More about our community ... and how does religion fit into it?

I really like what David had to say about Rock My Soul as a community. He calls our group "a great experiment." (Sometimes he calls it a radical experiment, but "radical" is a word some find scary, so we'll leave it at great. What he means by radical, or at least what I think he means, is that we're trying something different, going places where not many others have ventured, and he's right--it is great fun. And great work. We have a wonderful, respectful community full of inspiring and inspired souls, for which I am very grateful.)

This leads to the next topic, and that's how religion fits into our community, which is made up of (1) people of varying faiths, (2) people who are just being introduced to faith, and (3) people who for their own reasons prefer not to be involved with religion at all but feel the need to express their understanding of spirit through music alone. I'm often struck by how delicate the subject of religion can be in our community. On the one hand, we sing gospel music, so some would think the religious aspect is a given. But in our case, we feel it's of utmost importance to welcome anyone, regardless of their belief system, for we believe it's a good thing to learn from differences. It helps us clarify our own ways of understanding. And the really interesting thing is that it helps us to see that all those differences have a lot in common. What interests us is unity, not separation. And unity is what gospel music is all about. Let's all get to that great place together. You go your way, I'll go mine, but we'll see each other at the same destination. We're all pretty much searching for the same thing, and when we feel it while singing together, we know we've arrived.

One way to approach such a delicate and personal topic as religion in a community like ours is to leave it be, allowing each person to his or her own understanding. Sometimes this is appropriate. But to avoid it altogether wouldn't be good, for we sing about celebrating spirit and faith. So when we have our opening "meditation" at rehearsals, we give everyone space to express themselves in a way that means something to them. Some of us are evangelistic COGIC, Baptist, or Apostolic members. Some are more conservative Episcopalian and Catholic. Some Unitarian or Bah'ai. And, as David mentioned already, some agnostic. One member might offer up a prayer where he asks Jesus to fill our hearts with light. One might focus on more Eastern philosophical sayings from the Buddha and ask us to do breathing exercises. And one might just keep it strictly nondenominational and ask us to leave the cares of the day behind so we can open ourselves to being present and singing with all our hearts. The point is, there's room for it all. And the more you allow everyone to speak from their own understanding, the more you see that religion doesn't have to be scary. It's the fear of the unknown that can be a problem, and that barrier is one we'd just as soon tear down. We've all seen in this country and in this world what fear can do. It's ugly.

We've been singing "Good Religion" lately at rehearsal. I think this is what's making me think about the topic so much. A few years ago, I listened to a minister talk about the difference between good and bad religion. Good religion, she said, opens hearts, broadens understanding and compassion, gives room for healing in different ways, and unites. Bad religion judges, controls, punishes, constricts, and divides. Like anything at the hands of human beings, there is beauty in religion, and there are flaws. One doesn't exist without the other. Unfortunately, too many of us in this world have experienced bad religion in one form or another, and it leaves deep scars. But does that mean that all religion is bad? No, of course not. There are many thriving religious communities of all denominations that do wonderful work to make the world a better place. Yet we have to respect that not all of us have experienced being part of one of those communities, or even want to become part of one. Everyone has his or her own journey. Our focus is on singing the music and celebrating the universal goodness of spirit through it. We're not church. But we sure are connected.

Can someone who's not a Christian sing gospel music? I say a hearty yes to that question. That's because the principles behind Christianity are universal. Who doesn't want peace, love, compassion, an ability to embrace that which is difficult and transcend it through faith, hope, and a belief in something higher, something better? All good religions have those principles at their core. All good people, even good people who don't go to church, hold them in their hearts. I've seen it work in our community. And it's a pretty powerful thing.

When we sing, "So glad I got good religion," it means different things to each of us. And when we sing that wonderful last line of the chorus, "my feet been taken out the miry clay," some of us might interpret it literally, straight from the Bible, and some may interpret it more metaphorically as meaning we've been lifted from the muck and mire of life into a higher way of being. Both are perfectly OK.

Let's not forget that the slaves, when they were forced to come to this country, weren't Christians. They saw immediately through the hypocrisy of their "owners," who preached the words but certainly didn't act according to them. But in an inspired turn, the slaves saw the stories of Moses and the Israelites as a metaphor for their own plight and began to embody the true principles behind Christianity, which eventually led to the forming of new Pentecostal and COGIC churches and camp revivals, and also began a new form of folk and spiritual music that to this day changes lives. The thing I find most fascinating as an illustration of how the slaves did adhere to true belief in peace and other Christian principles is that they didn't uprise and seek revenge against their enslavers when they were freed. There are a few exceptions, but as a rule, they used their community and their music to continue to sustain them as they began to make better lives for themselves. And then there was Dr. King. It wasn't easy, and still isn't. We still have so much to learn. That's what we try to do in our group--learn from the history and the music and unite in peace and understanding. In our own way. One song at a time.