spiritual – Scarborough Believes

This very angular building is Church of the Holy Wisdom. It strikes me as austere, but the trees and bushes and sunlight make it seem less so. It also seems affluent to me, which is not surprising, given that it is Anglican and Scarborough is still fundamentally a British settlement.

Now, I had the opportunity to visit last week and even went inside to experience wisdom in a way I often do and have certainly done within this very church many times. I have even shared wisdom of my own here. Or at least hope. And experience. Sadly, last week was the last time in this place for a gathering of the type that guides my spirituality and has been my salvation in this life.

That sadness was offset by great wisdom and strength offered by one of my fellows. An impassioned talk that was, to me, reminiscent of a fiery pastor, but gentler and humbler. He definitely spoke of faith, of God, and of his own salvation.

I am certain this place of worship will continue to offer a sanctuary for many, regardless of their specific faith or spiritual bent, and will remain a font of holy wisdom.

Naturally, they have a website: https://holywisdom.ca/

After another hiatus from this blog, it’s important to me that I lead with something bold and inclusive. This building I find quite bold in its design and its name could hardly be more inclusive!

The signs declaring Jesus Christ as the Lord may tell a different story. However, in my belief, my faith, and my spirituality, I see it somewhat differently. I would hope and imagine there are some who worship here at Universal and have a firm faith in Jesus and also recognize different brands of the love that is God. I, personally, am willing to accept the Lord Jesus, but he is a Lord as proclaimed and he would likely have no issue with my also accepting Lord Buddha and Lord Krishna, for example.

Whom I frown upon are the more common human Lords like those found in the House of Lords in London or sitting as the face of human justice. It is such people I find more often unLordlike and shallow or even evil manipulators of force. They are mortals, humans beset with the foibles of most of the rest of us. It is such people who fancy themselves “lords” or make themselves so by force that cause so much trouble in the world. They are politicians, not religious people. Many religious people are also merely misguided humans, with foibles and faults and even evil.

Look no further than the currently (again) escalating wars between Jewish and Islamist states (not picking on those two religions, as most others have seen their fair share of war) as proof. The people responsible are not religious people, rather political people. They are certainly not spiritual people, in the way I understand spirituality to be. They cause misery and death.

That is why I admire this notion of a “Universal” church. That seems to me more spiritual than religious. It is definitely more spiritual than political. And, strangely, it is more human and humans, through faith, compassion, love, and inclusiveness, have more power than force.

No criticism whatsoever is intended toward this Universal church, as I love it like I love all the other places of worship I share through this blog. Have a look at their website: https://www.uckg.ca/