It's amazing, but I figured I was never going to talk about this on here, really. Still, in recent conversations, it's become evident that a few of you are wondering about what I believe in, spiritually. So today's talk is going to be about faith, and what it means to me. You may think you know what I'm going to say, but even if you think you know me incredibly well, some of the things I'm going to say here might surprise you.
A common misperception about me is that I'm a godless heathen. I have to confess, I find this a little humorous. It's usually someone who's interpretting something I say in a way differently than I meant it, or jumping to a conclusion from a small comment. So let's start by whittling down what I'm not so we can get to what I am. I'm not a Muslim. I don't know enough about the teachings of Muhammed (which I apologize if I've misspelled), but I do know I don't believe in prophets. The whole "talking to God" thing doesn't really vibe with me. I mean, I'm sure you can talk to God, but I'm almost positive that God doesn't talk back.
This, of course, means that I can't be Christian or Jewish. Not believing in prophets means that the majority (if not the entirity) of the Bible is right out, both Old Testament and New Testament. The story of Noah and his arc, Moses and the stone tablets, Jesus Christ the son of God ... I don't buy into any of that. I mean, it's a great story, don't get me wrong, but just because I think it's a wonderful story doesn't mean I believe in it. Paul Bunyan's a great story too, but the idea of being able to chop down an entire forest with one swing of an axe strikes me as a little far fetched. Thus, I can't really buy into the death/resurrection bit, the walking on water, the water into wine ... I mean, if you reject some of it, you pretty much have to reject all of it.
With that, I have to reject pretty much any religion that believes in interventionism. Now this isn't to say that I'm set in this belief -- far from it, actually. But as of right now, I have no reason to believe that God has ever intervened in my life or the lives of anyone I know. And, to be frank, if I did believe in interventionism, I'd have my doubts about God's motives, because life has been very hard at some points. Nothing I haven't come through, mind you, but everyone deserves respites from their struggles, even me. For all the negative, there should be equal positive. I don't believe in interventionism, but I believe in harmony and equilibrium. Go figure. Should God like to talk to me directly about this, I welcome the conversation. I might consider myself crazy should I have it, but then again, I might not. I like to think of myself as open minded, but talking to God is enough to make anyone question their sanity at least a little bit. But hey, if flaming letters appear in the sky, or things start happening that I can't explain, I will concede (or be REALLY crazy... )
I certainly don't believe in Creationism or some kind of Judgment Day, because I think those kinds of simplistic concepts lack the subtlty we've come to expect from anyone we think could build a world as complicated at this one. I'm still not sure what my thoughts on an afterlife are, because they tend to be in pretty rapid flux. Right now, I'm not expecting one, but I'm willing to concede that one might exist. It's a hard thing to judge, really, because once you're there, you can't come back to tell anyone about it. And if there isn't one, then there's no way to tell people that.
So now that we've covered what I don't believe, let's talk about what I do believe in. I do believe in God. I do. Right now, I think the God I believe in created Everything with a single spark and then moved on to another project, and is off doing something else somewhere else. Maybe God will come back, but I don't think so. And I'm more than willing to be wrong on this. Apparently, this kind of belief structure is called Deism, and puts me in the same category as some of the country's founding fathers. So that's alright.
Oh, and since you made it this far down, you should read the comments of the post below this one. Because it's been giving me endless mirth for almost an hour now. Seriously.
NOW PLAYING: The All-American Rejects - "Time Stands Still"
Lyrics: "I can barely breathe / Can you hear me scream? / O-o-o thrown in all directions / You epitome of perfection / She's lost her will, / time is standing still... / The way we are, the way we were / (It's just a shadow of what's wrong) / The time with you, the time is stirred / (I love you for so long) / The hearts they turn, they turn away / (she says to go please don't you cry) / Love lost was found, night turns to day / O-o-o thrown in all directions / You epitome of perfection / She's lost her will, / time is standing still... "
A common misperception about me is that I'm a godless heathen. I have to confess, I find this a little humorous. It's usually someone who's interpretting something I say in a way differently than I meant it, or jumping to a conclusion from a small comment. So let's start by whittling down what I'm not so we can get to what I am. I'm not a Muslim. I don't know enough about the teachings of Muhammed (which I apologize if I've misspelled), but I do know I don't believe in prophets. The whole "talking to God" thing doesn't really vibe with me. I mean, I'm sure you can talk to God, but I'm almost positive that God doesn't talk back.
This, of course, means that I can't be Christian or Jewish. Not believing in prophets means that the majority (if not the entirity) of the Bible is right out, both Old Testament and New Testament. The story of Noah and his arc, Moses and the stone tablets, Jesus Christ the son of God ... I don't buy into any of that. I mean, it's a great story, don't get me wrong, but just because I think it's a wonderful story doesn't mean I believe in it. Paul Bunyan's a great story too, but the idea of being able to chop down an entire forest with one swing of an axe strikes me as a little far fetched. Thus, I can't really buy into the death/resurrection bit, the walking on water, the water into wine ... I mean, if you reject some of it, you pretty much have to reject all of it.
With that, I have to reject pretty much any religion that believes in interventionism. Now this isn't to say that I'm set in this belief -- far from it, actually. But as of right now, I have no reason to believe that God has ever intervened in my life or the lives of anyone I know. And, to be frank, if I did believe in interventionism, I'd have my doubts about God's motives, because life has been very hard at some points. Nothing I haven't come through, mind you, but everyone deserves respites from their struggles, even me. For all the negative, there should be equal positive. I don't believe in interventionism, but I believe in harmony and equilibrium. Go figure. Should God like to talk to me directly about this, I welcome the conversation. I might consider myself crazy should I have it, but then again, I might not. I like to think of myself as open minded, but talking to God is enough to make anyone question their sanity at least a little bit. But hey, if flaming letters appear in the sky, or things start happening that I can't explain, I will concede (or be REALLY crazy... )
I certainly don't believe in Creationism or some kind of Judgment Day, because I think those kinds of simplistic concepts lack the subtlty we've come to expect from anyone we think could build a world as complicated at this one. I'm still not sure what my thoughts on an afterlife are, because they tend to be in pretty rapid flux. Right now, I'm not expecting one, but I'm willing to concede that one might exist. It's a hard thing to judge, really, because once you're there, you can't come back to tell anyone about it. And if there isn't one, then there's no way to tell people that.
So now that we've covered what I don't believe, let's talk about what I do believe in. I do believe in God. I do. Right now, I think the God I believe in created Everything with a single spark and then moved on to another project, and is off doing something else somewhere else. Maybe God will come back, but I don't think so. And I'm more than willing to be wrong on this. Apparently, this kind of belief structure is called Deism, and puts me in the same category as some of the country's founding fathers. So that's alright.
Oh, and since you made it this far down, you should read the comments of the post below this one. Because it's been giving me endless mirth for almost an hour now. Seriously.
NOW PLAYING: The All-American Rejects - "Time Stands Still"
Lyrics: "I can barely breathe / Can you hear me scream? / O-o-o thrown in all directions / You epitome of perfection / She's lost her will, / time is standing still... / The way we are, the way we were / (It's just a shadow of what's wrong) / The time with you, the time is stirred / (I love you for so long) / The hearts they turn, they turn away / (she says to go please don't you cry) / Love lost was found, night turns to day / O-o-o thrown in all directions / You epitome of perfection / She's lost her will, / time is standing still... "
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