February 22, 2009

• Beliefs

  There seems to have been a surge of posts pertaining to faith (or the lack of it) as of late.  I’ve seen several posts on atheism, theism, and Christianity, and one’s friends strained frustration over Xanga’s ignoring of the agnostics.  So here goes.

  Most of you know where I come from (that is, my past), so I’m not going to go into it.  I’ve written about it probably a dozen times in the past six months alone.  I’ve spoken about it, I’ve made vlogs about it, it’s a big part of Who I Am and I’m not about to neglect it.  But, it is my past.  I have moved on.  I will not let the beliefs of my past define me.  (The quick version: I was raised in fundamentalist Christianity, believed it adamantly for seventeen years, and have de-converted.)

  I presently identify as an absolute agnostic theist.  Breaking it down: The absolute agnostic in me believes that the question of the existence or nonexistence of a god or gods and the nature of ultimate reality is unknowable because the only way we can verify any experience is through nothing other than another (subjective) experience.  Does that sound complicated?  Basically, I don’t believe a single one of us can know 100% whether a God exists or not, what will happen to us after death, if there is a God that will judge us, whose faith is right, etc.  However, as a theist, I would still like to believe that there is such a deity and would like to follow a tradition.  That said, I identify for the most part as a Messianic Jew (a branch of Judaism that believes Jesus is the Messiah that the Law and Prophets spoke of) and I practice Kabbalistic teachings in addition (this being mystical Judaism that follows the teachings of the Zohar). 

  To quote a Rabbi with similar beliefs from mine, I can be called a “Jewish practitioner of generic religion,” an “empiricist,” and “post-denominational” — the latter being the belief that labels and definitions suggest a static belief, while these days we need to be flexible, as the issues of modern life demand penetrating insight and adaptation.  This Rabbi feels strongly that tradition has a great deal to teach and that ritual is often encoded with “messages that ancient sages wanted to transmit but could not with words” and that a move toward renewal does not mean we must eliminate the “old” way, but should “[appraise] everything from a fresh, honest perspective.”

  I am possessed of a skeptical, rational mind which has me very into Biblical history/linguistics, comparative religions, and many branches of science.  I reject the vast majority of religious dogma and firmly disbelieve that being religious should be something that puts one in a box.  I do not believe that the earth is 4,000 years old, that all humanity descended from a mud-made couple, or that the universe was created in six literal days. But, like the Rabbi, I am not about to jump on the bandwagon and abandon all religion after being raised in faith traditions I can only call intellectually lacking- because they still have a lot to offer.  I do not feel that I have to choose between faith and science. 

  I also do not feel I need to choose between faith and faith; I don’t believe that my faith is the only way to God, or that my beliefs are “right.”  They are just right for me.  For example, I believe Jesus gave a beautiful and powerful example of how to live a virtuous life and that he doesn’t need to be literally God to lead by example. (I also believe that when he says “I and the Father are One” he means in purpose and desire, and that, sure, he’s the Son of God, but not any more so than you or I are children of God, and that he is literally God but not any more so than you or I are literally God. BUT. Discussions for another day.)

  In reality, my religious beliefs are a mix of every religion or spiritual path I have ever studied: Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, mystical Judaism, Gnosticism, Agnosticism, Siddha Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Sufism, Baha’i, and many more.  To quote a friend who shares almost my EXACT beliefs: “My current theory is that there is some huge, major truth and that every religious framework stands in a circle around that truth; so no one can see the whole thing, and therefore describes it differently. There are just too many similarities for it to all be at odds. [...] I feel connected to Christianity in general and disconnected from any particular denomination. I feel like there are all these things that people have added that aren’t in the Bible, and that’s where we move away from the message of Christ.“  I am very much on the same page with her. The Bible and Christ’s example are both beautiful. But people twist it, distort it, use it to condemn, and blatantly disregard it while still claiming to be a follower, and that is what has it all twisted up.

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  Before I close, some personal views from my abstract concept of God: 

  (1) I believe the old quote that we are spirits on a human journey not humans on a spiritual journey. 

  (2) I believe that God dwells IN us AS us. (This would explain his identity as God of the living, Matt 22:32, our the body as a house/temple for God/The Holy Spirit, 1 Cor 6:19, and why we should honor our neighbor as ourselves, Matt 22:39/Mark 12:31/Luke 10:27/etc… because God dwells IN them AS them too — we need to work hard to recognize God in each other.) 

  (3) I believe that our relationships (especially those with the people to whom we are closest) are the real opportunities we are given to emulate the tolerance, sharing, and love that are the Creator’s essence. These are the qualities that our relationships can teach us, and these are the qualities we most need to learn if we are to fulfill the true purpose of our lives. 

  (4) I believe that there is a benevolent force at work in the Universe, and that the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) are the embodiment of this force. I believe that those that rejoice in the subtle and illusive but all-pervasive beauty of life are blessed — those who “follow their path with courage wherever honesty leads, are not afraid to touch, not afraid to love, not afraid to set wholesome goals and pursue worthwhile dreams, not afraid to embrace the world hand in hand with one another” are blessed. 

  (5) I believe that we create God.  I believe that, without us there would be no God.  Therefore, if God exists (a God that is outside my definition of “God”, a God bigger than that definition I mean), God only exists because we believe he exists.  He is nothing without us.  He needs us.  Therefore, we are all God because we are all Creator.  We created God.  And THEN God created the world. 
  
  (6) I reject the idea that hell is a conscious eternal torment.  The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), not eternal torment).  The eternal fire was made for the devil (Matt 25:41) and it is the fire that is eternal, not what is thrown into it.  Eternal punishment is death forever, the loss of life forever.  If all are born with immortality, then why do people have to seek it (Romans 2:7 says clearly we are to “seek” it).  I believe we succeed this life by the legacy we leave behind and also perhaps through our energy being reincarnated.  However, I am still doing my research on all these thoughts.

  (7) I believe that Satan is a flaw of the imagination, or anthropomorphic creature.  Because Life is too beautiful and too variant to be broken down into good and evil, God and evil, good and bad, black and white.  God is the totality of everything we see in binary.  Our dichotomies do not exist.

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  I choose to challenge duality, dichotomies, and binary existences. 

  I see God everywhere, in all of you, in the sunset and the stars, in every time someone holds the door for someone else, in every instance of love, kindness, patience, compassion…

  Life is without a formula.

  Life is more exciting with all the questions it brings.

  And I, personally, find Life more rewarding with a benevolent deity in it, whether or not one exists.

  • 10:55 pm
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