Courtesy of an old friend, a seriously thought provoking article regarding a form of spirituality I simply can't deny, because I've felt it deep in my bones on numerous occasions:
Pastor finds message in Grateful Dead music
Of course the lede drives me nuts...
It was a clear-cut decision back in the ’60s, either you loved the Grateful Dead, the bluesy folk band that got its start in San Francisco, or you went for the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion.
Do we always have to choose sides? Do you have to be deaf and blind to the creative wonders of Lennon, McCartney, et al, to thrill to the magic of Jerry and friends? But that's just the writer of the piece. The item that's interesting is the Pastor (if you don't mind calling a Unitarian Universalist that) who's using the Dead as the focus of a series of sermons he's giving and how this ties in to the whole "God is a delusion" idea. In short, he's hitting me in my soft spot and left me pondering.
"They use ‘fate’ instead of ‘religion’ and often refer to a higher being by using nature images such as, ‘ ... a fountain, not made by the hands of man’ in ‘Ripple,’ and even though they don’t say who, they acknowledge that something is bigger than us," he said. "There’s a lot of different metaphors there for what we should be doing in our lives."
I used to be a serious Deadhead for a spell, though, like the pastor I'm a relative toe-dipper with only a dozen or so shows under my belt. I can, however, testify to the feeling that a higher power centered beyond my own gray matter seemed to take hold and it felt, frankly, religious in nature. At this point the obvious caveat arises concerning the drugs invariably involved, though I felt at the time and still do that the chemicals were only a vehicle, a sacrament if you will that seemed to facilitate Jerry's righteous message. I remember feeling that the Dead experience- the whole atmosphere surrounding a concert and its culture- was analogous to the richly decorative aspect of Catholic spirituality that I'd missed in my protestant upbringing. There was some intangible essence of communal sharing and love that just felt damn good and somehow right. I still miss that.
Back to the point, though. I still don't believe in God. I can say that there is something about religion that undoubtedly feels very good and seems to be positive, if not wonderful. My skeptical side tells me, however, that this is no reason to "believe" in sky fairies or anything of the sort. Though the perception is of something immaterial, there is no solid reason to assume this to be the case. I'm with Dawkins that there is no basis to deny science its shot at finding the truth about what exactly is going on. Though it feels right, and perfect, and eternal- it could still be essentially delusional. Or Jerry might be jamming with the G-man as I write this. Maybe I just got bounced from the eternal gig. I'll take the chance.
"I love the deep spirituality of the band — not just their lyrics, but the way they lived their lives, demonstrated a commitment to democracy, compassion and the right and responsibility of the individual conscience, and I celebrate their belief that there definitely IS something larger than ourselves," he said.
Can I catch a ride to Red Rocks? I need a miracle.
We're having some fun with this at New Worlds.