Every religion claims — or at least teaches (despite any lingering doubts of its leaders) — that it has the most direct route to God, whoever or whatever that might be. With so much certainty, it's bound to spill over into other facets of life. Take music. Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz, a minister from Stoughton, Mass., has penned an entire book, The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Redemption, from Asbury Park to Magic, which (very successfully) dissects The Boss' lyrics for signs of the almighty.

A small group in Los Angeles regularly dissects a more familiar source, the Old Testament, but in a very different way. Every other Friday night, they meet in each other's living rooms to explore just one phrase or sentence in hopes of finding some guidance in their daily lives. Mostly Jewish by heritage, many of the group's members have also studied the work of Gurdjieff or explored Buddhism. My own religious heritage and upbringing were mixed and I've dabbled liberally as an adult, but since I'm always interested in spiritual community and intelligent conversation, I've joined them on several occasions.

We begin at 7pm with a no-religious-affiliation meditation. Anywhere from five to 12 people sit in a circle for a guided meditation led by someone who comes regularly. After a busy week, this quiet half hour to regroup and find my center is a refreshing way to start the weekend.

Following that, we say Shabbat prayers and light candles, occasionally singing songs in Hebrew. I don't understand any of this, because my Hebrew is quite limited, but I enjoy the ritual. Then we all sit down to a potluck dinner that goes way beyond deli counter specials.

As we move on to dessert, a previously designated person who has researched the parshah — or weekly Torah reading — begins and moderates the discussion. For example, one week it was an instruction from Moses on how to deal with human difficulties: "... the matter that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me and I will hear it." (Devarim/Book of Deuteronomy 1:17)

I confess I've never read more than isolated portions of the Bible, but that doesn't slow me down. I join right in for the discussion on what the words might mean. That Moses, or perhaps God, will help us to find answers? That we need to learn surrender in order to hear them? And what does it mean to hear?

If you haven't been in a theological discussion lately, it might be difficult to imagine, but the conversation can become quite heated and complex. We often have disagreements in interpretation, but one response summed up the way we accommodate varying opinions. After I had carefully explained the way I understood something, another person replied, "If it works for you."

If only every religion could be so accommodating.