Religion is the most controversial subject in the world. The myriad of faith and belief systems in the United States alone is too plentiful to be counted. The variables are vast in number and complicated beyond reason. I believe this is because of the fact that religion is so open to interpretation. One person may feel one way while I feel another. Who is to say which of us is correct? Can we call God and ask him? Things that are difficult to substantiate are almost always considered false. Religion is one of the few things that humans seem to follow blindly. I don’t understand the huge amount of followers in such a situation so constantly evolving.
A common denominator among ‘believers’ is a higher power also known as ‘a supreme being’; the ‘God(s) Theory. This theory is simple enough. It is the belief that an entity exists outside the realm of ‘normalcy’; outside our tangible world; in place to guide, heal, protect, govern, judge, and sentence mankind. Each religion has its own set of rules, parables, legends, and laws in regard to how we as humans should conduct ourselves.
Because of the varied beliefs and behaviors of members of religious sects, questions about faith arise. “Who is God?” “Am I wrong?” “What is good?” Most importantly how do we know? For over four thousand years there has been a debate into the name of this deity. Jehovah, Yahweh, God, Allah, Buddha; the list is truly infinite. As each name is adopted, so too are values, traditions, and lifestyles exhibited by members of each religious group. There are so many variations to each religion. So many interpretations of what it means to be a Christian.
I question the reality of the adaptations. Are these people searching for what to call their supreme being? Is it possible they are searching for something to believe in? Is it possible they are searching for an explanation as to why seven year old Tommy has cancer? I believe so. Religion is not a science. It is not a problem to be solved through mathematics or investigation. Instead, I believe that religion is a coping mechanism employed by a purely human need for understanding into ourselves and life’s circumstances. I believe this because we do have proof that the human mind is constantly learning. One cannot answer what isn’t asked. Religion answers why the sky is blue and why grandmas die in pain sometimes. Answers become, “Because God said so” rather than “I don’t know.”
The debate about what is right and just in the eyes of God is ongoing. Every day, we ask ourselves what we believe and we seek to illustrate our beliefs through our actions. Atheists ask us, “Where is God? Why doesn’t he show himself? How do we know God is real?” My answer is simple. We don’t know. We do not know that God exists. We do not know that our lives were planned and that we are not merely living through circumstance brought about by human action and error. We do not know because religion is word of mouth. It is stories that are told to teach us how to live and to try to ease our fears and consciences. I believe this is true because I am certainly of the opinion that it is much easier to forgive oneself for what you feel is an error if it is believed that the most powerful being has already forgiven you.
I am not an Atheist. I do believe in God. I believe that there is an entity that has chosen to guide me and assist me through life. I believe this because when I pray, things happen for me. For example, there is nothing more important to me than graduating from Benedict College. Due to financial issues and an ongoing dispute about my grades, I am sometimes afraid that this goal will never come to fruition. When I pray, things start to fall into place. A relative buys me a bus ticket back to South Carolina. A Professor accepts my late work. One could argue that a person could do such a thing out of free will. I would argue that they could have, maybe should have, but didn’t until after I prayed.
I believe God to be of a paternal nature. I prove this by calling God ‘father’. I believe that God has an ethereal composition of love, respect, and sincerity. I believe that I am made in this image. I believe this because my heart and mind respond most positively when I am treated well. I prove this by loving generously, respecting others and by standing firm behind my actions. Whether they are viewed good or bad by others, I accept responsibility for all that I do.
I believe that God is patience and I prove that by attempting to understand that individuals are all on a continuing journey toward total satisfaction and self actualization. I believe these things because when I live in a positive way, positive things happen to me.
Many religions are based on tiers of life. For example, Christianity, there is a common belief in two tiers of existence. One is here on earth and the other is in heaven or hell. Hell is said to be a place void of any joy, filled with lakes of fire and sorrow. It is widely believed that ‘sinners’ who do not appeal to Jesus for forgiveness are doomed to spend eternity in such a place. I do not believe this.
Because I believe that God is patience, I don’t believe that God would send someone to feel eternal anguish because of an error in life. I actually do not believe in heaven or hell. I believe that when death comes upon me, so does peace. I don’t believe there are a thousand harp players tuning their instruments in preparation for my arrival. I feel that God’s people have better things to do. Once I am dead, Shauncea ceases to exist and my spirit becomes free for God to use. I believe this because once I am dead my spirit can’t be distracted and will be ready for work.
I cannot prove that these things are true. I tell myself that they are. I tell myself that life’s hardships don’t last forever. I can prove this only upon my death. I believe that regardless of what happens to the soul of me, my hardships cannot follow me to my grave.
It is entirely possible that I am wrong. It is possible that a skinny man that preached asceticism is the true leader. It is possible that pork is dirty and consuming it is sinful. It is even possible that a man was nailed to a cross, impaled and survived for three days in a drugged state before being smuggled away in the night. ( read The Last Disciple by Tim Lahaye) However, it is equally possible that we are simply alone in the universe; here to live, learn, and die.
The one truth in the matter is that no one; not one of us will know what is true until the day we die. Therefore, we must live by our individual faiths alone, using them to cope, celebrate, and live the best way we can. After all, “…faith is to believe that which we cannot see. The reward of that faith is to see what we believe.”(unknown) No matter what that may be, I can’t prove it. There is no proof of that…
I believe that the actual act of faith makes my beliefs true. For instance, we all know that the sky is a color. We call that color blue and so, the sky is blue. We do not know if God even calls blue ‘blue’. It could be that the sky is not even close to blue but because we have believed it to be for so long, it has become so. That’s all that religion is. It is a belief in the stories and fables that are so deeply rooted in our lives that it almost has to be ‘true’ in order for us to cope. The possibility that it is false or made up, or that we believe in the wrong thing, is difficult for people to handle. They get angry, sad, or frightened. In my opinion, this simply lends credence to the fact that religion is a coping mechanism.
I do not doubt that people firmly believe what they do. I do not doubt that they have seen their particular religion work for them. I simply believe that all of our views will work in our favor because we as humans will take life’s circumstances and cut them and trim them to fit into our belief systems and patterns. We do this to answer those questions that can’t be answered. We do this to understand ourselves and each other. I am one of these people. Believing in what I do, explains why I struggle the way I do, it creates a peace in my mind born from understanding. It cushions the falls that occur throughout life.
My beliefs are simple. Instead of a light at the end of a tunnel, my beliefs are more like a lighter in my pocket. They illuminate things in my immediate path. They show me what is up and what is down. I cannot see far ahead of me but, I can see enough to not fall. I can see enough to walk a little bit further. Each step takes me closer to the other end of the tunnel and closer to freedom. Each step takes me closer to peace. I am simply a ‘believer’. I cannot perform miracles. I cannot call God down to sit among us. I can and I will simply abide by my faith and hope that upon my death, I will discover peace
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