You know what? I believe in GOD. He (or She, as women prefer to refer to her) talks to me all the time. He guides me, He enlightens me, He teaches me, He shares all my joys and my sorrows.
I can feel the presence of God in every sunrise, in every sunset, in every gust of wind, in every child that is conceived, in every leaf on every tree, and every leaf carried by the wind.
I have no doubt that God exists.
And science does not shake my faith; on the contrary, it strengthens it. From the big bang theory, to the primordial wave, to the theory of evolution, all points to the fact that there is a greater power at work (creation and evolution are not mutually exclusive).
I do have issues, however, with religion. I was born and raised a catholic. And this is where the problems originate. Dogma, doctrine, scriptures … believing something that puts into question my intellect and common sense.
In fairness, God gave me my intelligence, and a brain capable of independent thinking. I am sure He does not expect me to believe that (as the old scriptures would say) he would ask some general to bring him 1000 foreskins (what would He want to do with them?), or that He would say women are dirty because they have their period (he made them like that, why would he punish them for that?), or that He would want to dictate what we eat, when, and how … that defies my sensibility (which He gave me!)
And this is but a short, non-comprehensive list!
For example, I was reading an article recently about ISIS, which gave a powerful perspective on Muslim religion, and I can only sympathise with the emotional, mental, and spiritual struggle that Muslims all over the world must be going through. Please read this article, it is enlightening
There is also the added fact that Jesus' life has been replicated through time. Read this article as a summary, but please feel free to do your own research.
I do not want to bore anyone with further articles and research, but will be very happy to do so for those who ask.
However, following up on the article on the multiple Jesuses, I feel rather reassured.
It would appear that God has been giving a consistent message through time and geography. All these people have given the same message. Love each other, and love God. Be kind. Be generous. Think of your soul as much as you think about your body.
People like me will interpret this as clear evidence that we cannot be stuck into a single religion. Each religion gives a standardised and biased message based on what we human beings like so much: rules and regulations. Furthermore, these will be usually prejudiced by local culture, history, philosophy, and beliefs.
But that is not what faith is. Faith is a journey. Faith is uncertainty. Faith is discovery. The only certainty is that God (a greater power, whose name we do not even know with certainty!) exists. Everything else is just speculation.
Scriptures, books, and prophecies are simply the interpretation of simple and often ignorant people like us of what He tells us.
We need a new Religion. A Religion that transcends all other religions, while encompassing all the commonalities. A Religion that emphasises how little we know. No certainties. No Dogmas. No Saints. No infallibility. No blind belief that the words of some people are to be taken at face value and are more valuable than the words of others.
A Religion that does not insult our intellect, our sensitivity, and our sensibility.
A Religion that lets us explore, study, share with other faiths, worship, and live what is the reality of God.
Possibly such a Religion exists, but that is for another post.
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