Tuesday, 17 March 2009
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What I Believe
I'm going to preface this blog with the story that inspired me to write it, which I don't normally do. But here you go - a glimpse into the daily life of... me.
I was sitting outside my campus center with my friend, Mary, and her friend, Lindsay, whom I'd never met before. Lindsay is an adorable, very open, and incredibly passionate person with big, doll eyes and a nose that wrinkles when she laughs or smiles (freaking precious - I would probably have a crush if it weren't for Clayton and the fact that she has a boyfriend). We began our chat with how beautiful it was outside, our majors, and what we wanted to do with our lives. It slowly became a conversation about God.
We were talking rather loudly, I suppose - we at least weren't hushed and ashamed about it - about what good things God had done for them and how, though my beliefs in Christianity are dubious at best, I do believe in God and that there are many things to be thankful for. We talked about church, the things that they'd felt God call them to do, and what kind of passions we held in life when a woman (or girl, older than us, but maybe not a woman yet) who was sitting at another table walked over and sat down.
"Hi, I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but hear you," she said. "I don't ever hear girls talk about God this openly and I thought it was a really cool discussion. I haven't been to church in a while. I just had to show you this text I got while I was listening to you, and I'm pretty sure it's a sign."
The text was from her uncle and it read, Dear God, the woman reading this is beautiful, caring, and smart. Please help her in life and keep her safe. I love her with all my heart and I know You do, too.
"I just had to show you that. So thanks." And then she sat back down at her table.
It was honestly a really cool experience. Perhaps this sign the woman saw will bring her life some good - I like to think that that's the way God works.
Now, on to the main part of this entry. I must sign a waver here and tell you that the things I believe change basically everyday. Were I to write this in a week, it would probably have nothing in common with this one. So don't look down on me if I've commented on your site and said something completely contrary to this at some point. I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but my beliefs are very fickle. Anyway. Here they are.
- I believe in God. I also believe in evolution. They do not contradict each other unless you let them. (I also believe that saying you "believe" in evolution is like saying you "believe" in cell theory or calculus - kind of silly, really.)
- I do not believe in the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the Sutras, or any other religious text as infallible. They are man written, and though they all hold beauty and truth, they are not my end all and be all of rules to live my life by.
- I believe in duality and grey areas. I don't believe in "good" or "bad," but that everything (including God) are mixtures of both.
- On that same strain, I believe that God is a perfect mixture of those two things, a being that has accepted its dark and its light. I guess you could say that I believe God and Satan are one creature, if that helps with the analogy.
- I believe in raising people above yourself and loving all people.
- I believe you can change your actions from your thoughts, but also your thoughts from your actions.
- I believe everything happens for a reason, because if it was supposed to happen another way, it would have happened that way.
- I believe in finding the good in all situations, but not ignoring the bad. The bad stuff is there for a reason, just like the good, and you can't learn anything from any situation if you ignore half of what it is.
- I believe in human rights for everyone, including terrorists, murderers, child molesters (that one is the hardest to follow this by), and anyone else who caused anyone else harm. It is difficult - I often want to tear their throats out just like anyone else - but it is what I believe is important.
- I believe patriotism is dangerous, and that we should be people first, before Americans. That does not mean I don't love my country, but I think we should view any loss of life or reduction of rights as a tragedy. It is not us against them.
- I believe family and friends come first.
- I believe in making new friends, meeting new people, and being complimentary whenever you can.
- I believe in honesty and being open.
- I believe in moral relativism.
- I believe chivalry is dead - and I say Good riddance! We as women can't have equality unless we're willing to give up the idea that men should have to pay for things, hold doors open for us, and be less than equals.
- I also believe in common courtesy - I don't believe that just because chivalry is dead that means guys should be allowed to be dicks.
- I believe education and the ending of ignorance should be our primary goal as individuals.
- I believe in love.
- I believe that love is not something magical or rare or from a fairy tale, but that it happens every day - and in my mind that makes it even more wonderful.
- I believe in letting go.
- I believe in the overall goodness of people.
- I believe in forgiveness, patience, and unconditional acceptance of those I love - which is everyone! =)
- I think most importantly, I believe I don't really know anything, and that more than likely, all of these ideas I've just expressed are wrong.
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Comments (28)
I love this post! And I am pretty sure I agree with you 100% on every single one of your points. Mega props! (I also believe that I write with toooo many exclamation points and have to go back and make sure every sentence I write doesn't end in an exclamation point... as... this particular comment did, until I checked to make sure I didn't sound super excited. :-p)
@x_Butterflies_and_Hurricanes_x - Haha, well there's nothing wrong with being excited! See, I just did it, too! Haha. =)
nice.
I believe anything is possible.
I believe in a lot of these same points and I believe this was a good post.
@TheUnbearableLightnessofPeeing - Appreciated. =)
@JustMe003 - Thank you. I also believe anything is possible. That's a good one. =)
My name is Democrab, I'm an agnostic, and I approve of this line of thinking.
i must say, the last point is very epic. if you know what i mean..
great post. recommended =]
@democrab - That's such a relief, cause I'm an approval whore. =P
@x_Quadrophenia - Hooray! Thanks for the rec. I'm glad you liked it.
When I'm reading posts of such detail, I tend to look for things that I disagree with because I love the art of discussion. I agree with mostly everything you've stated, but when you defined "God" as a being or creature it made me wonder. If "God" is without limits, then how can we give God a limiting classification such as "being" or "creature." Or do you believe that God does have limits? Now I realize that this would depend on how you define "being". I wanted to ask you an unrelated question though. Do you believe in supernatural phenomena? If so, could you give an example of a supernatural phenomenon that you believe in?
@WHOSTEW - Ooh, I love these kinds of comments. Finding you on xanga was a very good thing, I can just tell. =) Okay, onto your questions.
I think for the most part that I used the words "being" and "creature" for lack of a better term. Safe to say they were certainly the first things that popped into my head. But that's a cop out answer, and I know it.
Whether or not God has limits is on of the many things that I am not sure about. I'm not sure how I would define God - I certainly don't think he is a physical being. If I had to define what I think of God at this exact moment it would be that God is more like a force that keeps the universe in balance. I hesitate to define him that way, as well, because a force is energy and energy is quantifiable, but that's the best I can come up with. Do you have any insights? Perhaps you can explain to me what I'm trying to say, even if I can't? Haha.
Supernatural phenomena are interesting to me, and I guess I'll have to ask you what you mean by that term. If you mean ghosts, I've never experienced any ghostly occurences, and I am inclined to believe that most of the events that people witness are mostly if not purely psychological. If you mean other things that can't really be explained, I just think they're currently beyond our explanation.
I believe mostly in science, and that there ARE explanations for everything that happens, even if we just can't explain them. The idea that something is "super"natural - above nature - doesn't make much sense to me. If it's happening, it's natural, and that means there is an explanation for it. Perhaps the explanation is ghosts or what not, but then I would think science would have evidence for it.
Why do you ask?
How about the transcendence of duality?
...
Yes, thank you. I had a bad wifi signal for a bit.
@monkegeist - I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that.
@AibellFaeire - I think you understood my questions just fine because your answers were very satisfying. However, your answers have also spawned more questions from me. Hopefully you won't find that as a bad thing. You did ask for my insight so I'm encourged to wag my tongue some more. My eye was again drawn to your use of one word. The word "keeps" when you said that you believe that God "keeps the universe in balance" seemingly implying that God is interacting with our world today and every day. My view may be the same as yours, but worded differently. I say that the rules of the universe are what keep it in balance, and there is no need for any single force or entity to defy or alter those rules for the purpose of keeping balance. As for what God is, I don't know. I don't know to the point that I can't even use pronouns like "he", "she", or even "it" when refering to God. I can only justify using the word "God" when refering to God. Hopefully that makes sense. I just thought of another great question for you: Do you believe that God answers prayers?
When I asked you about supernatural phonomena, I wrestled with myself as to how I could word it in a way that would be perfectly clear. Ultimately, I decided to just use the phrase "supernatural phonomina" and based on your answer, I could find out what that phrase means to you. I got more than I hoped for in your answer because you've introduced me to the idea that the rules of the universe are the rules of the universe and when something happens that doesn't make sense to us, that is only because we don't yet have the data or the intellegence to explain it. As for the reason I asked, I've just been interested in that subject lately. I found your belief list to be very genuine, and since it didn't include the subject of supernatural phoneomena I just had to ask. :P
ha, the last one kinda made me laugh. It is interesting that you say you believe God to be both God/Satan, Good/Evil. How come?
@WHOSTEW - I don't mind at all if you ask me questions - in fact, reading your comment just made my day that much better.
Thus far you've already taught me to think about the words I use and what they imply. The way you describe God it pretty much the way I see it. The universe is balanced because that's the way things naturally are, and I guess to take it one step further, you could say that I believe that God and the universe are one and the same.
That IS a really great question, and a deceptively simple one. I believe that even in the Christian doctrine, God physically answering prayers is kind of a silly thing to think. I mean, here's a religion that thinks their deity has an ultimate plan, knows what's going to happen and why, and is going to reach His/Her (I don't like referring to God as a pronoun either, heh) goal whether we like it or not. So this deity already knows what's going to happen to your sick grandmother or your boyfriend or whether or not you're going to get the job, and he's going to make either outcome happen based upon his plan. And you think praying, and asking really, really hard is going to get this all-knowing, all-powerful being to change his ultimate plan so you can "have that brand new, shiny car, oh pretty, pretty please!"
However, I do believe that prayer is helpful, if you're asking for the right things. Praying for courage, for instance, often gives you courage. Praying for counsel often leads you to the correct decision. For those people who use prayer as a means of communication with the deity of their choice, as opposed to a 24 hour wishlist, prayers can be answered. Whether it's by God or our own psychology is another thing entirely that I don't pretend to know about.
And I must confess, that idea is not entirely my own (but what idea can be contributed to a singular person, really?). If you've ever read the book Cold Sassy Tree, a character, Rucker Blakeslee I think is his name, expresses much the same sentiment about prayer, and it's seeped into my own ideology.
I'm glad I got across a satisfying answer about the supernatural. And you're right, I didn't include it in the list, even though now that I think about it, most people would have, I think. It's probably that I don't believe in it so much that I just don't think about it, haha. How do you see things like ghosts and other phenomena?
(Seriously, your comments are a lot of fun, haha.)
@Doubledb - Well, that might be a more complicated answer than you're looking for, but I'll see if I can say it succinctly.
I believe that naturally, things are a balance between what is good about them and what is bad. For instance, naturally, I am both kind, but I have a temper. Poison ivy is both beautiful and poisonous. It's a part of what that plant is, in its very essence, to be poisonous and if you take away that part, it wouldn't be the same plant.
To me, God is completely natural. He is the epitome of what nature is. Perfection, in the sense that something is all good and no bad, is contrary to nature. God IS perfect, but he is a perfect balance between good and bad - just like in nature.
Because in the mainstream view of God and Satan, God is perfectly good and Satan is perfectly evil, I usually try to explain the above sentiments by saying that I believe God and Satan are one.
Does that make sense?
@AibellFaeire - First of all, I'm really glad that you enjoy my questions because I'm really enjoying asking them and answering yours.
"God and the universe are one in the same"
I found that statement to be monumental because you really express the broadness and the mystery of God with a statement like that. To me, the universe isn't just matter, energy, space and time. It also includes every concept of humanity: hopes, fears, desires, pain, pleasure, love, lust, all emotions. To put it simply, the universe is everything, and God is everything.
As for God answering prayers, I agree with you more than I thought I would. I say that because in your answer, you have fine tuned my view. I used to simply say that God doesn't answer prayer because I saw no need for there to be any disturbance of the rules already set in place for our universe. In other words, I see no need for God to change him or herself... itself.. whatever. God is perfect, and I believe that God has created a perfect world; a perfect balance between good and evil. Without that balance we would not exist today. I won't get too deep into that, but I trust that you understand seeing as you've visited those same concepts.
Are you more inclined to believe that our perception of an answered prayer comes from within our own mind or would you say that the prayer is actually being answered by something bigger than us? I know that you already said you don't know, but I'm just asking what you are inclined to believe based on your life experiences.
You asked me how I see things like ghosts and other phenomena. Immdeiately what comes to mind are those programs about haunted houses and demonic possession that catch my interest from time to time. I have never experieced anything close to what those people claim to have experienced. As of right now, I believe that when you're dead, you're dead. I don't believe in an afterlife, limbo, unfinished business, or haunting. I don't believe in demonic possession. I've watched some vidoes of supposed domonic possession and those people weren't doing anything that I couldn't fake right now. Now I will admit that I have a hard time when it comes to the testimonies of people on those shows about hauntings because many of them seem as sincere as I've ever seen anyone. I don't believe that they are all just flat out liars. I believe their experiences could be exagerated though. I've never seen any proof of such phonomena, and that is why I've established my belief that those things just don't happen the way they are presented.
You mention "I believe in duality and grey areas. I don't believe in "good" or "bad," but that everything (including God) are mixtures of both."
I was wasking if you've considered if everything could be beyond the good and bad dichotomy; two sides of the same coin: everything is and is not good and bad.
@monkegeist - I have thought of that, though perhaps not in that way. It was one of those thoughts that you feel more than you think - an idea that I couldn't really form into words.
Cause if you think about it, good and bad are purely human concepts. There is no substance "Good."
@WHOSTEW - I'm more inclined to say it's a psychological thing - but who's to say that's not the means by which God is answering the prayers? What with all those mysterious ways they're always talking about.
Do you think of God as a creator? Does that mean you subscribe to the theory of evolution at all?
The way my father explains supernatural phenomena is this:
When people as him if he simply discounts all the experiences other people have had with ghosts, he says he doesn't. It's the interpretation of those experiences that he contests. People aren't lying - they're just misinterpreting. For the most part.
well, chivalry shouldn't be considered condescending, you know. i let women hold doors open for me. that's equality. we're even!
i do it to be nice. i'm sure you all can do it for yourselves. =)
@AibellFaeire - I can't say that God is not answering prayers because if God is everything, then God is also the concept of chance, and I believe prayers are often answered by chance. I also believe that people psychologically answer their own prayers. I don't believe that there is any intervention taking place. To me, an intervention would be an alteration of God's rules, which is unnecessary.
I don't think of God as a creator. I think of God more as the creation. I believe in the Big Bang, and the evolution of life.
I like your father's view on the supernatural. Its very sensible in my opinion.
@TheBigShowAtUD - That's what I mean. Common courtesy is something I want in a guy, not chivalry. I don't think guys who hold doors open for girls are jerks, but if they're doing it just because I'm a woman, they're doing it for the wrong reason.
@Doubledb - I would love to read it. My e-mail's audioaesthetic@yahoo.com if you want to send it there.
Most of my beliefs in God don't stem from the Christian doctrines, so we'll differ a lot there, but I'd love to hear the way you take this sort of thing.