Derrick Whitehouse discusses literal and metaphorical perspectives. Photo: davidgsteadman / flickr CC.
Something there
Derrick Whitehouse discusses literal and metaphorical perspectives
In 2006 David Hay wrote Something There: The Biology of the Human Spirit, a book describing research fromy the University of Nottingham when they interviewed hundreds of supermarket visitors to ask if they were religious. A large proportion said they were not, but acknowledged that they felt there was ‘something there’.
Personally, I call this the ‘enigmatic essence’, which opens up the question of how individuals come to terms with the notion of the beyondness of everything. My feeling is that some people are very literal when interpreting, whilst others prefer viewing issues from a metaphorical perspective or possibly, in some instances, a mixture of both outlooks. My perspective is that the variation of belief is fraught, initially, by attitudes that pervade the juxtaposition between both the literal and metaphorical understanding and/or interpretation, especially of our Quaker faith and practice.
Concerns and possibilities
Let us explore some of the concerns and possibilities. As an example of what I am attempting to explain and probably what prompted this musing, I came across this expression recently: ‘Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.’ When I talked about this with several people, I discovered that some were totally literal in the way they wanted to talk about it, linking pain and suffering inextricably together in a restricted way. Others saw the metaphorical interpretation from the personal viewpoint of the ability to make choices over how we handle and configure pain.
This latter perspective led to some even applying the concept to other aspects of life, such as the environment, politics and religion, releasing a much deeper and wider-ranging interpretation of how we might view and deal with everything. The historical account of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross suggests he was clearly in pain, but not self-indulgent and saying ‘poor me’. Instead, he dealt with and overcame having to deal with his suffering by engaging with the compelling issue of forgiveness.
Quakers, in recent times, have struggled and still struggle over faith, spirituality and belief, which in its most optimistic interpretation can be construed as reflecting a vibrant church open to change and development, and where everyone involved feels that his or her perspective is being embraced.
Paradoxically, this is not how it currently appears, on occasion, to many. However, with a hopeful outlook it suggests that eventually there will be a spirit of coming together with understanding. This could result in everyone being in unity, regardless of reasoning and the belief that there is ‘something there’. Perchance for many, this is already happening.
The ‘enigmatic essence’
The rhetoric hinges around the evolutionary notion of God, accompanied by the theist/nontheist dialogue and the philosophical conundrum this initiates between people. Yet, if we are sensible and examine what is happening by considering beliefs from both the literal and metaphorical perspectives, then the conventional ambiguity will evaporate into unity over the grasping and interpretation of the ‘enigmatic essence’.
As I perceive the situation, those who wish to talk about God can do so from either a literal or a metaphorical point of view. From the literalist, theist or God viewpoint, the notion is genuine and tangible, providing guidance, comfort, healing, security and love in a way that is authentic and passes all understanding.
Those who consider God from a metaphorical angle consider that this is an evolutionary term that is useful for communication with others. It simply encapsulates the unfathomable transpersonal into a terminology that expresses the mysterious ‘beyondness of everything’ in an allegorical manner. This notion is also expressed through ‘earth models’, such as Jesus of Nazareth or Muhammad or anyone of us who are ‘believers’ with ‘understanding’.
In cooperation with each other’s configurations, there is an acknowledgement that there is ‘something there’ that is meaningful, helpful and can be drawn upon in times of need. This latter explanation, to my mind, is the same for those who claim to be nontheist and religious humanists.
Where I have a problem is with those who claim that there is ‘nothing there’ and whose claim centres on the viewpoint of ‘secular humanism’. This, for me, is a flimsier version, and one that is not consistent with a ‘religious evaluation’, which has been appreciated from spiritual explorations.
The notion of Light
We now need to consider how it is possible for both literal and metaphorical perspectives to converge in a manner that is meaningful and acceptable for each viewpoint concerning our faith and practice. For this, I find the notion of Light to be all-embracing, and meaningful to the theist, as well as the secular and religious humanists.
The Light is synonymous with the ‘enigmatic essence’ – embracing variations. Some are more flimsy in intensity when considering both literal and metaphorical interpretations. When nontheists are being challenged by theist terms like ‘salvation’, ‘reckoning’ and ‘sin’, they often express arguments in a challenging, antagonistic and uncompromising manner.
What, then, for those who are in tune with my instinct of the ‘enigmatic essence’, which is not accompanied by the notions outlined above and the availability of a designated earth model? I would hope that these challenges, with the introduction of some creative thinking, are not insurmountable. Surely it is not beyond the intelligence of humanity to be conscious of the power of that which is beyond, along with the ‘readiness’ of the human intellect to realise that, though we may not have evolved far enough to understand the authenticity of the enlightened transpersonal, there is trust in the beyondness.
This then fashions all the configurations that have become part of the vocabulary of the theist outlook. The nontheist could use – just as applicably and effectively – ‘liberation’, ‘revival’, ‘sympathy’, ‘contemplation’, ‘contravention’, ‘stumble’ or ‘weakness’. If we are prepared to look at how our world is unfolding before our eyes we can observe, through an unclouded vision, that there is a coherent pattern of goodness in all people in this ever-more complex evolutionary behaviour.
Accommodating opinions
There are changes in complexity and development unfolding that are convergent with the theist point of view, but in a manner that can be transposed into a quasi-mysterious, adaptable and meaningful approach to worship and living,ß for those who do not wish to use God language.
By knowing this, it is reasonable to expect that every single shade of opinion and perspective can be accommodated with love and openness, and, above all, accepted creatively with respect and understanding.
This notion must be unequivocal for the progression of Homo sapiens’ development in every way within a progressive and unfolding church. This is expressed and available in our rapidly developing world in general and is not so different from the time of early Friends. It is, also, still convergent with Spirit-led and creative interpretation for our Quaker way of worship, faith and practice.
All religions, all this singing, one song.
The differences are just illusion and vanity.
Sunlight looks a little different on this wall
than it does on that wall,
and a lot different on this other one,
but it is still one light.
Rumi
