Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County

Minister's Column
Rev. Evan Keely

From the April 2008 UUCMC Newsletter

Religion that truly enriches and ennobles and meaningfully guides human life is always on the edges of the challenging and the difficult and the arduous. If it only feels easy, it ain’t real religion. The Buddha isn’t trying to make things easier when he reminds us that all things are impermanent; we fight like hell all the time against accepting the transience of everything. The Eightfold Path is intended to make life better, not easier. When Moses comes down from the mount of God with the Ten Commandments, he doesn’t wink at the Israelites in the wilderness and say, “Check this out — following these rules will be a cinch!” The story of the Israelites is a story of constant setbacks, failures, disappointments and outright foolishness as we follow their very sketchy track record of respecting their covenant with their God, and in the stories of ancient Israel we see that foolishness from the unnamed masses right on up the line to the crème de la crème of society: even King David seems to have some trouble walking the straight and narrow. Jesus doesn’t proclaim his message in the Gospels in order to soothe and mollify the world. “Love your enemies”? “Turn the other cheek”? How’s any of that easy and comfortable? The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) proclaims a message of following the siraat al-mustaqim, the Straight Path — how cozy does that sound? 

We’re keen on reminding ourselves how exceptional our religion is, but we’re certainly no exception to any of this. Is affirming and promoting the inherent worth and dignity of every person supposed to be a breeze? 

Religion, whatever the religion, keeps us connected to that which is of greatest value to us. It is the personal and communal reaffirmation of that which is most worthy of our deepest loyalty and love. If our primary consideration is being comfortable, we have opted for luxury instead of commitment. Religious people who make that choice are inevitably discontented and disappointed, because religion can’t really be religion and also be comfy all the time. Religion should most certainly be comforting, but it isn’t intended to be comfortable: religion consoles us and strengthens us in our hardship and our sorrow, it gives us courage even through the longest night. To be comfortable is to not have to think too much, not to have to strive too much, not to have to change too much. Good luck to those who choose such a path, but that path is not the path of religion. To be authentically religious, no matter which religion we’re talking about, is to constantly be on the journey toward greater hope, greater commitment, greater understanding, greater wisdom, greater love. We do that hard work because we know that it’s worth it, we know that we need it, and we know that we and the world are the better for it.

                                                                          Yours in our faith,

                                                                                   Rev. Evan

Please note Evan’s new office hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 3. Call the office or email him at minister@uucmc.org to make an appointment.