Yesterday was Brian's last day in Manor de Tibet. Tomorrow is Ellen's last day. This ends the two years of the four of us living together and the four years of Brian and I living together. I have moved all of my stuff from my room up to Brian's room, thus making it officially my room.
Kepler-452b
"...religion will contort to accommodate a new reality...They will create contorted justifications to support this view, cite a few passages of the bible that could mean anything, and declare victory."
-Jeff Schweitzer
and the debate goes on. This is religion in my time. This is why the pews are becoming thinner and thinner. Someone shouts proverbially to the crowd in an article and the crowd shouts back in the comments. All of it exhausting, none of it productive.
Marriage equality is passed and the religious contort, evolution, and so on, and now possible life on a different planet...the religious contort. The crowd is already justifying angels as aliens...
All of it is so exhausting to me and all of it is affecting my beliefs. I'm certainly not an atheist because I will not put my faith in the arrogant pride of our day's smartest humans. History has proven that to be a sandy beach to build a house upon.
But I don't know if I am a theist, not only because archaeologists haven't found much to back up religious claims, but also I'm having a difficult time finding a theist role model. Someone today who isn't a hypocrite or doesn't look exactly like the rest of this culture's celebrities clawing for fame and power.
Everyone is looking to this reality for evidence and proof of the real reality and it makes me frustrated, grieved, and exasperated. I want to surrender out of fatigue.
But the curse of it all is my heart will not allow my brain to settle on a side out of apathy.
I refuse to be a theist simply because I hope that is the way existence works.
I refuse to be an atheist simply based on what humans have discovered thus far.
I'm certainly no agnostic because I do believe truth can be known.
One of these paths is correct there either is or isn't a God and life after death. Agnostics have found a way to build their house upon the fence...Not something I'm interested in doing.
The God I want to believe in, the God I want to put my faith in is not the god of the gaps. God is not the answer to questions we don't yet know so we put God there as a place holder until science has an answer and we justify and move God.
The God I want to believe in, the God I want to put my faith in is the God of truth. The God of a reality that when compared to this reality reveals we mortals are but shadows and dust, shadows and dust.
I don't want my God, my beliefs to constantly be questioned as the defendant. More and more when someone says they are a theist the only thing the other party has to ask them are questions of evidence and defense.
This is not what being a theist is about. The focus of the scriptures and of God's heart is that of love, justice, mercy, forgiveness, grace, generosity, hospitality, honesty, and so much more. To be a theist is to live a life of freedom and sacrifice.
That is what I read in the book. But what I see is debates, arguments, and the need to be right.
It makes me want to scream in proclamation:
God does not exist, I believe in God!
maybe that will be my statement of faith. Maybe that will be my belief. That is my religious affiliation.
God does not exist, I believe in God!
What do you think about that Jesus...or more importantly, how do you feel about that?
The Tree Ring - Tunnel View
"...religion will contort to accommodate a new reality...They will create contorted justifications to support this view, cite a few passages of the bible that could mean anything, and declare victory."
-Jeff Schweitzer
and the debate goes on. This is religion in my time. This is why the pews are becoming thinner and thinner. Someone shouts proverbially to the crowd in an article and the crowd shouts back in the comments. All of it exhausting, none of it productive.
Marriage equality is passed and the religious contort, evolution, and so on, and now possible life on a different planet...the religious contort. The crowd is already justifying angels as aliens...
All of it is so exhausting to me and all of it is affecting my beliefs. I'm certainly not an atheist because I will not put my faith in the arrogant pride of our day's smartest humans. History has proven that to be a sandy beach to build a house upon.
But I don't know if I am a theist, not only because archaeologists haven't found much to back up religious claims, but also I'm having a difficult time finding a theist role model. Someone today who isn't a hypocrite or doesn't look exactly like the rest of this culture's celebrities clawing for fame and power.
Everyone is looking to this reality for evidence and proof of the real reality and it makes me frustrated, grieved, and exasperated. I want to surrender out of fatigue.
But the curse of it all is my heart will not allow my brain to settle on a side out of apathy.
I refuse to be a theist simply because I hope that is the way existence works.
I refuse to be an atheist simply based on what humans have discovered thus far.
I'm certainly no agnostic because I do believe truth can be known.
One of these paths is correct there either is or isn't a God and life after death. Agnostics have found a way to build their house upon the fence...Not something I'm interested in doing.
The God I want to believe in, the God I want to put my faith in is not the god of the gaps. God is not the answer to questions we don't yet know so we put God there as a place holder until science has an answer and we justify and move God.
The God I want to believe in, the God I want to put my faith in is the God of truth. The God of a reality that when compared to this reality reveals we mortals are but shadows and dust, shadows and dust.
I don't want my God, my beliefs to constantly be questioned as the defendant. More and more when someone says they are a theist the only thing the other party has to ask them are questions of evidence and defense.
This is not what being a theist is about. The focus of the scriptures and of God's heart is that of love, justice, mercy, forgiveness, grace, generosity, hospitality, honesty, and so much more. To be a theist is to live a life of freedom and sacrifice.
That is what I read in the book. But what I see is debates, arguments, and the need to be right.
God does not exist, I believe in God!
maybe that will be my statement of faith. Maybe that will be my belief. That is my religious affiliation.
God does not exist, I believe in God!
What do you think about that Jesus...or more importantly, how do you feel about that?
The Tree Ring - Tunnel View