I have read many articles on this forum about faith and religion. I am always amazed at how much response they draw, not only a draw in number of views, or number of comments, but I am amazed by the sheer emotional response of each of the comments. We are very concerned about our point of view on this whole topic, emotionally so, that it drives people who I assumed are normally well behaved into intolerant, judgemental and.....unfortunately I don’t have a word for this. Each of the article s are either accepted as “holy text” and the author loved, or the article is torn down with criticism, insults, intolerant rants, questions about the authors intelligence etc. Unfortunately all of this has been done before. Other people have made their fights even crazier, going to war, killing each other, and well, read history books for more details.
What shocks me is that we are so concerned with proving to the whole world that our view alone is the correct one, atheist call believers brainwashed, believers call atheists liars and sinners.
The truth is very simple. If you believe there is a god out there, no matter how ludicrous it seems to other people, you should have a right to do so in your own earned capacity. It is after all your own perspective, we are each free to have a healthy spiritual wellbeing. If on the other hand you hold a view that there is no god out there, or in here, or that the concept is completely ludicrous, you also have a right to have that view, and to express your view point in your own earned capacity. If you have doubts about what you believe, and feel a need to prove your faith, find means of attaining this conviction that you need. Either research, read books, look on the internet, ask people questions, or find likeminded individuals. Do all of this knowing that you are investing your time and spending your own resources for yourself and your own spiritual needs. However, the level of your conviction does not give you a superior status for influencing other people’s beliefs. If for example you personally had an encounter with your god, that is your encounter, and does not in anyway put your opinions as more factual than others. If your god wanted to prove himself to others, then he would have those encounters with them too. Feel free to share your opinions but not in a belittling and intimidating manner. Most of the prophets and leaders of various religions were peaceful individuals who taught by example, and were never threatening to those who shared a different view. It is only their overzealous followers, like most of the authors on this forum who come across as pushy and intolerant.
My whole purpose of writing this article is to remind people what faith is. Conviction on ones held belief. In this case a belief that there is a god or not, based on tangible evidence, or the non-existence of such evidence. It is each of our responsibilities to feed our own spiritual needs, by either reaffirming our own faith with evidence and research, or by listening to testimonies from people who share our views. Mudslinging and intolerance does not help you, all it does is to reveal your insecurities to rest of the world, and often it brings the religion, or your non-belief, into disrepute.
So in conclusion: if you believe there is a god out there, good for you. Now go and learn more about that god. And if you believe there is no god out there, good for you, go and learn more about the origins of life, if they do exists. As for me, i hold my own views that i sometimes question, but i have made it my responsibility to nurse my own spiritual wellbeing, whatever it is, and it is only important to me.
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