Scared Straight?

During the past five or six years of my life I've given quite a bit of thought to my feelings about faith, beliefs...the spiritual side. Somehow I find it easier to list what I don't believe than to find a personal core belief that is reflected in any organized religious philosophy.

I was raised Lutheran...but questions I asked way back during the two years spent in church classes prior to first communion left me feeling unsatisfied and searching for something else. An elective class taken as a freshman in college, The History of Religion, was an eye opening experience for me. Discovering that other established faiths had "stories" and "beliefs" sounding very close to "our" faith-based traditions helped me start to realize the similarities we share instead of focusing on any "one true way".

After marriage, while raising our children and moving around the country we tried Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Our daughter went to a Friends school for two years. In Milwaukee we belonged to the Unitarian Universalist Society for about six years....but eventually came to realize that even this very open, free thinking congregation just didn't "fit" us.

Reading the book The Faith Club written by three women....an Episcopalian, a Jew and a Muslim was fascinating. Again...so many shared traditions just under a different name,

I guess these thoughts are front and center in my brain right now because of so many of the billboards we've seen on the highway as we drive through Arkansas. Most do not seem to be professionally done...but they certainly are large and fairly SHOUT their message as we drive by. "WARNING! Prepare to meet your GOD!" "If you die today, are you ready to meet GOD?" and my favorite so far "Use the rod on thy children to save their life!" ( I guess grammar doesn't always count.)

Well I guess I will just continue to ponder my life....and my spirituality as I age. Not quite sure is the authors of the signs along the highway really feel they can scare someone into believing as they do...but I can tell them it won't be me.