Many sight the idea of organized religion as a turn off for reasons that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Allow me to explain: I met John Dough (65) at 2nd Cup ( a coffee house) where I usually go to do some causal reading. I've also gotten pretty lucky there, or unlucky depending on how you look at it (Met a nice girl there once) I digress. So I met John on friday afternoon, we both happened to enter into each others visual fields and exchanged some pleasantries. Being the random people lover that I am, it wasn't long before he invited me over to his table for a friendly chat. He asked to see my portfolio of Ads and posters which I log around everywhere with me.
Our conversation covered a wide array of topics and slowly began to deepen. John had spent some of his youth as part of a pretty "dangerous" gang. Dangerous in quotes because I asked him what their mission statement was and he responded with "make money". Too bad they couldn't find a non violent or criminal way of going about it. I realized that they weren't out there to kill and destroy, so I guess deep down each one of them is probably a good person.
We shifted gears and plunged into the topic of religion. John went on to assert his disgust for the Catholic Church because they apparently condone little boys being molested by Priests. He had also clearly lost his tolerance for imperfection and mistakes, because he was abused by his alcoholic mother and father as a child. He really did not give two or three banana's about them and nothing I was going to say would change that.
It was clear that John was hurting, and he demonstrated a tough exterior, this facade could not fool me. He now had children and a wife, and loved his family. However, anger and bitterness would not let him forgive his parents for their historical wrong doing. He now associated God with his parents imperfections, he said; "the bastards would go to confession on sundays and be "washed clean", only to begin the abuse again on monday" "How can God condone that type of behavior?"
John, the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. God's love is everlasting and yet God is always willing to forgive and take in the lost sheep, but he cannot force them to stay amongst the herd, that my friend is a choice. A choice your parents made, not God. Let us approach Sociology briefly as well to shed light on the fact that his parents actions were more than likely a replica of their own socialization or past experiences. I dare to say that they had probably been abused as well? And so we know that we are creations of our primary and secondary environments, except of-course we have a major intervention and something clicks: and we decide that we will not recreate the past. Such was the case with you John, you decided you would not treat your family like that, but initially you started out that way joining the gang, doing time (major intervention or wake up call) before you began walking the straight path, without "God".
That being said; I have a couple of points I would like people to consider when trying to use their "intellect" to critically assess "religion" or the things of God:
1) You cannot!
2) You never will be able to!
3) Let go and let God
That's the primary series! Now for the secondary series:
1) We are human, and in our flawed nature, the expectation that because one has faith and is openly traveling the path of a believer does not mean the individual will now be "Perfect" and incapable of human error or "Sin". We are all sinners, otherwise the world would be perfect and there would be nothing to work towards :)
2) Your intellect will never, and I repeat never allow you to fully comprehend the magnificence of God, which is why believers walk by faith and not by sight, even in the face of devastation, sickness and sometimes death.
3) Explain a Leaf or a hair follicle or a blade of grass or the center of a rose, better still; consider God's artistic talents as he creates wonderful images with the clouds, from moment to moment. You cannot possible say there isn't a God.
4) When Doctor's fail in their profession, which they do a lot of the time, why are we not so quick to throw them under the bus?
5) When pharmaceutical companies provide us with drugs that cure one thing and simultaneously create another, why are we not alarmed?
6) When Science continues to get things wrong, correcting itself again and again and again, why is it acceptable to teach that to children in school but not religion class. Is it because it does not justify attempt to judge individuals? well it does, it labels people causing us to be afraid of them. Is it because it does not justify war? well it may not, but it provides the weaponry to produce mass destruction!
Come on people, to gain credibility in a world where people are so quick to soak up anything put out by someone with a title; it is no surprise that religious leaders in the past have used "God" to justify their PERSONAL agendas. Again just because a man believes in God doesn't mean he is now perfect and "Holy".
Just because a man is a scientist doesn't mean he is incapable of using his gifts for evil or destruction. It all depends on the individual, God will not take away the gift or aptitude for science because some will use it for wrong doing.
Everything that was and is created by God is perfect. God's work (energy in various forms) is such that nothing can ever be recreated or destroyed. Death is not death; for that life form that is "exiting" is transferring its energy to some other being. The ecosystem of our plant would be perfect if not for our "inventions" and "genius".
We, in our limited capacity are the only beings in this world that create things that actually perish for good. Yet we try to claim an understanding of the mysteries of our existence, and blame organized religion because we have no true understanding of what is at play.
I will finish with this; as pertains to religiosity or spirituality. I am a christian, I believe in God and that Christ came and died for you and me. That being said, it is not my place to judge any other faith. There is only one God! I know God as God, a muslim may say Allah and others may have a name that I am unfamiliar with, but there is only ONE. That path that I am struggling to travel daily is based on the scripture, and can be summed up in two parts:
1) Do not worship any false Gods or Idols: money, nature, precious stones etc. Worship the creator of these things, but not the things. You can enjoy the things, but not worship them.
2) Love thy neighbor as thyself. God is love, challenge the creator to give you a heart of Love and watch and see as miracles unfold in your life.
Why fight over belief systems? Why try to convert, who amongst us has been to the other side to know what the real outcome of any belief system is? All the knowledge that exists in the world is available because God allowed it to be so. I am a Christian who loves God and lives for God.
Yet I practice yoga, I sometimes go to a Buddhist temple to meditate, I have read some of the Qu'ran, talked extensively with Jehovah's witnesses, atheists, agnostics. We are not here to convert or save anyone, we are here to serve!
Let your light shine through your service and then people will ask you, why do you appear somewhat different in disposition and then you can share your faith, but to force your beliefs on another by manipulation or force is not what God expects from you.
By the way, all the rules that are viewed as part of the church aside from the ten commandments in the bible are man-made, so ignore the garbage and taste of the sweet fruits. I'll give you one final example, a lady friend of mine said she is steering clear of the Catholic Church because she does not believe in the Apostles Creed, in which one line reads "I believe in the holy Catholic Church"
There is no where in the bible that it suggests we are to believe in the "Holy Catholic Church" The Church is actually really the summation of all who believe in God. So Holy Catholic Church..sorry easy on the ego! Its all about establishing credibility with those who do not seek the truth from God personally.
Love the lord they God with all your strength, and love thy neighbor as they self. There are many stories in the bible that will help you and serve as guidelines for things that may be going on in your life, but to pay attention to all the man made rules and traditions is to really insult your own intellect.
God does not care about how you dress, what you eat, who you associate with etc. God looks at your heart; your intentions and motives for acting. And as for the tragedies that occur in our lives, that is the evil force testing our faith in God. It was done to Job in the bible, read about it, and please believe that it will be done to you. Will you curse God for a tragedy or still worship and praise him for that which you still have. Buddhism will teach this concept as living in the present.
I hope for peace on earth regardless of religious affiliations, we are all children of God, with a burning desire to fill that spiritual void which nothing material or human will ever satisfy. God is knocking, will you answer?
Be blessed today.
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