Simply put, I believe that God has asked me to understand His relationship with all of His creations.  This is put forth during a conversation between Mason and Ashrael.  Equally as important is to understand that I don’t belive that my views are any better than anyone else’s.  That is critical to understanding my perspective of this world.

It is a different way, not a better way.

This sums it it up succinctly.  It’s my path; it may or may not be yours.  I believe that each of us has a unique path back to God.  For some, it is full involvement with a church or a specific religion.  For others, it is not.  As Ashrael tells Mason: “it matters not”.

My opinion, be it ever so humble, is that God loves us all equally and unconditionally, a viewpoint that many people cannot accept.  This too is brought out in the story.  I find it unfathonable that God favors one religion or race of people. 

If you take a step back and try to look at what is going on in the world from a spiritual perspective, I see several big picture themes:

1.  There is a war going on between the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.  This war is being played out in the Middle East on a daily basis and shows no sign of doing anything other than spiraling out of control.  I’ll have more to say on this later.  If you’d like to get a deep understanding of the origins of this war, read The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong.  Not an easy read, but an incredible book.

2.  I believe that a global spiritual transformation is underway that will change the world forever.  We are on the verge of changing the way that we interact with God, with each other and with ourselves.  Key to this is a critical mass of people who no longer believe that a religion or a church or a nation or a race or any other arbitrary means of dividing some of God’s Children from others is a valid way to look upon the world.  I’ll also have more to say on this later.  I only hope and pray for our sake, and for the sake of our children, that we don’t get to this point only because the players in the war mentioned above start chunking nuclear bombs at each other.  That, my friends, would be the ultimate blasphemy.

One last thing…I could be wrong.

Peace…Tc

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