Does God Have A Honing Device?

 

It seems to me very clear that there is a native, elemental homing instinct in our souls which turns us to God as naturally as the flower turns to the sun. --- Rufus M. Jones

A honing device Is an interesting metaphor for how humans have been drawn to something More throughout  all of time. It does seem that most everyone has had a call to God, or whatever name you wish to use, throughout at least recorded history, and probably before humans developed writing. 

The beautiful cave paintings from as long ago as 50 some thousand years show us that the early humans felt something sublime. The archaeology shows that there were shrines and seemingly holy places long before the people could leave messages in words.

Since this is the only moment we can live, the only moment we can breathe, it seems appropriate to look at today.  We have currently several major religions on this planet. It seems like the call or the homing device from the Higher Power is not coming through clearly. People are violating their own teachings by fighting other people over variations in teachings and beliefs. 

Most people do not seem to be looking for bridges between the various ways of looking at the Higher Power. In this age of science, no science is applied to religion, except in scholarly circles. What commonalities do the teachings share? What similar beliefs do they have? No one has a personal experience of when their teaching was born, when the great ones walked the earth and taught. There is no direct eye witness  to share what was spoken, and no way to know who added what along the way. 

What makes sense in line of what we know now? Some things have to go. For example, when the earth was thought to be the center of all the universe, that belief finally had to be released because it wasn't the center of the known universe. What kind of crazy things do we believe now, or some people believe now, that are outrageous and don't fly the flag of truth?

What do we need to do in order to turn naturally toward God, as the flower turns to the sun without the static in the way? 

Do we need dogmas and theologies made-up by  strange men of long ago? Current religions are are all hybrids of thought by many men from other centuries, some seeking power or having flashes of ego, or ignorance born of limited knowledge. There were no  video cameras There were no stenographers. We have no way of knowing what really happened. What was written down was written long decades or centuries after the events by people who were obviously not there, and who were never even in the area written about. Some wove tales of various heritage together. Most inserted biases and philosophies of their day. Scribes sometimes miscopied or added their own two cents worth. etc etc etc 

But I suggest something amazing happened because some people did turn to  the homing device, following it to God. They tried to leave a trail for us. That trail got hijacked by a very long line of people who had various purposes and interests and egos. And so the original exciting understanding got lost along the way, got fractured. Another tower of Babel was born. 

Even so, germs of truth can be found hidden in the melee. We can be encouraged that some have responded to the homing signal and been drawn to the More. That can encourage us to know that we too can be drawn home while still on earth. As we turn to our Higher Power, open and listening, we too can know what the great ones through history have known.The homing device is already installed in our souls.