Faith
You don't get to be my age without having the question of faith come up into conversations with peers.
Some believe, and some don't. That falls under the umbrella of personal freedom, and not for me to judge.
My question is whether or not people use faith as justification for their actions? We see this happen in radical islamic actions. Their faith totally justifies killing us.
Before you get all hot and bothered when I ponder that we, as Christians, do it too, understand that we do.
Look at how we treat people we believe are sinners. Prostitutes, gay people, alcoholics, drug addicts, people who wear white after Labor Day.
What if those people that you perceive as sinners are simply following their faith? What if they just felt like white was a good color for them that day?
Some people of faith believe in preordination, and others believe in free will. If you believe in preordination, then aren't you doing God's will this very second? Who knows what butterfly effect wearing that white dress on the day after Labor Day might have?
In my mind, working under the premise that God has a path for you, how can sin even exist? Maybe they are merely learning opportunities. Maybe, by having the courage to break that social norm, someone went on to not die from heat stroke and came up with the cure to cancer?
If you believe in free will, then everything is a sin.
Perhaps there is a happy medium. Perhaps these are just all stupid man-made rules.
What of those that have no faith? Where does their moral code come from? Does it encompass what the rest of us perceive to be "the" moral code?
Where are the lines? How close are we to dystopia?
I know, I know...rules are what civilizes us and separates us from a beast.
We all know I am still half feral, though.
Some believe, and some don't. That falls under the umbrella of personal freedom, and not for me to judge.
My question is whether or not people use faith as justification for their actions? We see this happen in radical islamic actions. Their faith totally justifies killing us.
Before you get all hot and bothered when I ponder that we, as Christians, do it too, understand that we do.
Look at how we treat people we believe are sinners. Prostitutes, gay people, alcoholics, drug addicts, people who wear white after Labor Day.
What if those people that you perceive as sinners are simply following their faith? What if they just felt like white was a good color for them that day?
Some people of faith believe in preordination, and others believe in free will. If you believe in preordination, then aren't you doing God's will this very second? Who knows what butterfly effect wearing that white dress on the day after Labor Day might have?
In my mind, working under the premise that God has a path for you, how can sin even exist? Maybe they are merely learning opportunities. Maybe, by having the courage to break that social norm, someone went on to not die from heat stroke and came up with the cure to cancer?
If you believe in free will, then everything is a sin.
Perhaps there is a happy medium. Perhaps these are just all stupid man-made rules.
What of those that have no faith? Where does their moral code come from? Does it encompass what the rest of us perceive to be "the" moral code?
Where are the lines? How close are we to dystopia?
I know, I know...rules are what civilizes us and separates us from a beast.
We all know I am still half feral, though.
Very nice post, and I understand your feelings. To answer your question regarding "What of those that have no faith?", I've been thinking about this a lot lately, because I am more solidly becoming a person of no faith. Yet, I feel that I am a moral person and would definitely give my life for the right reasons. It has nothing to do with any god, it has to do with living by a moral code, mostly based on love for my family and fellow man. I've enjoyed your posts that I've read and may follow you if you don't mind. Blogger is brand new to me and this is my first comment ever!
ReplyDeleteHi! I am honored that your first comment was on my post! It's something I've been thinking about for a while. Existential questions, as it were.
DeleteThanks! I think about these things too, and my viewpoints have changed over the years. My assumption is that I will never know all the answers. It's always nice to read other people's thoughts on these questions. Thanks!
ReplyDelete