FAITH

Faith allows us to embrace what evidence cannot provide.  Faith (religion) can give us a belief; evidence (science) gives us facts.  No judgment is implied in this statement.

Faith that is rigid and strictly defined by sacred texts, by its own definition, cannot be open to new knowledge and is obligated to reject anything that contradicts the texts upon which it is based.  The faithful are convinced that they have the only real truth about our world and will not accept any other views.

Science questions what it knows and looks for contradictions that it must prove or disprove, and is willing to adjust its conclusions according to the evidence.  “Authority” is constantly tested.

There is another “type” of faith, one where sacred texts are used to find meaning and inspiration about life, and not as a source of absolute truths, often reinforced by personal spiritual or transcendent experiences.  The faithful seek a relationship with a God they know, (or hope) is there, with complete love and commitment.  They are willing to acknowledge that others may find this God in other ways.

Regardless of how one approaches this notion of faith, it remains a personal belief system and not one to be imposed on anyone else.  If there is a caring, loving Supreme Being, then there must be room in His tent for everyone.  To deny that it to limit Him with our human frailties’ and fears.

FAITH...once more

I would like to begin this narrative with an excerpt from my journal written in 2008.

“What role does faith play in my life?  J. Cash had his faith in God,and in Christ, to sustain him through the darkest hours.  There was a time when I thought I had that faith, but everything seemed to shift for me. 

God went from something beyond me to a spirit within me, and my “faith” became “trust” - accepting that the mystery that is God is within me, as it is in everyone of us.  And it is our responsibility to discover that in ways that suit us best.

Stories of God, and Jesus, help by giving structure and concreteness to that which is numinous.  Some find this to be their way.   I am more comfortable with the mystery, with the unknowing.  Either way, faith and/or trust work by releasing the strengths we all possess within ourselves.”

from journal, 8-7-08

Faith is what takes where reason cannot.  Theologians refer to this as the epistemological leap of faith, the point at which reason and physical knowledge must be left behind.  For some, this is an easy step to take, for others it is difficult, if not impossible.  It is a major step that may have a profound effect on one’s life, and in my opinion, it is a very personal one.  Men and women have been creating Gods for as long as historians have been able to determine; the need to believe in a higher power is irresistible, both for comfort and understanding of our world. God (and Gods) has been woven into the fabric of every civilization for thousands of years, as documented in the volumes of spiritual writing.  There are many who accept these documents as the words of God, and not the work of man.  But…even that is an act of faith, and as such, cannot be taken as the ultimate truth.  (I say this with no intentions of demeaning the messages that they impart.)   What one person believes, another may not, and neither is right or wrong.

There is a lot of noise today about a war on religion, which is sometimes countered by shouts of a war on reason and free- thinking.  Neither accomplishes anything but division and misunderstanding.  Reasonable men and women of both sides of this debate should be able to co-exist and engage in meaningful dialog, without the need to convert one another.

My own journey of faith has taken me in and out of many rooms, each leaving with me a part of the whole.  I embrace my beliefs and my doubts with equal passion.  I do not expect others to share my beliefs, but do expect that they be respected.

FAITH, BELIEVERS & NONBELIEVERS

This morning's post is a journal entry from the fall of 2008.  It complements yesterday's notes on values and may even be a bit repetitious, but it does reflect my intense interest and concern about the matter of faith and public discourse.

Is it necessary to believe in God in order to be righteous, moral, honest, loving, and compassionate?  Does the belief in a God provide one with a set of values that cannot be otherwise obtained”?  If so, whose God should one believe in?

For the sake of this narrative I am defining a believer as someone who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ and accepts the bible as the word of God.  A non-believer is one who accepts neither of those propositions.  Agnostics straddle the fence and may or may not accept part of those beliefs.  (There are also the “Christian agnostics”, but that is another matter for another time.)

Beyond the obvious difference in a belief in a higher power, how does a nonbeliever differ from a believer?  Are there apparent character traits or behaviors that makes a nonbeliever easily identifiable as such?  Do nonbelievers live and act differently?  Just how do you tell them apart?

One could point to church attendance and participation, but for years I attended church and was not a believer.  I’m willing to bet that there are many others who have, or are, sharing that experience.

What about personal values, a term that has been so misused and thrown about that it has become almost meaningless; do they offer a clue to a persons belief system? 

Consider the following:

   Love as demonstrated by how others are treated,

   Compassion and forgiveness,

   Moral and ethical behavior in private, public, and business life,

   Tolerance and respect for people and ideas that differ from our own,

   Respect for all life, not just the unborn, but criminals and civilians exposed to war,

   Honesty and integrity,

   Respect and commitment to family and friends,

   Acceptance of responsibility to self and to family, friends, and work,

   Willingness to share and help those in need,

   Respect for the planet.

   Love and service to country,

Is it possible to know someone demonstrating none, some, or all of the above values and be able to predict their “level of belief”?  I think not, and that is what infuriates me when I hear or read that without religion we have no moral compass, no sense of responsible or ethical behavior.   There are people who believe that a nonbeliever is not fit to serve this country.

Believers do not have a monopoly on moral and ethical values.  Behavior defines us far more than our beliefs do.

Fall 2008

HAVE I TOLD YOU TODAY THAT I LOVE YOU part 7

FIND GOD

This task will be as difficult or as easy as you make it. Life is the ultimate mystery, and the best we can do is approach it as such, accepting the fact that we have to settle for that which we intuit, or sense, as long as it is intellectually acceptable.

God deserves more from us than a theological doctrine with “answers” to all of our questions. God must be experienced! Do not settle for the God of your parents, or their parents, or the God of any church or dogma, but seek the God that you can find and know, and believe, and nothing less. God is not a science, and we don’t need “answers”; we can live with the mystery and the questions.

You are God’s creation...respect that creation and you worship God, far more than you could with any service or pageantry or other public utterances.

Do not be discouraged by spiritual tides that will wash away your faith as easily as they bring it. Your faith may be eroded, but somehow, in the course of a lifetime, the core of your faith will survive.



LIVE LIFE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Only by looking inward can you navigate the world around you without being overcome by the forces of conformity, custom, convention, expectations of others and tradition, all of which may be directing you away from the paths of your choice. It is very easy to follow a course that may be popular, well thought of by others, and free of risk and stress. But if it is not your path, your direction, or your call, it will lead you nowhere. Ultimately there is only your self to answer to.

The journey inward is not a call to self-absorption and narcissism, but a preparation for the journey outward. Only by serving ourselves can we effectively serve others. There are those who belittle or criticize self-reflection unjustly, probably because they lack the courage to do so themselves. But in all things, there can be excess, using the inward journey to avoid the external world, or becoming obsessed and blinded by your own impressions of yourself. Against this you must guard.

REGARDING GOD.....A PRAYER

Celestial Balloons clay mono type aprox 12x14 1999

There has been growing within me an increasing need to write about God. It’s origin is unclear, perhaps an effort to help me understand my ever conflicting and shifting beliefs. Regardless of the nature of the impetus I have attempted to address this need and have written extensively on this in my own journals over the years. Perhaps this prayer says all that there really is to say.

"I don’t know if you are there. I don’t know if you hear me, or even if you care. But sometimes I must call out your name, call on you to hear my plea. There are things that appear abruptly before me, unannounced and unwelcome, that are so completely beyond my control and comprehension that I am overwhelmed by helplessness. It is then that your name arises...piercing through all the intellectual and rational armor that I am capable of creating. It does not matter what I may believe or disbelieve; these moments possess their own truth, standing alone and upright. And when they have passed, they are not discarded as moments of weakness or culpability, instead they are held closely to me, as a reminder of what I don’t know, and of what may be. They do not replace or displace my doubts, my questions, my unknowing, but comfortably join them in celebration of the wondrous mystery that is life."

Over the years I have held many views regarding God, belief, disbelief, doubt, and total confusion on the matter. Indeed, it was a genuine search for faith that started me on the path that eventually led to art. More about all this later.