God either "is" or He "isn't." He either exists or He doesn't. It's black or white; no shades of gray. There's no in-between.
If you DON'T believe in God, then you're good to go. Live your life how you see fit. If it feels good, do it. Look out for #1 and don't worry about stomping on your neighbor's neck. Stomp away... consequence free! You have no accountability to the universe! Congratulations! (uh ... just be sure to make the most of your minuscule stint on this planet, cause it's all you've got)
On the other hand, if you DO believe in God... it's time to get to work. If an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, omni-benevolent creator of all things exists... don't you think He deserves a modicum of respect and admiration? If God exists, He exists 100%. You would be wise to give Him 100% of your attention. Intelligent thought would dictate that you spend every waking moment in pursuit of His wisdom and will for your life. Trust me, He's the smartest guy you'll ever meet. But be sure to buckle up, you're in for the wildest ride of your life.
To recap: You have two choices - "God" or "No God." Make a decision and commit.
Musings on Recovery and God
Excellent thoughts!
ReplyDeleteThanks, brotha!
ReplyDeletePeople who don't believe in God aren't all bad. Whether or not you believe in God is a separate issue from how good you choose to be to others.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The post was not intended to imply the immorality of non-believers. Simply to say, if there's no God, there are no consequences - how you choose to live your life is up to you. If you choose to be a good person, great. However, if you choose to be an evil person, no big deal.
DeleteThe point of the post was to point out that either God exists in His entirety, Creator of the universe and all, or He never existed in even the most minute manifestation anytime or anywhere in the known universe. You cannot believe that He exists "sometimes" or in "some places" or "when it's convenient for you to believe." God is completely true or completely false. There's no inbetween. Pick a side - Atheist or Theist. Agnostic is an illogical option.
An agnostic would conclude, based his or her own personal experiences, that there is no way to know whether God exists or not. I agree with you, in the sense that either there is or there isn't a God, but agnostics aren't compelled by any of their experiences to choose "yes" or "no" and stand firmly by it. The only thing they know is that they don't know, and that becomes their conclusion, which is a legitimate one. In your second paragraph from your last response, I can't tell if you're referring to hypocrites -- people who think God exists "'sometimes or in 'some places' or 'when it's convenient for you to believe' -- or to people who are legitimately struggling with their faith. Addressing the first group, nobody likes someone who says one thing and does another. Regarding the second group, any extended period of suffering would lead someone to ask, "Is He There? Is He Not? Why am I suffering? How much longer do I need to hang in here?" I know many Christians who struggle with their faith, and they are some of the best, well-intentioned people I know. Everyone suffers in their own way, and people who are struggling with anything are precisely the kind of people to whom we should be willing to be kind, tolerant, and understanding. That's what we as Christians must do. And it shouldn't just be us Christians who are kind to other Christians, but we should be kind to everyone, even if they have different beliefs than us, or are unsure of theirs. If our neighbor is struggling, we need to help, or simply lend an ear to their hardship. We need to set an example.
DeleteMarlene Walters
Arlington, Virginia
Marlene - your thoughts are well recieved. I would disagree that agnosticism is a legitimate belief system, unless the individual is actively searching for the truth. Otherwise, it becomes a convenient path to luke-warm complacency.
DeleteI'm in complete agreement with you regarding "kindness to others." So often we forget that we are here to love everyone, regardless of class, gender, sexual orientation, or belief systems. We are called to love the sinner and hate the sin. Unfortunately, we are often much better at hating the sin than we are at loving the sinner.
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