No harsh words here- just commendation.
I also was raised in a religious family- Roman Catholic. As I was growing up, my mother was pursuing her Masters in Theology- so the hour ride home from the Seminary consisted of her regurgitation of all she had learned that evening in class. Very interesting stuff.
Despite my previous posts where I stated that I personally don't feel religious affiliation is a necessity in my own life, I do truly appreciate those who, like you, question things. You come to whatever conclusion suit you regarding your religious beliefs, and I am in no position to cast judgment. I believe what I believe, and you believe what you believe. That's the beauty about religion, in my mind- there are no right answers.
Questioning is so often frowned upon. It's often construed as something along the lines of 'if you doubt your faith, you doubt your God, who loves you unconditionally... how dare you, you dumb bastard!' lol
A lot of what always irritated me about Catholics was their ignorance to parts of the religion which, when you know a little, make it so beautiful. But they don't care to know that. They know that if they go to church and can stand, sit, and kneel at the right time, they're 'good Catholics'. They recite prayers as though they are in some sort of eerie trance. They know when to respond, and do so in unison as though completely brainwashed. And watching that, knowing that so few, if any, of the people there have ever gone any deeper than this cult-ish routine... it's truly frightening.
And just so no one thinks I'm generalizing based on any sort of prejudice against Catholics or Christians, I'm not making assumptions in regard to their understanding of the mass or prayers or where specific traditions come from. I used to be heavily involved in the Youth Ministry at my parish, both as a participant and as a youth leader. I interacted with other youth leaders, parents, teens, children, and even those EMPLOYED BY THE CHURCH to facilitate programs. NONE of whom had any solid understanding of their 'faith'.
For some, 'faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.' For others, it is an easy out when they are asked questions they haven't the motivation to seek answers to, but they still want the security of a religion to cling to so that they don't feel so alone in this world. They don't know or understand- so they say they believe these unexplainable things because they just 'have to keep the faith'. Thus my statement about there being 'strength in numbers' and that's why people try to recruit for their particular religion- their uncertainty is pacified with the illusive mantra of 'just have faith' and they try to bring others into their uncertainty by this 'faith' so that they are more comfortable in it.
Not sure who said it, possibly a saint or theologian... I'm thinking Augustine... but I've always liked it: "Faith that does not doubt is dead."
In my own life, I've found it much simpler and genuine to live without religion. I feel I cannot truly understand the nature of god, or whatever that superior being might be, if it even exists... but the purpose of my life is not to continuously seek for that which I will likely never find. I feel my purpose is to be HERE, NOW, present to those around me and doing good in small ways that touch other people's lives. So many people get caught up in adhering to what their interpretation of the Bible deems 'right' and 'wrong', they forget about the human aspect of life that Jesus embraced totally, based on Biblical records of his life.
Dining with tax collectors, rescuing prostitutes from those who are so quick to pass judgment, and flipping tables in the temple- how many of today's 'Christians' follow in the footsteps of the Biblical Jesus?
Just my honest opinion, and my way of approaching life- to each his own, and that's mine.
Also, I've heard an analogy once that I would like to share here... for the person who initially asked the question regarding all religions believing they are right and why... fact of the matter is, in my opinion, no one has all the answers. Each religion has something to offer, and should all participate in the conversation of 'who is god' if that's what they're all trying to figure out. Rather than all insisting they have it down pat and have all the answers, conversation and communication and discussion would lead them all closer to any hope of reaching a well-rounded understanding of whatever may or may not be out there. Anyway- the analogy is this-
Look at your hand. You've got the palm of your hand in the center, and from the palm of your hand extends five fingers. Each finger looks different from the others and serves a different purpose to make the hand useful to you as a whole. But despite their differences, each finger is equally a part of the hand. If you only look at one finger, you cannot understand what your hand is for in it's entirety. If you only utilize one finger your entire life, you will have a very acute understanding of how that finger works and all that it can do. It has been useful to you and allowed you to accomplish things you could not have possibly accomplished without it. But what happens when you finally realize that ALL of your fingers are part of the hand? Your world opens up, there is so much more you can do- had you continued your whole life utilizing only one finger, you would have been thankful for it, but never really understood what your hand was all about.
Well, the same goes for religion. God is (or should be!) at the center of all religions- the palm of the hand. Each religion is a different way of understanding god- the fingers- each of them important and necessary. And though they may have their differences, they are all reaching for the same understanding, seeking the same enlightenment, trying to achieve the same end- they are all connected to God and all equal in their significance and importance- just as each finger is connected to the hand and equal in significance and importance. If you are raised in only one religion your entire life, you've got it down pat- you know it, understand it, and are comfortable with it. But if you don't broaden your view to encompass the whole of the world's varying experiences and understandings of god (THE WHOLE HAND) then you are limiting yourself unnecessarily. You may be thankful for the religious beliefs you currently have, as you wouldn't be where you are now without them. But until you step back and look at the beauty in all religion, the beauty in everyone's and every culture's and every religion's search for god, then you are missing out on what god is really all about.
It's not just about finding one way. It's about knowing that there are many ways, and appreciating that all of those ways and all of the people on those varying paths are moving in the same direction- to an understanding of what they call God, Allah, Jahova, Yaweh...
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