In the beginning there was... something. Or was there nothing? When really was the beginning? Was there even something that could be called "The Beginning" or is time cyclical and we have been repeating ourselves forever? For nearly all of mankind's history, we have looked outside of ourselves for answers to the big questions- who are we, what are we doing here, do we have a purpose?

Contrary to today's popular usage, the term agnostic simply means that you don't know. In reality, everyone is an agnostic, including those with the deepest spiritual beliefs. We may all have different beliefs, but all lack proof. Many people find purpose and conviction in their beliefs while others dismiss anything that can't be proven. Either way, we are all agnostic.

This unknowing leaves us asking ourselves questions. Through my personal spiritual journey, my perspective of God has changed a lot over the years. I remember as a child going to Catechism classes on Monday evenings. We learned the prayers and all about angels and Mary and all of the things that the Catholic Church believed. My creative young mind conjured up images of my guardian angel flying behind the car as we drove on massive golden wings. I pictured a Great God on his throne in Heaven with a treasure chest on the arm; when it was time for a baby to be born, he would reach inside the little treasure chest and pick out the perfect little soul to give to the parents from the chest and hand it down from Heaven.

All of these images were grounded in Christian education. The Judeo-Christian religions believe in a God-- a divine being who is all powerful, all knowing and eternal. These and other theist belief systems believe in a God who is directly involved in not only the creation but also the outcome of the world. Deist religions are similar, but suggest a hands-off God who created the universe and now just sits back and lets it take its course.

Other religions take a different spin on things. They suggest that God isn't a deity or a being at all. Maybe God is something else entirely. The pantheist view is that God is Everything. Everything in existence is a part of God, and God is all. Similarly, panantheism suggests that God is IN everything. There is a part or reflection of God in everything that is.

The last -ism that I'm going to talk about here is atheism. Like agnosticism, the common use of today doesn't quite do justice to all that is the terminology. While everyone is agnostic, most people who claim atheism truly aren't. In most cases, atheists are referring to a lack of belief in the Judeo-Christian God, rather than a total lack of any belief in anything.

So how can all of us ever see eye to eye on anything religious? How can we all come together to say that even though we don't believe in the same things, we can still find some harmony together?

This morning, I attended a service at Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Reverend Jeff Briere ran us through all of these different -isms at the beginning of his sermon. UU congregations don't hold to a specific set of beliefs, but rather form community around the inherent worth and dignity of every person and strive for justice and equality. A member of a UU congregation may identify as Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist and would still be a welcome member of the church and find community there. It is a place where beliefs are sometimes challenged, but more frequently viewed with fresh eyes and through the lens of current events and western culture.

How can such a diverse group of people worship and fellowship together if they all believe such different things? One thing that Rev. Briere said really stuck out to me-- instead of thinking of who or what God is, consider it in terms of what God does.

What does God do? God, by whatever definition, is a force or being which brings people together. In Christianity, we are taught that God is love. God brings people together for various causes, sometimes for peace rallies, sometimes for worship services, sometimes to do mission work, sometimes for the Crusades or terrorist cells... so it isn't always good, but when we can acknowledge that, we can also understand that this might be a pretty good way of thinking of God regardless of if we perceive a God being or a God force. Either view can be seen as some kind of spiritual glue that connects people to not only each other, but to the world around them.

Whatever you believe or do not to believe, I think that there is a message worth telling here. We are all connected to each other and to the world around us, and it is this community that makes us strong. Regardless of what we call this inter connectivity, let's choose to use it for good and bring our community together his holiday season and continue to grow this spirit into 2017.