Is it not possible for different people to have a different understanding of something, based on each person's own experiences and beliefs?

Quite right, bb... I was a bit carried away about the precise point I wanted to make. To tailor it to your question, I would say this-- the "different understanding" due to view and experience is one thing, and the conflict that comes instead of peaceful mutual regard and curiosity is something else. That's what I see happening far too consistently, and what has been much on my mind of late as I lead a group of layfolk wrestling with all of this stuff.

Another thing I was thinking about yesterday was this-- I don't want a God that I can understand. I want one that can understand ME. To do that S/he/it would have to be bigger than I, more patient, more tolerant, more loving than I.

A God I could understand would be small enough to sit on a shelf. A God that could understand me--well it would be big enough to encompass not only me but every other human bean in all our endless "me-me-me" variety over all time. I'd rather sit on His/her/its shelf!

"Big"? Well, we have a parallel for this in human relationships and dealings. Say I do a thing that hurts someone else. Instead of lashing out, say that person comes over and gives me the hand of friendship. This causes me to feel differently, and perhaps I confront a thing I need to change in myself, for love of that person. In human terms, we would say that the person who lashes out is a small person, and that it's "mighty big" of the one who chooses to be a friend even when entitled to feeling wronged.

The God I know says he's mighty big enough to be God over not only all humankind, and the creation we see His hand in, but all the other gods-- to be the higher power no matter how high we set the ceiling of our understanding. Now, that's gonna be just too damn big and powerful for any one of us to totally understand. How we gonna understand who She was in another time and culture other than our own present-time, for one thing?)

So I learn to live with Mystery-- and I reap the harvest of doing it. I get to plateaus of newer, higher understanding by being willing to allow the mystery NOT to make me afraid, but to enjoy Its operation.... each higher plateau of understanding makes a new place where I can look further up, and damn if I don't eventually get up there and see it for myself. Each view is different once reached, than it looked from below, and I look up, again....

So to me, any one thing I do not presently understand just makes a profitable topic for calm meditation.

I'm not in a hurry to nail it all down so I can understand it... I don't mind as much anymore if others around me don't understand what I say about it. I much prefer the quiet chat on a long drive or around a campfire, with folks also climbing up the mountains.

~Susan (still typo'ing without bifocals)