My last post might have come across like I have already made up my mind and even seemed as if I am only looking at one side, so I want to expand on it some. One of my biggest fears in all of this is coming across as arrogant. I do not think I am more intelligent than others because I "know" the truth. I do not and will not pretend like I know the truth. I think this will ultimately be a life long search - in my opinion it must be. I think we owe it to ourselves to always question - no matter what.
1. Feeling more at peace with my search.
When I say I feel more at peace with my search I mean a couple things:
a) it is very comforting learning that others have gone through this time of questioning and came to the same conclusion I feel I am heading towards - even pastors.
b) i have found a new confidence during my search. By this I mean I am confident that whatever I do decide I can honestly say I came to the conclusion through extensive research and thought.
2. As to my comments about why would I serve such a god. Those were not meant as declarations, simply as thoughts running through my head.
I know there is supposed to be a "loving" side to god, but I ask you this - why trust in something so unpredictable? Bad things happen to christians just as they do to atheists and visa versa. Why strive for the chance of that love? Why isn't the love of our family and friends enough? How is god's love more dependable?
In my 26 years of existence never has that love really been proven. I do not mean that in a "woe is me" way. I simply mean that the love I have in my life can easily be chalked down to being because of who I am. Scott loves me - not because of the chance for wealth or title for sure - but because of the person I am. My daughter loves me because I take care of her. As she grows older this love will change as she learns trust and dependability. Why can't that be enough? Why do we feel the need to add a whole other layer?
I understand that everyone has a different life and they may feel differently about this - again these are just my personal thoughts.
I'll leave you with some other thoughts going through my head:
1. How is raising a child in a fundamentalist christian environment any different that the plot of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village?
2. Why do we feel the need to be loved and accountable to a supernatural being?
Sincerely,
Camille ~*~
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I believe Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus (thus God) doesn't change. He's given us the Bible to show us that He doesn't change. Situations change, we change, He doesn't.
ReplyDeleteMy friends or family can decide tomorrow to cease loving me. They could die. Their love simply isn't dependable in the same way as an eternal God's can be. I KNOW I can't please Him on my own, so I'm glad that that's not the basis for His love.
I wish I could address your question 1 as I spend significant time with children (though we wouldn't consider ourselves fundamentalists), but I'm not familiar with the movie.
I totally think that raising a child in ANY sort of fundamentalist setting is just like The Villiage. Isn't that why it is a horror film - because there is some element of truth to it?! Personally, I think that a person is doing their child a great diservice by keeping them sheltered from the real world and it will only cause them problems later in life when they have to leave that shelter. At least it did with me. . .
ReplyDelete@ question #2 - Why do we feel the need to be loved and accountable to a supernatural being?
ReplyDeleteHumans have an undeniable need for purpose in their lives. We know that we need it, because we tend to have mental and emotional breakdowns when we perceive ourselves as worthless - fired from a job, rejected by a lover, children leaving the nest, etc. Things of this nature often make us question the very fabric of the universe (as you are doing here, for less dramatic reasons). At times like this, it's comforting to feel a bond with something greater than yourself, something that promises stability even when the world you can touch, see, and interact with completely goes to hell.
In my opinion, this is the hole gods were invented to fill - they give a sense of purpose and meaning where you might otherwise have none. A lot of people are afraid to question the existence of deities, due to a creeping, subconscious fear that their lives would no longer mean anything.
This, to me, is sad, because that makes worship (something I was also raised to devote myself to) the ultimate cop-out. Rather than subscribing to an ancient, outdated set of rules and regulations, why can't we go out and discover for ourselves how we want to positively affect our world? Why can't we choose our own purpose and strive for the goals associated with it, rather than lazily adopting a lifestyle model older than Julius Caesar?
And, like you've similarly asked, why would we be sent to some "hell" after death for pursuits like that?
This is the sort of thing I've been thinking about lately.
-Aine