Random (dad)Thoughts #3

Religion- Whoa Nellie, the dreaded R word. This is such a huge topic that I have to say that so far throughout my personal spiritual journey I have at best only begun to scratch the surface. It seems as though every major religion I've investigated thus far seems to focus eventually and ultimately around one singular supreme being. In my opinion it would appear that in all cases this supreme being is God(a.k.a. The Almighty), albeit through different stories and connected to through different ritual or prayer technique. What baffles me to this day is how some religions integrate a practiced sense of tolerance and acceptance of others and yet some religions seem entirely closed to outside beliefs, opinions or thought.

Probably the most incredible characteristic I've ever seen in any body of religious believers is the total disregard for issues regarding the health and ongoing preservation of our beloved planet Earth. I mean, Gee, God made that too right? Aren't we supposed to value our lives? How can we continue if we don't have a planet, or air to breathe, or water? If we're to "Love thyne neighbor", don't we need to try and keep him alive in the first place? It would seem to me that any good and virtuous, "spiritually righteous" persons would naturally tend to be good stewards of our planet. It appears that most often this is very much not the case. It's mind boggling in a ridiculous and vicious sort of way.

It freaks me out when religious leaders hail this great charge toward personal moral responsibility yet fail to even mention anything about looking out for our homelands(the literal land we live on) or any of the other living things that also call this planet home. I thought we were charged with looking out for all these creatures. In the Bible it says in "Genesis 1:29-30" that God gave all green seed bearing plants for all the birds and all living creatures to use as meat? Well, if that's the case then we'd better take care of these living plants lest we be knowingly doing direct damage to God's living creations, right? See, this stuff has a lot of crazy caveats that I just don't seem to be able to understand and that makes it very difficult for me to follow along with. I don't know about other people, but I'm worried about the future of this planet due to what humans have done to it and this damage is our responsibility and largely avoidable. That appears a lot more like FREEwill and a lot less like GOD's will if you ask me.

I was listening(why?) to a Fundamentalist Christian leader for a few minutes the other day and he said what I found to be some seriously startling stuff. He said that he was just passing through here(Earth) and that this place didn't really matter to him. W h a t??? Soooo does that mean he is free to just pooh all over it for the rest of us? I would certainly hope not, and if not, then why the lack of Earthly stewardship to accompany, even as a second class concern, his spiritual relationship with his personal Godhead? I would think the two would fit quite naturally hand in hand. AAAnd..If the former is true(about the pooh) then, well, there's hardly wonder why they(Fundy Christians) would be treated with such contempt and distrust by the rest of the world.

It was explained to me by a fairly popular F.C pastor that a "Fundamentalist Christian" is a Christian that interprets the Holy Bible in literal terms and not as a parable or allegory, except where it specifically says to. Ok, so there ya have that. To me, and this is purely just my own opinion here, these type of people are equal parts confusing, self limited in regards to life(before afterlife), and even downright dangerous to the rest of the population. So, if you come across one of these Fundamentalist Christians it would be nice if you talked sweetly with them and shared you're thoughts...Or.. Run like hell away from them as fast and as far away as you possibly can. I would totally understand it either way you decide to go. One things for sure, these guys are WAY(and I mean WWAAAYYYY) beyond the basic notion of belief in a "Higher Power".

Another thing I would like to suggest to you is taking a good look at the whole Evolutionary concept and it's theoretic point of view while learning more about religion. That might help to maintain a balance of Ideas that are available for your consideration and ultimate discernment. There are so many huge arguments involved in modern day religion that that's what I think may initially scare so many people away from honestly exploring their personal spirituality and, hence, keep them from ever coming in to touch with that life important and extremely effectual part of their being. Let's face it, from a purely logical point of view it makes total sense to want to explore the nature of one's ultimate reality of being. What better way could there be for someone to get to know themselves better and better understand where they fit in to it all(in life) and how they are connected in relation to all animate and inanimate things that surround them.

As far as believing in God or not, well honey, I'm afraid that's going to have to be left up to your own loving heart, but, if it helps at all, your Father does, although I'm not so sure just how to define it yet, I'm still working on that one.
I once read an interesting argument called "Pascal's Wager". "Pascal's Wager" is the name given to an argument due to Blaise Pascal for believing, or for at least taking steps to believe, in God. This is basically how the wager went, If you erroneously believe in God, you lose nothing (assuming that death is the absolute end), whereas if you correctly believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). But if you correctly disbelieve in God, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you erroneously disbelieve in God, you lose everything (eternal damnation). So, Pascal concluded, that it made sense from a betters point of view to believe that there is a God. That's obviously not verbatim but you get the gist of it and I think he raises an interesting point. It's one of those "things that make you go hmmmm".

One other resource I'd like to point out is probably one of the greatest books ever written, regardless of whether you believe in it or not, and it's also the #1 spiritual text of English speaking nations and many others around the world as well. This book is of course, the Holy Bible. I must admit I'm far from being any sort of authority on the contents of this "Holiest of Tombs" and it seems that every time I hear someone trying to explain this thing to me I miss 3/4 of what they're saying while I'm trying to get to the page that they're speaking about. While I may not be a Bible aficionado, to any degree, I must say there are several things I have read thus far that were definitely interesting enough to buy the book some more face time with me sometime in the days ahead. I like James a lot, it's probably my favorite book in the Bible. I think James is the one most unrealized by the general public that could most easily cause a huge paradigm shift in the quality of life for the human population, if people just got it that is.

There are a couple of passages that I really like, like "Genesis 1:29" is a personal fave, and there is at least one(so far) that totally hits the nail on the head as far as being in congruence with what I've found to be the solid Truth in my observations in life. I think the section of "1 Timothy 6:6-10" should be learned and internalized by all contemporary humans as far as I have witnessed in my life. I also kinda like "Pillipians 4:10-12" because it seems to relate so exactly to my own life that it seems as if it were custom written about me. Another one I really like is "1 John 3:17-19". That one is about sharing. According to Biblical Scripture, sharing is not just a nice thing to do, it's required. Hmmmm, who knew? I guess it's a good thing I've always lived my life that way in the first place. I've even found one passage in particular that is just a perfect one for me to refer to you, it's "Romans 12:21". Frankly, It could have been said by anybody, on a fortune cookie, or even by a republican(eeks!) for that matter, it's really just the message there that I find incredibly important and it's an extremely important one that I'd like you to keep close to your heart. I'm sure there's other stuff I'd like in there too, I just haven't gotten that far. Probably my favorite of all is Proverbs 31:10-12, I couldn't have said that one any better myself. Maybe someday I'll be fortunate enough to find me a "ruby", maybe someday.

There are also several other sacred texts that I haven't even gotten a chance to examine yet, at all, so there is without doubt a far too vast amount of information out there for me even to begin to cover it in any sense of completeness or totality of content. This is just a small primer to get you started in case your not already on your way. A sort of collage of suggestions and random comments if you will. The rest is up to you, on your terms. I probably wouldn't encourage you to make it(spirituality) your all consuming primary reason for existence, but even with that as an option this spiritual journey, your spiritual discovery quest, is more so than any other aspect of your life, entirely and solely under your very personal discretion. I Love you and I pray that you would approach this crucial and life centering aspect of your being with the open hearted patience, honesty, and seriousness it deserves.

Here are a few web sites you might find interesting and/or helpful in learning more about this subject, http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/ this one is about "Religions of The World"and it seems to be pretty comprehensive, http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html this one is on "Religions Ranked by Size" and it's a pretty good one too, http://www.religioustolerance.org/ and this one is pretty much self explanatory and is very important as well. As a sign of the times this one may be helpful in learning about what the Muslim religion is all about, http://www.whyislam.org/877/ . The true Muslim faith is very nonviolent and has nothing to do with terrorism Skylar so please be cautious of all the rumors and general disinformation surrounding these people and their faith.
Here's a couple more sites I think you might find educational and interesting to read about http://www.theology.edu/journal/volume2/ushistor.htm, this one is about the seperation of church and state, as is this one, but it's from a different source, enjoy, and I hope it helps you learn something new http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/amr/camer.htm.

Whatever you come across in your own spiritual quest, I would stress the importance of treating all people with an honest level of respect for their right to make their own personal choices and for keeping an enduring tolerance for the choices that they make. Frankly, I used to call Christian Fundamentalists "Jesus Crispies"(don't laugh) but I've since stopped because it's just not nice, regardless of how out-there or incomplete I may feel a great deal of their outlooks or opinions to be. The main idea here is to exercise restraint, when compelled to criticize others for their beliefs, respect, for other peoples freedom of religious and spiritual choice and open minded(and hearted) honesty when embarking on your own spiritual journey. You handle this at your own rate Sky and don't let anyone force their ideas over your freedom to think for yourself and I'm sure you'll do okay.

Meanwhile, you can probably find me at Thomas Jefferson's favorite church, and I'd Love to see you there. Actually, the last part of that sentence goes without saying and has absolutely nothing to do with religion 'cause I'd very much Love to see you ANYWHERE :-) . Peace to you my beautiful daughter and good travels on the 'Spiritual Quest' of your life. I LOVE YOU DEARLY AND WITH ALL MY HEART. May Peace and Love Surround You and may Love well up in your heart. It seems as though I'm on constant standby in my hopes of making contact with you and it weighs unbearably on my heart but I'll hang in there 'till the day some kind of contact with you is finally achieved.....and.... surely you didn't think I was going to forget to tell you.....Always treat others how you would like to be treated Sky, and Always be conscious of doing the right thing, because it really really matters.

Sincerely and Forever Yours, your Eternally Grateful Father