Before discussing things in detail it is appropriate for me to explain what I mean by religion. To me religion is a collection of beliefs brought about by life experience. Of course, life experience differs for each of us but there are some things that we all hold true. That is, we all have a sense of morality and an understanding of what is good and what is evil.
There are differing opinions about the origin of that understanding. Some people believe that it stems from our upbringing while others believe that it is something we have from birth. Maybe it is a mix of the two. Religious belief is that it is an innate characteristic in everyone and comes from God.
I understand that it is natural to have differing opinions about such things. What I want to do is to focus on what we can learn from each other. I have always believed that we all have good and bad within us. Christian belief supports this idea. It provides a means to separate the evil and good sides of our nature.
When I say this I am of course reflecting on Christianity, or a belief in Christ and the Holy Trinity. I don’t intend to discuss other religions in this blog and will focus more on the aspect of humanity. This is something that I believe we all have, albeit to varying degrees.
Humanity
By humanity, I mean the characteristics of empathy, compassion, and the ability to love others. That’s what it means to be human. Of course, as I have already stated, we all have the capacity to do exactly the opposite. That’s because we all have free will.
I am sure that we all see ourselves as good people. At the very least, we view ourselves as individuals with good intentions. It’s hard for us to see ourselves as having evil tendencies. That’s why I stress that good and evil are completely different things. It’s easier to accept that our goodness comes from within and that evil things come from somewhere else.
Life can be hard and it’s only natural that it’s easier to express good will towards others when they agree with us. It’s a lot harder when we feel angry or at conflict with them.
Is God real ?
That’s an interesting question. He can be difficult to find and is not seen. So it’s best to look for supporting evidence when considering that question. It’s something that I am sure we will discuss further.
Many people who claim to be Christian have done inhumane or bad things. But that is not what Christianity is all about. True Christianity calls for the separation of good and evil. It is a not a blend of the two.
Unfortunately, we all have the ability to do things that are evil. In my view most, if not all, of the evil aspects of society and human nature come from self-interest. That view is something that I will build on in future blog posts.
Most religions seem to believe in an almighty power or a god that is above us all. Many of the people that I have spoken to in my life seem to have that same belief. A belief in God is a comforting thought that seems to come naturally to everyone. I am sure that even those who claim to be atheist or agnostic would pray to God. That is, if they faced great difficulty or their life was in danger.
What happened changed me
As a result of my 2022 epiphany I now fully believe in God, Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. It’s not so much that I didn’t believe these things before that time. I was not fully aware of them and didn’t understand religion or religious belief. To me what happened when you went to church was foreign and full of strange ritual. I had limited knowledge of the bible. Most of what I did know about religion was gained from watching the religious movies. They are usually run at Christmas and Easter each year.
Both during and after that epiphany I felt the effect of the Holy Spirit. Without any study of the topic I gained an appreciation of what was meant by Christian belief. I started to write a book on the topic but didn’t stay on that track. There are so many religious books and I didn’t feel that another one would have any impact on the world. This blog site is a better way of communicating my story.
Is religious belief rational ?
I remained rational and sought to explain that what happened was a biological or a natural phenomenon. An automatic adjustment of that natural acceptance of good and evil. That line of thought did not last long, as I really knew the truth. It was an effect of the Holy Spirit that is available to us all.
So much of what occurred to me was understood when the books of the bible were written. I find this absolutely amazing. It suggests that there is truth in the message that God lives within us all. It adds credence to the claim that Jesus is our saviour. It’s something that I now believe despite my natural tendency to seek a scientific explanation.
To anyone who considers that they are a thinking person the religious story seems fanciful. People with strong religious belief can seem intolerant, irrational and brainwashed. Christian belief seems contrary to what most people have experienced in life. I am sure that many people wonder about God’s goodness. They question why there is so much evil and trauma in the world. That is something that I want to cover at another time.
At this stage it’s enough to accept that good and evil are different things (clearly they are). It is also worth realising that human experience and spirituality are different to one another.
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