I try to always make it clear that questioning the existence
of God is never wrong. I grew up in an environment
where the church told me I was wrong to have questions. I was told that doubting was sin and that all
my doubts would lead me to unbelief and condemnation.
It was my questioning that ultimately led me away from
belief and then back to it. As I said in
my posting on The
Universe I had to come to the conclusion that there had to be a first
cause. I could not be honest with myself
and deny that this question possessed no other logical answer.
I found people who were willing to answer my questions. I found people who told me my questions were
acceptable as long as I was honestly seeking truth. As I stripped away the trappings of religion
and truly looked for God it became easy to understand the differences. A kind and loving man spent hours listening
to my questions without judgment or condemnation. He let me work through it on my own.
The problem in front of me was if I would keep my honesty
about my questions. I could not look at
a religious system or a group of followers.
I had to search only for God and what he had to say about me. Please remember that I am not trying to
convince anyone else that God exists. I
am simply relating my journey to that belief.
I try not to Bible thump when I write because I believe that
the Bible only has credibility to those who already give it credibility. I do, however, wish to point out that it
encourages us to seek God. The promise
is that if we wholeheartedly seek him we will find him. As I viewed the words of the Bible through
the lens of someone wishing to forge a relationship with me it became easier to
answer the questions I had.
Those who claim to follow God are too quick to present him
as harsh and condemning. That is not
what an unfiltered reading of either testament presents. It presents someone who loves me and wants
what is best for me. My questions were
valid and could be lovingly and gently answered. This is what led me to keep seeking. This is a foundational stone of my faith.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store."
Posts
This reminds me a lot of my path. I gained a greater understanding of Christ through studying Buddhism. I see religion as an impediment to understanding. One can't prescribe knowledge, and I can't really share any little enlightenments I've had along the way that will suddenly cause someone else to become enlightened in that same way. I could explain a conclusion I've come to, but unless one has meditated through it, asked and understood (or at least understood a new perspective), one can't understand a description of an enlightenment. I described this to a spiritual mentor once as being able to catch a glimpse of something through a shuttered window, a bit at a time, but being unable to open the window. Perhaps what I call enlightenment, you call G*d? If you use the analogy of the movie "Pi," it makes sense.
ReplyDelete