Do you "gotta have faith"? Millions of people believe that you do, that faith and religion are the cornerstones for morality, beauty, kindness and good will. However, there are those who would disagree, those who believe one doesn't need faith or religion to be a good person, and that religion, faith, God; they're just funny little stories about things that happened a long time ago...like Star Wars.
I was born into a Jewish household, I celebrated the holidays and had a bar-mitzvah. In college I began to question my belief system, like many do. I read up on Catholicism and even gave it serious consideration. However by the time my four years at Rutgers were over, I did not emerge as a Jew for Jesus, a Catholic, or as a young man with a stronger belief in Judaism. Nope, I emerged as an Agnostic.
Why Agnostic and not Atheist? I've given that some thought and much like I was never able to fully put 100% of myself into a given religion, I can't put a full 100% of myself into the firm believe that there is no higher power. I don't believe in signs or markings. I can't point to events in my life where only one set of footprints were in the sand, because it was then that I was being carried (I chuckled typing that).
I like to think of myself as a good person (hear me out). Though I talk a big game I still hold doors for people, have given up my seat to the elderly, smile whenever I hear a baby laugh, etc, etc. I'm not the anti-christ (cause there never was a Christ?) and I don't worship Satan (seriously, red guy with horns?). I don't need religion to be a good person. I don't need faith to know what the right or wrong thing is. Do you know how many wrong things were done in the name of religion? To name a few off the top of my head: Spanish Inquisition, The Crusades, 9/11, the killing of Matthew Shepard & George Tiller, etc, etc.
I'm not attacking religion, and I don't sit at Barnes and Noble by the religion section scoffing at anyone picking up a Left Behind book. The fact is I don't know and I believe I may never know. The idea of faith is a nice one, and I always feel that it must be very comforting during difficult times, but it was always during difficult times that I found it even harder to have faith. When things are hurtling out of control I believe that is the time you need to dig in deeper within yourself, not let yourself go to the will of God, Yahweh, Jesus, Muhammad (please don't kill me), Buddha, or anyone else.
Do you "gotta have faith"? Maybe in yourself but not necessarily in a higher power.
You forgot the deity I worship - Pan the Goat God.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, my problem with religion is not having faith, but it's having faith in direct conflict of logic and scientific fact. Sorry, faith is great but when it leads you to say shit like the world is only 6000 years old, I have faith that you're an idiot. I'm looking at you, Duggar family. I mean, we look back at Columbus and admire how he scoffed in defiance of the commonly held belief that the Earth was round. But 500 years ago EVERYONE thought it was square. Now that was "only" 500 years ago. So if they thought that 500 years ago, how stupid do you think the people that wrote the Bible were? That was written TWO THOUSAND years ago. So I'd venture a guess that they were pretty dumb. I think the fact that we have grown and evolved so much scientifically means we should stop blindly believing everything a bunch of fisherman and shepherds wrote 2 millenia ago.
I grew up Catholic with a Protestant mother. Catholic father never went to church except for weddings and funerals. Not even, like his brother, Jerry, for Christmas. Mother attended church however often as she could; having signed paper to raise the kids Catholic, she saw to it that we went to church.
ReplyDeleteIt disturbed me that she was going to hell when she died because the Catholic faith was the only true religion. After I ditched the Catholic religion, I tried a few other Christian ones.
I used to believe in a higher power; but now settled on Atheist. My exes grandmother forced me to baptise our children National Catholic. I did not raise them in any religion.
I think they are good people. He did take Lori to Catholic church now and then. Horrified me that they had Communion without going to Confession! And he had lots to confess.
I do not think George was talking about religious faith however.
So is, say, Dawn, a moral person despite no religious faith? Did she model herself after me who was taught to love thy neighbor, etal?
DeleteShe could have modeled herself after her father; she does love the Yankees and can cuss "like a sailor."
Or does it have to do with intelligence?