just got home from church, and christmas eve service. this year's theme was "how would your life change if you were absolutely certain that God Himself was with you?"
and i thought to myself, how can people who believe in God ask themselves that question? belief in anything implies absolute certainty; otherwise it is not a belief but simply a theory, an idea of some sort. it's not thinking that He's there, or saying that you believe in Him because it's how you were brought up. belief is digging down into that core of solid certainty till you find the place that you would stake your life on, should it ever come to that. and it exists somewhere inside everyone - perhaps for something different depending on who you are - but it is there.
but if you can't find that place, if you can't step out with no certainties other than what you think you believe in, perhaps it's time to think about where your faith lies, and why.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
faith and tolerance
http://stfubelievers.tumblr.com/
i really hate people sometimes. it's so difficult to stay tolerant of those who are intolerant of faith in general and christians in particular. we're not all crazy, we won't all beat you over the head with a bible, and we're not intolerant douchebags like mainstream media makes us out to be. yes, there are some who only believe because it's how they were brought up, but that's not always the case.
i went through a period of agnosticism a while ago, mostly because life was pretty good and i didn't think i needed God. turns out i was wrong. when i started high school, i spiraled into depression and eventually hit rock bottom; and it's because of that, that i believe the way i do. i wouldn't be on this earth today if God didn't exist, and so because i know He does i trust Him to get me through life.
i'm not writing all this so i can convert my readers: that's not my goal in life. i simply want to get my point across: christians are people too. we don't all lead perfect lives, we don't all have that sanctimonious holier-than-thou attitude, and we're not all uneducated twits who swallow everything they're told. however, we do all deserve the same respect and tolerance of our beliefs that is given unquestioningly to people of almost every other faith.
i really hate people sometimes. it's so difficult to stay tolerant of those who are intolerant of faith in general and christians in particular. we're not all crazy, we won't all beat you over the head with a bible, and we're not intolerant douchebags like mainstream media makes us out to be. yes, there are some who only believe because it's how they were brought up, but that's not always the case.
i went through a period of agnosticism a while ago, mostly because life was pretty good and i didn't think i needed God. turns out i was wrong. when i started high school, i spiraled into depression and eventually hit rock bottom; and it's because of that, that i believe the way i do. i wouldn't be on this earth today if God didn't exist, and so because i know He does i trust Him to get me through life.
i'm not writing all this so i can convert my readers: that's not my goal in life. i simply want to get my point across: christians are people too. we don't all lead perfect lives, we don't all have that sanctimonious holier-than-thou attitude, and we're not all uneducated twits who swallow everything they're told. however, we do all deserve the same respect and tolerance of our beliefs that is given unquestioningly to people of almost every other faith.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
evolution
The Matthews/Tancredo Mutual Ignorance Session
i don't know what to say about this. i'm a creationist, in biological engineering, at MIT. over the past few years, i've found it increasingly difficult to understand why a solid comprehension of science seems to automatically negate most people's faith in God. as for me, the more i learn the more i am convinced that it could not have happened by chance.
i don't object to the existence of a theory of evolution. the beliefs that other people hold don't hurt me, and for the most part i go about my life not caring about them.
what i do object to, though, is the way creationists are portrayed by evolutionists. we're constantly all lumped together as pseudoscientists, the religious right, "those people," fundies, all sorts of disparaging terms that imply that we're stuck in the Middle Ages. i realize that a disproportionately large amount of creationists lack a formal scientific background and/or come from religious homes. but religion does not imply ignorance.
i fail to see why evolutionists cannot respect creationists. our beliefs are not such that we reject science out of hand; we simply believe in a Creator who designed that which science studies.
i don't know what to say about this. i'm a creationist, in biological engineering, at MIT. over the past few years, i've found it increasingly difficult to understand why a solid comprehension of science seems to automatically negate most people's faith in God. as for me, the more i learn the more i am convinced that it could not have happened by chance.
i don't object to the existence of a theory of evolution. the beliefs that other people hold don't hurt me, and for the most part i go about my life not caring about them.
what i do object to, though, is the way creationists are portrayed by evolutionists. we're constantly all lumped together as pseudoscientists, the religious right, "those people," fundies, all sorts of disparaging terms that imply that we're stuck in the Middle Ages. i realize that a disproportionately large amount of creationists lack a formal scientific background and/or come from religious homes. but religion does not imply ignorance.
i fail to see why evolutionists cannot respect creationists. our beliefs are not such that we reject science out of hand; we simply believe in a Creator who designed that which science studies.
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