Sunshine Cathedral Blog

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Director of Media and Justice Ministries Robert Griffin. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

“We are threefold beings: we are spirit, mind and body. It is important to nourish all three dimensions. We can maintain a balance in our spiritual lives by practicing the presence of God; by nourishing our minds… through a variety of academic, educational, and cultural activities; and by taking care of our body temples through proper nutrition, rest, and physical activity.” Rev. Dr. Barbara King

“The Church” isn’t a building, a pastor, a name, a denomination, a set of beliefs, a set of instruments, or a collection of texts. The Church is the people assembled. The Church is community. The Church is a gathering of “seekers and students of Truth”. We aren’t the church because we agree with one another all the time or because we have certain creeds or rituals. We are the church because we come together and in our togetherness we are the body of Christ, the Church, the assembly of seekers and givers. The Church is us. The Church is a lifestyle.

As people living the Church lifestyle, we are trying to model wholeness. We want to be blessed in mind, spirit, and body and we want to help others be blessed as well; and so we come together to learn, to share, to give, to express our sacredness. When we tithe, when we worship weekly, when we pray daily, when we take religious education classes and go to spiritual conferences, when we read positive literature, when we take care of our mental and physical health, and when we gladly lend our time and talent in specific areas of ministry, we are being “the Church”. We are working together to be our best selves, and as a result we grow and we share our light with the world. When we choose to be “the Church” we are nourishing our whole selves and we are blessing the whole world.

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Director of Media and Justice Ministries Robert Griffin. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Question: God is perfect. The angels are perfect. Satan was perfect. If heaven was perfect along with Satan how did Satan sin? Why did God allow sin to be known in heaven?

Answer: The first time we see “the satan” (i.e., the accuser) is in the Book of Job. In that story, “the satan” has full access to the heavenly council and is apparently simply doing his (or her) job as an accuser (sort of a prosecutor). It isn’t until much later (and probably as a result of Persian influence) “the satan” becomes “Satan”… the cosmic boogieman who is the cause of all mischief, suffering, and evil.

In the first century, it was commonly believed that difficulties and diseases were caused by evil spirits, and so “Satan” not only came to be thought of as the personification of evil, but as a leader or driving force of supernatural evil entities. Satan as a sort of Lord or Potentate of an afterlife prison called “Hell” is an even later development most vividly depicted in the literature and art of the middle ages and the Renaissance (e.g., Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and Dante’s Divine Comedy).

The story of Satan misbehaving in heaven and getting cast out isn’t really told in any one place in scripture. To form that story, one has to piece together unconnected texts: Luke10.18 (quoting Isaiah14.12, with some license… Isaiah is calling a political ruler “Lucifer” / Morning Star, the planet Venus), 2 Peter 2.4 (referring to angels being chained in “Tartarus”… a term borrowed from Greek mythology), Jude 6 (speaking of angels who did not keep to their proper domain, probably referring to the story in Genesis 6 where angels were said to have seduced humans), and Revelation 12.7-12 (a battle between angels and a dragon, the dragon probably representing Roman imperial power). By taking these disconnected texts and combining them together (and assuming that Lucifer, Satan, and the dragon are all the same character), the story of Satan as a fallen angel emerged. It is a story that developed over time, and one that I do not take literally.

Now, “Satan” is a convenient way of blaming the appearance of evil in our world on “someone.” But let’s also look at the rest of the Satan myth… “in the end” we are told, Satan is finally defeated by the forces of righteousness. What the story illustrates is that evil is not ultimately real. Evil is the absence of or the opposition to Good; but God, the Good, is omnipresent and so for God to be omnipresent means that there is nothing “real” that can ultimately oppose God / Good. A Course in Miracles states, “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists; herein lies the peace of God.” Nothing can ultimately threaten or oppose what is truly Good. The appearance of evil must eventually give way to the Truth, just as darkness must be expelled the moment a candle is lit. Satan, as a literary figure representing evil, is only a temporary appearance, or illusion, which ultimately must be banished by the light of Truth, which is that God is omnipresent and God is All Good. Good is what is true, what is real, and what must ultimately be experienced.

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Director of Media and Justice Ministries Robert Griffin and Director of Education and Volunteer Ministries Michal Diaz. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

“Here at the Sunshine Cathedral we are seekers and students of truth, empowered by spirit, sharing the light with the world.” Sunshine Cathedral’s Mission Statement & Affirmation

I love our simple affirmative mission statement.

We are seekers… There is always more to learn, experience, do, share, and understand. Where we’ve been is wonderful, but the journey isn’t over. We continue to seek, to explore, and to expand.

…and students… Another word for student is “disciple”. We are always learning more about our sacred value, the reliability of the omnipresence we call “God” and how to use what we learn in practical ways to bless our lives and our world.

…of truth… Truth isn’t the same as “facts”. We aren’t seeking for “correct” answers to pre-approved questions. We are seeking to express the Truth of Life, which is Love and Unity and Everlasting Goodness. We are seeking to embrace this Truth more fully so that we might share it, offering it to a world in need of the liberation it promises.

… empowered by spirit… Spirit is the power, the presence, the energy, the life-giving activity of God. As we embrace our unity with the divine Presence, we are empowered to live lives of hope, peace, joy, goodwill, and achievement.

…sharing the light with the world. Once we learn to believe in ourselves, and in the God who has created us in Her/His own image, we then want everyone to experience the hope and joy that such a positive belief offers. We share our message so that everyone can believe in themselves and become their best selves.  Our affirmation declares that we are learning, growing, evolving, and sharing the best of what we are so that others can be their best as well. What a wonderful mission. It will take work to fulfill, and we’ll be better at it at some times than at others, but it is definitely a worthy goal to constantly work toward.

Question: Your sermon last week about Jonathan & David was very enlightening. I wish I had heard something like that 20 years ago; it would have made my journey easier. I had never heard that story. Is it really in the bible? And do you really believe that there is nothing wrong with being gay?

Answer: I’m glad you found last week’s sermon uplifting. The story of Jonathan and David is absolutely in the bible. It comes mostly from the book of 1 Samuel, though David’s lament for Jonathan when he is killed in battle is in the first chapter of 2 Samuel. Regarding your second question – Yes! I really do believe there nothing wrong with being gay (or straight, or bisexual). In fact, I believe that human sexuality is a gift to celebrate, honor, and for which we can be grateful. Some of us will enjoy and express that gift authentically with persons of the same gender, while others will enjoy and express that gift authentically with persons of the opposite gender. It’s all part of the wonderful diversity of life. Being gay isn’t a burden to bear, it is a special gift… it is part of what makes you, you. And you, just as you are, are made in the divine image and likeness. When people use the bible to justify their prejudices, it of course hurts those of us against whom those prejudices are directed. But we can know for ourselves that we have a divinely appointed place in the human family, and we are a gift to the world. Jesus said, “You believe in God, believe also in me.” I would extend that sage advice to your particular place in life: You believe in God, believe also in yourself. I trust that God in you is leading you to wonderful blessings.

“Healing does not mean going back to the way things were before, but rather allowing what is now to move us closer to God.” Ram Dass

We all want healing at one time or another. We want healing in a relationship, healing in our bodies, healing in a situation, healing in our emotions. But we are often disappointed if we think healing means going back to the way things were. As a great thinker from antiquity once said, “You can’t step into the same river twice.” Healing isn’t going back; it’s moving forward. Healing means releasing the past to the past, embracing the possibilities that exist in the present, and moving boldly into the unknown future. We will all want, need, and even deserve healing in our lives; let’s not miss out on our healing miracle by misunderstanding what healing is. Healing is moving forward, and as we allow ourselves to embrace newness, healing is the result.

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Director of Media and Justice Ministries Robert Griffin and Director of Education and Volunteer Ministries Michal Diaz. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.