In Reply to: Re: Faith - breaking it down posted by Helpful on June 14, 2007 at 04:10:49:
Thanks, I'll take a look at that book if it crosses my path. Yes faith is interesting. I currently view it as a survival tool basically, but view most religions as ways to control the masses. I'm not sure what i believe, and i'm sure people could find contradictions in my life, but to me that is part of the process... looking at my own contradictons and either examining them (as i try to do now) or justifying them (as i used to do automatically). I no longer believe in the Bible literally, as we did in the Family and as was my experience in pentecostal-type churches. HOwever, i DO think, based on personal experiences, that there's something out there that is not confined by our physical bodies and minds. Theres a lot of room in between those parameters and i don't know what it contains, but am always open to consider the theories of others, and see if they pass the logic and reasoning of my own (God given if there is one... ) brain. And because i'm not afraid of God and don't associate him/her with a certain text, I can believe he may exist, but not worry about his dissaproval if i dont have a handle on the 'truth', or swallow things that seem unreasonable to me.
I LOVE gospel music and feel very moved by it. Contradiction? Not to me, tho i've examined it in myself to see what it is i like about it but detest in religion. What i've come up with for myself, is i like it coz i'm an optimistic person, and to me gospel is fundimentally all about optimism and hope and rising above oppression and adversity. Its a moot point and undescernable to me if the author's faith got him/her anywhere in the afterlife, as i believe gospel justifies its existance (and my enjoyment of it) simply by the strength it's given many survive and keep putting one foot in front of the other in this life.