When Love leaves

Fourth Quarter 2019
Dear One,
   Autumnal equinox has come to the region in which I dwell, and I have been answering several missives. Sometimes I need to refer back to previous letters, to form adequate responses and apply context. A most thought-provoking query has come my way: What do we do when God leaves? [And how do we know? - this is my own question; not put forth by asker of first query.]
   Verily, I had not pondered this supposition, ere now. Church leaders insist God never leaves, insisting that if we feel bereft, the "fault" is within us. Having known love to dissipate, seemingly of its own volition, my friend and I challenged that stance and discussed it at length.
   Those brought up "churched," are taught God is Love. There are many forms and fashions, designating kinds of love: parental love nurtures a child; filial love is accorded members of one's family [biological or chosen]; erotic love is that shared with one's partner; and agápi is selfless love. Obviously there are nuances and shadings which individuals grow into, throughout life experiences. If we hold that God is Love, must we not also see Sacred in Truth; Light; and Creativity: for do not those forces also come from/embody Love?
   I began to wonder if maybe we humans put too much onus on our deities - Supreme or otherwise. If one is inclined to ascribe power to a supernatural entity, one likely expects said entity to be around when needed. When it begins to feel that God has gone away, one understandably feels betrayed and abandoned, particularly if it seems Almighty has just lost interest. I once phrased this sentiment thus: "It seems God should always be there, unless we *declare emancipation;* like when kids divorce their parents. Or maybe like a semi-neglected spouse. You know - when there's no more 'magic' but there's no call for divorce either."
   Perhaps believers do Sacred a disservice, holding God to impossible standards. After all, does not even Creator of All That Is, deserve the occasional "bad hair" day? Who among us knows how perturbed and frustrated a Being can become, during Time without beginning or end?
   My own prayer life bears little to no resemblance to its former self, which is not the impediment some may suppose. My attempts to be a better person are no longer motivated by hopes of meriting placement in some unseen Kingdom; merely by a desire to be and to do, good. If ever a deity were 'there,' It will continue to be so, despite any action or inaction on my part. Anyway, I have for years held the belief that the further humans drifted from revering Goddess,the worse off the species became. What else lies behind the mania to subjugate women and deny their human rights/body autonomy?
   Do you ever question the validity of [the] Three Ohs: omnipotence; omniscience; and omnipresence? Even if God's own self is not a man-made construct, surely the concept [of God] most assuredly is. Personally, I believe part of the problem can be laid squarely at the door of western culture, which deals so much in black and white, when most things are shades of gray. Westerners deny themselves the charms and comforts of mysticism: either something can be proved beyond shadow of doubt or it is dismissed as "smoke and mirrors." What a miserable excuse for a life.
   If one but gives one's heart and mind a bit of creative space, one finds oneself thinking elevated thoughts. Perhaps one will write New Be-Attitudes: Blessed are the inconvenient, for they shall raise awareness; Blessed are those deemed "insignificant," they too have meaning; Blessed are the weirdos, for we shall persevere - and one day, lead the lost. This last brings to mind climate activist Greta Thunberg. Some likely deem her "weird," as the young woman acknowledges she has Asperger syndrome. Greta is undeniably a force to be reckoned with and as such, may well deliver us from ourselves. At the very least, she will help show the way.
   If you are one who believes in God, I hope you are able to "keep the faith," even if you *lose your religion;* faith is, by far, the better of the two.