User:MDB/Essay:WhatIBelieve

Since I'm a theist on a largely atheist site, I though I should write up an assay explaining just what my beliefs are.

I ask that you keep your comments and questions dignified; please respect my belief as I respect your non-belief.

Just what religion am I, anyway?
I consider myself a Protestant Christian, though I really couldn't consider myself a practicing one, since I no longer attend worship services and don't feel especially motivated to do so. My self-description comes from the fact I think Christianity comes the closest to getting it right.

What kind of Protestant, then?
I was raised United Methodist. The last church I attended regularly was a Metropolitan Community Church. I quit attending when we changed pastors, and I was unimpressed with the replacement. (And so did several others, enough that the church closed it's doors. I was saddened to hear that.) Unlike some Protestants (too many, in my opinion), I have no particular beef with Catholicism, and I admire their sense of "ceremony", even if I disagree with a whole host (no pun intended) of Catholic positions. I find the Mormons to be theologically odd, and I'm concerned about their growing influence in US politics, but I've worked with several Mormons, and found most of them to be incredibly nice people. (There was one who wasn't, but he wasn't very devout Mormon -- he ran the office soda fund!)

Theologically, I probably come closest to the United Church of Christ or the Unitarians who still identify as Christians. However, I've not enjoyed their worship services I've attended, because I prefer a more traditional style.

What about other religions?
I think Judaism has a great respect for intellectual analysis of beliefs that Christianity could learn a lot from. One example that made me believe this was learning that it's considered perfectly acceptable to eat pork (or other non-kosher foods) if the alternative is starvation, since life is considered more sacred than the law.

I admire the "Eastern" religions for their influence on self-development.

Just who do I think this "God" person is, anyway?
I'm not sure I can put that into words. In fact, my concept of God includes the idea that fully defining Him is pretty much beyond human comprehension.

I'm something of a Deist in that I believe in a largely "non-interventionist" God. Partly because I believe God's greatest gift is free will, and partly because it's the only way I can rationalize my belief in God with some of the horrible things in the world -- allowing mankind to have free will might explain why God allowed the Holocaust, but it doesn't explain natural disasters killing thousands.

Then what does God do?
I was asked that on the talk page, and it's a fair question. And in all honesty, it's a question I can't answer easily.

I said "Him" in reference to God
Force of habit. I generally picture God as male, the traditional image that basically bolis down to "Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments", but I think God is really beyond gender.

And yes, I capitalize the pronouns that refer to God. If you don't like it, deal with it.

So then, who was Jesus?
The Savior. Simple enough for you?

I may be largely a theological liberal, but I do believe that God sent His Son to save mankind.

As for the particulars of the story of Jesus... I don't know. I've read some things about The Jesus Seminar and their discussion of what Jesus "actually" said. I'm not enough of a theologian to really understand it, but they make some sense.

The miracles, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection... I don't know either. That doesn't bother me, though, because it's the teachings of Jesus that I think are important, not the "magic".

About this "Son of God" thing
I was asked on the talk page if I think Jesus is the actual Son of God, and, if so, how I reconcile that with doubting the Virgin Birth. Well, first off, I wouldn't go so far as to say I doubt the Virgin Birth, I just wonder if it's true. (I'm splitting hairs, yes.)

If the Virgin Birth is true, then yes, Jesus is the literal Son of God, obviously. If it's not true, then I think Jesus is still spiritually God's Son, even if He has no "divine DNA." And this goes beyond the idea that everyone is a child of God spiritually; Jesus is the "first among equals."

Spiritually God's Son?
Again prompted by the talk page, I was asked what I mean by "spiritually God's son". I think of the earthly Jesus as having a part of God inside him, above and beyond what all humanity has.

Did Jesus have to die on the cross?
Again, in response to the talk page... good question.

Well, if I accepted the miracles as true, I suppose logic would lead to the answer being "yes". My reasoning behind that is: if Jesus could work miracles, then surely it would have been no problem for him to avoid the crucifixion. Turn the cross into a fluffy pillow, smite all the Roman soldiers, teleport away, whatever. But since He allowed it to be done, then yes, I would have to assume He had to be crucified and He was submitting Himself to God's will. (And, yes, I know, Jesus is God. I cannot explain the Trinity.)

But then, I'm not sure if I accept the miracles as true. But if there's any "magic" in the Jesus story I believe is true, it's the resurrection. And without the crucifixion, there could have been no resurrection. Being raised bodily from the dead, in the least, would have demonstrated Jesus was more than a wise teacher.

I still, though, haven't hit on the key teaching that Jesus died on the cross to atone for all sin, everywhere, by anyone, throughout all previous history and everything yet to come. Hoo-boy. That's certainly a pretty key element of Christian teaching. I honestly can't say for certain I do believe it. I think it's true, but, well, I'm just going to defer and say it's something I accept because it's what I'm taught. I'll admit I cannot rationalize it. That's part of what having faith means -- even if you can't prove it, you still believe. I acknowledge I am not on a firm rational ground here.

And the Holy Spirit
That's the most difficult part of the Trinity for any Christian. I think of the Holy Spirit as God's presence on Earth today.

The Bible
It was written by fallible men, not God, and should not be taken as literal truth. I think there are moral teachings that are quite valuable, and I'll get to that later.

I have a lot of difficulties with Paul, and one of the great issues I have with Christian fundamentalists is that they pay a lot of attention to Paul, and not much to Jesus. I think Paul tried to apply a lot of the legalism of Judaism to Christianity, rather than emphasizing love. (On the other hand, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13, which is an absolutely beautiful description of love, so ol' Paul wasn't all bad.)

An afterlife
I think there is one. I don't know what it's like (and I'm not too anxious to find out, either...)

I do not believe it is exclusive to Christians. I believe what you get after you're dead depends on what you did in life, but I don't think that being a Christian is an automatic ticket to a great afterlife, nor do I think not being a Christian means an eternity of suffering. This is, in part, because I cannot accept the idea that a man like Gandhi would not be rewarded in the afterlife.

I do not believe in a literal Hell. I do believe the truly wicked will find the afterlife "lacking", but I do not believe in the lake of fire, demons, and all that.

The end of the world
I think that Martin Luther was right and that the Book of Revelations should not have been placed in the canon. I think it's probably an allegory for the time it was written, and not prophecy.

As to the question of Jesus' return, I'm not sure. The return of Jesus was never an emphasis at any church I've attended. I am very bothered by people who do believe in an imminent end of the world, and use that as justification for not caring about the world. My philosophy is "live your life as if Jesus is coming back tomorrow, but treat everything that surrounds you as if it's going to be another two thousand years."

Evolution
It happened. Simple enough, huh?

I am not a "creationist" in the sense of the word that it's usually used. I think of God as the ultimate author of all life, in that He "set things in motion." And I think that's more miraculous than a God who created life pretty much as it exists today. After all, what's more impressive, a system that never changes, or a system that can self-adjust?

I do think of God as the reason humanity is "special" among life on Earth. I picture God however many millions of years ago looking some Neanderthal or Cro-magnon (and I'm not a biologist, so forgive me if I get the dates or scientific nanes wrong), saying "hey, these things are looking pretty good" and giving them "something extra". Not intelligence, because they were developing that on their own. Call it a "soul", if you will. I'm also willing to consider the possibility that humans are not the only life on Earth so gifted/ Which other life qualifies is way beyond my pay grade, as they say, though dolphins and chimps seem likely.

I do not believe creationism/intelligent design should be taught as science in schools. I do not object to it being taught as part of comparative religions, though that's probably an advanced subject for the K-12 crowd where the evolution versus creation battle is most often fought.

Homosexuality
Well, since I'm a great big ol' homo, obviously, I don't think it's a sin. (Though I will admit to having done things that, oh, let's just say God probably was a little disappointed in me...)

I think the Sodom and Gomorrah story is about lack of hospitality and threats of rape, not about consensual acts. Paul's condemnations deal with specific practices in Greece and Rome.

Atheists and Agnostics
Well, obviously, I think they're mistaken, but I'm not one given to try to convert them, and even if I was, I don't think this would be the place for it. (Talk about going into the lion's den...)

I do think there are some atheists who are "pushy" about it, but the same it true of religious groups. I don't care for any of them.

Church and State
Keeping them separate is a good thing.

I do not believe in organized school prayer, but I have no problem with a student praying quietly at his desk. (As a wise man once said, "as long as there are math tests, there will be prayer in schools.")

I do not believe churches should get directly involved in politics. If they want to do so, they have the same option as any other non-profit group -- give up the tax-exempt status. However, I do think it is appropriate for churches to address political issues from a moral/religious standpoint.

What do I learn from my faith?
There's two key teachings out of Christianity that, to me, sum it all up. And this is the closest I plan to come to proselytizing on this page. I'm using the KJV because I think it's the most poetic.


 * Matthew 7:12: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them
 * In other words, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Golden Rule. Or, to put it even more simply, "treat people like you want to be treated."
 * Matthew 25:40 : Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me
 * Or, as I learned it, "whatsoever you do unto the last and the least of these, you do unto me." Take care of the unfortunate.

Really, if everyone lived their life by those teachings, wouldn't the world be a pretty nice place?

There's a third that I don't think of as anywhere near as key as the other two, but it's one that's shaped my own life greatly:
 * Matthew 23:12: And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
 * Be humble, and you'll be rewarded. Be a jerk about yourself, and you'll be treated like a jerk. I think sometimes I've taken this too much to heart, in that I'm pretty much a wuss in a great many things. But it's still a passage from the Bible I've takne to heart.

Why do I believe?
Two reasons.


 * It's how I was raised, and it's stuck with me.

More importantly, though...
 * It comforts me.

You can argue that makes me a weak person to depend on a higher power (yeah, I know some of you are thinking "Magic Sky Daddy", even if you're being nice enough not to say it) for comfort. So be it. But for instance, there are times when I've been going through great stress, it has soothed me to recite (as well as I can; I've never been good at memorization) the 23rd Psalm.

And one very personal example... My cousin passed away at the age of twelve, due to a congenital heart defect. The minister at his funeral gave a eulogy comparing his life to the colors in a rainbow.

The evening after the service, there was a storm, and a rainbow afterwards. My family took that as a sign he was with God, and at peace.

Some years later, my brother passed away, at thirty seven years old, leaving behind his wife and three year old son. The same minister gave a similar eulogy.

That evening, a really bad storm came, and there were two rainbows in the sky afterwards. We took it as a sign my brother was with God, too, and he has been reunited with our cousin.

Now, I know rainbows are perfectly explainable natural phenomena. You can argue that it was all complete coincidence. But you cannot argue with the sense of peace and comfort it brought to my family.

So, then, why would a God-botherer like me hang out with a bunch of godless heathens?
This is a fun site. I like monitoring the wackos at CP, World Net Daily, and the rest.

More to come later
This is going to be an ongoing thing.