In reference to the fact that John does not believe in a God that is controlling his life, well, neither do I; I do not believe in a God that controls all aspects of my life. Now, I am quite aware of a vast array of Christians that DO believe that God is in control. The God that I believe in allows us to exercise our own free will, and we make all of our decisions on our own, and the consequences to such are real and worldly consequences, good and bad. Luck, timing, chance, other people's decisions - all of these are influences, with cause and effect being the law of the universe. God is not rewarding people here and now for their good, neither is God punishing people for their bad. We are all responsible for the roads we travel, good and bad, with a little chance thrown in the mix.
This concept I've just mentioned, that God is not in control of my life, does not necessarily mean to me that God does not ever intervene. However, who's to say when God does or does not intervene in the lives of people here on Earth? It's certainly not for me to say. Unfortunately, there are many people who look for that evidence in their lives, one reason being to bolster their faith. But faith, by definition, does not require evidence. Whether or not God intervenes in my life is not indicative of my faith. The other reason people look for God intervening in their lives is to explain the unexplainable, but that is a slippery slope - does that mean God caused the bad stuff, too? "No, Satan did," they may say. But why did not God intervene that time? "Well..." There is no good answer for that, and it leads to more pain and confusion, a gap between belief and reality. I don't believe that's how it works. Shit happens. It just does. Whether by accident or consequence, stuff just goes on in the world, good and bad. Maybe God is involved, maybe Satan is involved, but maybe it was just...life.
Another point that John made was that he is "satisfied with not knowing how the world works...or rather...finding out very slowly..." I am in complete agreement with this statement, too. John's right: this IS the human experience. Belief in God does not give me any more answers to many of our "big" questions. In other words, I don't believe that every detail of the universe is to be found in the Bible. There are those believers who say that the world is 6,000 years old and that there were no dinosaurs and that there is no life on other planets, period. Poppycock. I don't believe that just because it isn't in the Bible, then it must not exist. I believe it is a mistake to be that myopic. The possibilities are infinite. I find truth in the Bible, but my truth is not limited TO the Bible. As John said, "The natural explanations are as fantastic as anything anyone could make up."
I just happen to believe that the natural explanations are there by design.
When it comes right down to it, I really believe that "religion" has done a real number on the world, misleading people about who God really is. In fact, I do not like to be referred to as "religious" in regard to my beliefs. I like to reserve "religious" for secular things, like the way I have coffee in the morning, or the way my son is about washing his hands. The God I believe in is not affiliated with the religions of the world, and I don't believe they really know who God is. That is, to be sure, MY opinion and admittedly, a broad generalization. But it is sad to me to see and hear the misconceptions about God in the world, and religions are to blame for that...religions that are based on men, their rules, their ideas, and their desire for power, glory, and money. Marx was right when he said that religion is an opiate. Religion is an ugly business, putting limits on people's free will and stealing money from their pockets.
God, however, is infinite, and cannot be limited by my own understanding of the world or of the universe.
Did you use the word "poppycock?"
ReplyDeleteI'm just asking.
Lacking brevity, I attempt levity.
ReplyDelete