PART TWO >>

There has been a lot of good garnered through faith, yet religion has also caused a great deal of conflict, misery, and strife, all about statements that can never be proven true or false.
 
There are many different concepts of God and many different beliefs. These “beliefs” always remain subjective, as we can see from the estimated thirty-eight thousand different denominations, sects, schisms and divisions within Christianity alone.
 
Wars are fought over petty disagreements where almost everyone on an individual level interprets “divine truth” differently. This is too often used as justification for virtually any act of inhumanity, costing hundreds of millions of lives over the centuries.
 
Still, we see these conflicts ongoing as religious divides continue to fan the flames of hate. The twin towers in New York City on September 11 in 2001, just one example.
 
I want to stop the fighting, stop the bickering, to get on with life. Let us heal the world away from religious infighting and the thought control that is brought on by this part of human life.
 
With my words, I do not want to insult anyone in any way. I simply want you to think. Of course, these are my thoughts and discoveries about God. I do not want to change your beliefs; I simply want you to think.
 
To me, having strong faith often builds up a false hope in a person’s mind toward their own future. Religion sometimes gives people an excuse and a reason not to think. Faith provides a way to avoid studying something in depth and then make your own conclusions.
 
To simply say, “God did it,” and then forget about it is not a good thing. It seems to me that having faith, at times, is an excuse not to fully use your mind and figure out how life truly is, baptized or not.
 
I have a story about my experience with a church I was attending: For a time, years ago, my wife wanted me to be baptized, and I finally agreed.
 
The day of the baptism there were about six of us going through the ceremony, which was done in front of the large congregation of about eight-hundred? I was the fourth in line and carried a bag with some hidden items I had brought with me.
 
Right before I was to walk out to be baptized in water, I put on the mask and snorkel I had in the bag and then walked out. The pastor wasn't smiling; those in the audience loved it. I wasn’t making fun of the procedure; I was just “Kitting Around” like I often do. The pastor later told me he enjoyed my prank.
 
As I went through the massive changes in my life, there were times when I honestly did search for this divine inspiration that has helped so many--for comfort, for guidance, for relief, love and peace.
 
Try as I might, I could not find this celestial being anywhere. Logic and reason kept getting in the way, hard to see past how things are. I could not ignore or look beyond the logic and reason that were so apparent to me.
 
Witnessing the faithful at church, in their contentment and confidence, I had asked myself, “Am I just too stupid to see what should be obvious?”
 
It all seemed so simple for them.
 
I was highly critical with myself, thinking that others could think in a different way than I could. And that, as it happens, is a fact. We all think and perceive things differently.
 
But how can believers just believe without examining the thousands of other beliefs that people hold today or that have existed in the past and will come to be in the future?
 
What if the Muslim God, Allah, is the only real God? Though they both fall under the category of Abrahamic religion, what if Christianity is heresy? Or what if it is the other way around? What if the Hindu God, Ganesha, is correct? What about Zeus?
 
If there is a God, what if the real truth has not yet been revealed, and a future religion is the correct one?
 
Even with all these choices, if you do believe and it helps you, then it is probably a positive influence. I do understand your beliefs. We must all believe in something, be it supernatural or merely our personal ideals.
 
Speaking of belief, when I was young and in junior high school, I loved reading the Chronicles of Narnia books, written by CS Lewis. I was lost in these books and could not put them down. My mind truly went to Narnia and was a part of the story; I got lost in this world and loved it.
 
Yes--I was a believer--in Narnia, in Aslan, in Mordor, and all the rest. I do understand how people can have beliefs.
 
Each person needs to examine why they actually believe and what is true to them.
 
With these words, I would like to help open your heart and mind to truly see the life you are living now—the only life we truly know we have—and aim toward the excellence that you desire, with or without God.
 
I would like you not to squander this life you are living as nothing more than some kind of trial to be borne and suffered through on the path to something we can only hope is waiting in a possible hereafter (for Muslims, the hope of the seventy-two virgins who await them in heaven?—Do the virgins have any say in this?)
 
I know that most people in the world have been taught, as children, to accept the spiritual beliefs of their parents, whatever those beliefs may be.
 
When a child has these beliefs reinforced, again and again, with this idea of God during all their years growing up, no wonder they are a strong believer in that faith.
 
In learning of God as a youth, is that a good reason to believe something? You are older now; you need to thoroughly examine what and why you really believe.
 
While growing up, I did not have much of a religious or spiritual influence myself. My mother never went to church and never was spiritually dogmatic, so ideas of church and deity were largely foreign to me. Yet, I knew that a religious mind helped so many.
 
Although I always was aware of how faith aided many people throughout their lives, I saw it as a psychological necessity for some, but not for me.
 
I repeat; take the time to analyze what and why you truly believe (if you do, of course.)
 
When I talk with Christians (Christianity being the primary religion where I live) and tell them of my skepticism of God and ask where I can find or see this God, responses are mostly the same: “Well, look around you. See the green grass, the beautiful trees, hear lovely nature, and see the sweet circle of life?
 
“Yes, very nice,” I say, and continue, “Did you know that most of the earth is either too dry or too hot or too cold to support most life forms? Or that the harmonious circle of life is an endless cycle of forced kill-and-be-killed cruelty—that most creatures live in discomfort at best and merely survive day-to-day as a relentless struggle of life and death?”
 
“Or that thousands of species are constantly dying out, being killed off by the competition with or without human influence?”
 
“And what of natural disasters—hurricanes, drought, earthquakes, forest fires, lightning strikes and so forth, wreaking havoc, bringing misery, desolation, and death to all living things indiscriminately?”