Religion: Faith and Belief

In a world as beautiful and diverse as ours it is truly a tragedy that we cannot be more open-minded when it comes to religion. 

We hold back our potential development by being afraid to ask if God exists.

People are universally afraid of the unknown.  What if God didn’t exist?  What if everyone was Atheist when it came to religion?  Maybe things will be better or maybe not.

DO I BELIEVE IN GOD?  This is a difficult question to answer.  I believe that there is a force in the Universe that can be seen as the engineer of life.  I believe that Karma counts. 

I believe that the human spirit is a wondrous thing.  Humans, animals, plants and earth are built up out of molecules and code; call it DNA, RNA, or whatever you like; that goes into the most minutia of detail to make it work together.  We think, we feel and have the ability to overcome our obstacles

Is this the work of God?  Or is it just random circumstance that enabled it to be?  I don’t know.  What I believe is that the idea of God is more important than factual existence.  We do a lot of bad things in the name of religion.  But a lot of good comes from it as well. 

For the most part people abide by the religious laws.  They are inspired to do good and to be good.  They live, love and experience incredible things because they believe God is with them.

Life is a gift, it shouldn’t matter where it comes from and wantonly destroying it or flippantly ending it is truly disgusting.  Maybe there is nothing beyond this life apart from blissful oblivion does that make the here and now any less special? 

A man dying of cancer begs to whatever gods will listen for just one more day to be able to say goodbye and then there’s the flipside where another man in restraints is desperately trying to end his own life.  It’s sad and sickening at the same time. 

SIDE NOTE:

**Most people who wish to commit suicide do so because they feel they have no other choice.  Clinical depression is a serious illness.  If you or a family member is entertaining suicidal ideation please see a therapist as soon as possible.**

The world has been seeking answers to the question of God since time immemorial.  There are countless religions and it would be foolish and arrogant to believe that yours is the only one of merit. 

Christianity, Taoism, Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism, to name but a few has been around far longer than you or I. 

We must remember also that the Bible, the Torah, the Koran and such are all manmade constructs dating back thousands of years.  These texts were written by old men in dark rooms while receiving visions of God. 

 I don’t think anyone should or need to so steadfastly and rigidly follow scripture.  It should be used as a guide for your own spiritual journey in finding a way suited to you. 

Most religions have a synchronicity with other religions.  They meet, diverge and meet again like a one dimensional double helix.  At times they are so similar it’s staggering and yet we still cannot accept the possibility that perhaps both are right - or neither. 

Belief is an important part of human development and interaction.  Artists, Poets, Writers, Politicians, Fighters, and more have all elevated their skills because of their faith. 

 But it doesn’t have to be faith in God, Allah, Vishnu or any other deity.  Religion has power because of the faith you pour into it. 

Perhaps in the future; many thousands of years from now; unification would have been reached where people of different faiths can co-exist without the need to force one’s theology down another’s throat.

During wartime many friends found themselves on opposite sides of the struggle.  But somehow they remained friends throughout the conflict and when peace was once again established they understood that each had to act according to his or her belief. 

If friends can have such radical differences in opinion but still remain friends cannot the rest of us do the same?

Of course there are always going to be the exception to the ideal.  Esoteric cults, Satanism, religions that prey on the innocent offering false rewards or encouraging destructive behaviour are among the worse. 

Yet even in modern day in the everyday man who is sensible and educated, they can still get hold and try to drag you down. 

I believe that one should do good because it’s good to be good and doing good is good...I realize that this may sound like a crash course in loop logic but it shouldn’t discourage you from thinking about it.

Don’t be afraid to put religion under a microscope and if you find that it can’t withstand a little scrutiny then perhaps it’s time for a change.