Friday, September 14, 2007

Some Thoughts about Religion & Faith

I am neither agnostic nor atheist, but I don't believe in organized religion either. I hesitate to say that I believe in God, only because I believe in my God, which I am not confident looks anything like yours. I hesitate to say I believe in Jesus, because I think his real messages and lessons have been lost, nor do I believe he was the son of God.

I do, however, have a "minister." I have a few, actually, but I've just read Steve's posting on faith and Mother Theresa and while I haven't had the struggles or experiences he's had, I can attest that I am one of those that he has hugged after a show and he has touched my heart.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think that as much as many people like to think that there is only one God who is the same everywhere - I think it is more accurate to say that everyone has their own personal definition of God that is formed by life and faith and what they need. I am still searching for my definition!
To Blog or not to blog, that is the question, maybe I will have the answer next week when Audrey is no longer sick with a cold. Until then since you are here check out my friend Veronika - http://www.veronikasmiscellany.com/ - she has many thoughts on religion and faith, and I think you would like her.

Anonymous said...

Hello! You know me better as hugabug1 from zoom. I hope it's okay that I visited. I find this to be a very interesting post and I have a couple of questions. #1 - What does your God look like? What is your perception? #2 - Do you have a specific reason for not believing that Jesus is God's Son? #3 - I'm not quite sure what you mean by his messages and lessons being "lost". I am very interested to hear others thoughts and beliefs. I have a definite belief system which I will admit is probably totally opposite of yours.

April said...

Hi April/HugABug - I've no doubt we have different views. In fact, I believe that we all have different views and we've tried to classify them too much rather than accept that faith is a personal thing, bound by our own unique experiences, which is why I don't "believe" in (and by that I mean subscribe to) any named religion. My Jesus believes in being there for others and helping them find the strength within themselves to make choices that improve their quality of life. My Jesus is nothing like Pat Robertson's, for instance, that thinks that those in New Orleans got what they deserve. I tend to think that the more mythical stories of Jesus are just that, stories. There was a book recently about how much the Bible has changed throughout the years, with people adding what they wanted. I think that the whole son of God thing is part of what was added in order to try and add more validity to the faith. I prefer to think of Jesus as someone who was like a Mother Theresa, just a remarkable person who was able to touch a lot of people by loving them, encouraging them, and applauding them for their successes. And I hesitate to trust anyone who claims to know the "truth." Some of our worst history is caused by those type of people: Hitler, Hussein, etc. At times, I do wish that I could find solace in a church - or rather, a group of people who believe as I do and are there for each other. And I have tried. But the thought of others telling my children who Jesus was, what God is, makes it too much of a risk.
What does my God look like? I'm not sure, really. Still working on that. I recently went through a bout of atheism, but I've also had moments of "enlightenment" or "luck" or "fate" that have made me re-think that. Truly, I think faith is a life-long journey, of which I'm still only half-way through maybe. But I try to be open to future moments of enlightenment that will help me recognize my God if and when the time comes.

Anonymous said...

For me, I couldn't get up in the morning if there wasn't some benevolent being watching out for me and mine. I DO believe in God, and I believe in Jesus and the Bible; at the same time, I think it is all the same God, whether your religion is Christianity or Judaism or Buddhism. To me, in my life, a person who does not believe what I believe, but who strives to be a good person, to do the right thing, is just as much a "believer" as I am-because I don't think it is important what you believe; I think it is important how you behave and treat other people and try ti live life to the best of your abilities.

April said...

Kori - you're one of my "ministers" too :)

LunaNik said...

You may know me as Nikki2425 on ZoomPanel Moms, that's how I came to find your blog. And I must say that I love it, especially this post. I feel very similar to the way you do, but I hesitate give my opinion on religon because so many of my family and friends are deeply, deeply religous people. I just wanted to take a moment to commend you on speaking your mind...you have inspired me. =)

April said...

Nikki/Delilah - Thanks for stopping by! I'm so glad you like it! I know what you mean about being surrounded by the deeply religious - I have them both at work and in our extended family. It's always nice to see a kindred spirit. Thanks for commenting!