I Don't Know
58
I’ve never written a hub on religion…well not specifically on religion, I should say. In several hubs I’ve made vague rather non-committal references to the existence of a higher being. How carefully I chose my words while writing those! For some reason, it has always been important to me to ride that middle line between one extreme and another. I’ve no desire to offend either end of the spectrum when it comes to religious preferences for many reasons…although, upon careful examination, it really just boils down to one.
I don’t know.
Why is it that so many people feel it necessary to have an answer to everything? It’s as if being caught with a lack of knowledge on a subject is a reprehensible crime. Personally, I’d rather hear those simple words, “I don’t know,” then to have to endure an hour of bullshit from a person too enamored of his own opinion to recognize his ignorance.
As far as I’m concerned, admitting to a lack of knowledge is simply a first step toward enlightenment and only becomes a crime when you allow yourself to remain ignorant.
But who is the victim of this crime? Is it the person forced to listen to the crap spewing from the know-it-all’s mouth or perhaps only those gullible enough to believe it? Or maybe the only victim is the "expert", since by denying his or her own ignorance they effectively rob themselves of the curiosity to look further into a subject and find the truth.
I don’t know.
My parents raised me as a Catholic complete with all of the sacraments and a Sunday school education. Growing up, it gave me comfort and a strong moral compass. If anyone were to ask my opinion on whether or not religion is important to a child’s growth, I could honestly say from my experience that it didn’t hurt.
But as I grew up and learned that there really wasn’t a Santa Claus, an Easter Bunny, a Tooth Fairy and that my parents were human beings like myself and therefore fallible, I began to question the world around me. My mother was rather liberal and encouraged my hunger for knowledge, allowing me to experiment by attending a Southern Baptist church with my best friend, going to synagogue with others and reading anything that I could get my hands on.
It was because of this search for the truth that I sat down at the kitchen table one day in total confusion. “Mom," I asked, "What makes Catholicism right and other religions wrong? I don’t understand. I’ve been to other churches and experienced other religions…and I have found no reason why they couldn’t be considered right. So…who is right?”
And my mother….bless her forever….said to me, “I don’t know. The answer is different for everyone and that’s something that you will have to decide for yourself.”
I didn’t decide there and then, of course. The funny thing is…I don’t think I’ve made up my mind even now. I’m perfectly fine with admitting that I still don’t know.
For me, faith is a journey and one that lasts a lifetime. But it’s my own personal journey. I swear at time it seems as if half the world mapquested the shortest route to a belief. They've put up their tent and are now perfectly content to spend the remainder of their lives there. Some manage to do it quietly and with dignity. Others seem to think it’s some sort of contest and the side with the most campers wins.
Seek and ye shall find. I like that statement…because it’s simple and true. It doesn’t tell you what you will find because there’s a good probability that whatever you find may cause you to seek something else. It’s like ultimate googling. You might think you know where you’ll end up…but more often than not the result is totally unexpected...your individual tastes taking you on a never-ending journey through a maze of ever evolving information.
Probably the closest religion I was ever able to identify with was the Unitarian-Universalist church (not to be confused with the Unification church). Although they celebrated a mass, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. They gathered as a community to share a common freedom of faith. I remember a moment, during an after-mass “coffee hour” when I confronted a rather militant lesbian and said, “So….I could tell you that I believed God is a giant bug and you’d say….?” With good humor the woman looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and replied, “I would say that your belief seems rather interesting and would you please share your thoughts on it with me?”
Of course I didn’t really believe in an omnipotent cockroach. I was simply testing people randomly to see if I could shock them into telling me that I was wrong and they were right. Instead, I received a new variation of my favorite three words.
“I don’t know…and you don’t either.”
Belief is not knowledge. Knowledge can only be gained by admitting that you might not have the right answer and continuing to search for it. Once you say the words, I’m right and you are wrong…you may as well pitch your tent and set up camp.
I’m not saying that where you’ve chosen to pitch your tent is the wrong or right place. For all I know, you’ve made the perfect decision and are now enjoying a nice cozy campfire, your feet up while you toast some marshmallows. Perhaps after I’m done with all my searching, I’ll be pitching up a tent beside you. I don’t know.
Faith isn’t a contest. We all arrive where we will in our own time and no amount of advertising the benefits of your campground will change that. Having more people on your side doesn’t make you more right because conversely, to the people on the other side…it just makes you look more wrong.
Sometimes, in my heart, I think that if there is a God, He would find the battle over His existence to be amusing. I know if I were in His shoes, it would also annoy me that so many people claimed to be the only ones to know me, to understand me and to deserve my favor. It sounds petty and somehow beneath the dignity of a being thought to be so powerful. It sounds…human. Like a phrase you would hear from a petulant child declaring that “daddy likes me best!”
No amount of proof will budge a true believer…and that goes for those that have a religious belief as well as those who are of a more scientific persuasion. Their conclusion has been reached based upon the amount of knowledge they have chosen to absorb. For them, the journey of faith is at an end and they are content.
Trying to convert one would be like trying to change the sexual orientation of a person. Although, ironically, there are still some people that believe even that is possible and can’t resist trying.
At times I have to laugh at the term "individual freedom". Perhaps the idea has become unreachably Utopian. Skin color still matters. If it didn’t, then having a black man for a president wouldn’t have been such a cause for celebration. Sexual preference is still considered a personal choice and if yours happens to be in the minority, then you are considered aberrant. The religious right still fights rabidly with the liberal left, defending its right to believe and maligning those that don’t.
Tolerance doesn’t exist. We deflect the spotlight from ourselves by pointing the finger elsewhere. It’s not me…it’s THEM! They’re niggers, chinks, whities, towel-heads, dykes, fags, heathens and fanatics. I’m the only normal one here…and everything that’s wrong with the world is THEIR fault. Let’s kick them out, ostracize them, ban them, humiliate them, degrade them and deny them their basic rights until they agree with us, behave like us and mend their ways. Life would be so much better if we were one big homogenized lump of humanity.
Wouldn’t it?
Or would we then be forced to focus on another difference? Maybe left-handed people versus right-handed people. I’m sure that brunettes outnumber blondes. Let’s make them dye their hair so that they conform to our standards.
No matter what you believe in…whether it’s God or evolution, we were created to be different. It’s a comfort knowing that there is nobody on this planet exactly like me…and I’ll admit at times, that same knowledge leaves me feeling a little lonely or vulnerable. It’s one of life’s greatest ironies that although humans were created to be individually unique, we have this tendency to thrive in social situations where we feel accepted.
It’s safe to be a daisy in a field full of other daisies…but after a while I would miss the riotous color of a garden filled with variation.
There will come a day when I will have to finally decide what to believe in. Perhaps I’ll be standing in front of my Maker and if that is the case I will simply say, “I looked for you every day and now I have found you.” Should the converse prove to be true, then I will not have wasted a precious moment of my life being so sure I was right and everyone else was wrong.
I don’t know…and I’m just fine with that.
I've never heard a better explanation...
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I always feel like I'm a poppy in a garden of daisies lol. Enjoyed your hub, thought-provoking.
I'm with you. I don't know what happens next, I can only hope and I sure wouldn't want anyone following my own indecisions. People need to find out on there own and not try to be forced to believe anything.
Great hub, Spryte! I found several things that I thought you worded beautifully and I particularly liked the camping and pitching tents anology.
MM: Why thank you for contributing such a glowing comment. Smiling from ear to ear at the moment because of it. Always nice to hear from you on any of my hubs and YES it does feel good to be writing again.
Cindy: :) A poppy....great flower choice!
GT: Is it okay to say "AMEN!" ? :)
KCC: I'm glad you enjoyed this one and to be honest...I winced when I first used the camping analogy, but it was the only one that fit. LOL!
Bravo! Well written, well said, and...well, it's just darned outstanding. Great job Spryte. :)
You're right, "Belief is not Knowledge." Good luck on your journey.
Perfect, Spryte! It sums up my opinion exactly, though I could not have put it so clearly, so logically. This, to me, is truth and the only truth that is worthwhile. I just love to read you and find out what I'm thinking!
Oh...er, I mean...Arrrgggghhhh!
Pam :) Thank you!
RKHenry: First I have to figure out what to pack?!! Thanks :)
Captain Christoph: LOL! You do make me laugh and keep me smiling even when a subject is serious. Or...as serious as I can manage. It would be my greatest pleasure to be in the same area of the garden as you are...anytime.
This is a very insightful hub that makes the reader introspect. I do believe that sometimes 'knowing" is more scary than "not knowing" Knowing entails a greater responsibility and restricts free wiill. Not knowing on the other hand, allows growth. Thanks for sharing. Hubs like this makes me thankful I'm in HP :D
Cris:
When I wrote this piece...I actually thought of you at one point. I'd read your hub on hate and it actually made me cringe, but in a good way. Sometimes a good slap in the face is necessary and I thought your piece was great because it made even me feel uncomfortable. So when I got to the point in this piece where I'd worked myself into a fair amount of indignation, I took a lesson from you on how to shock. I don't think I was quite as brilliantly virulent as you were...but it felt good to say it.
Thanks for dropping in and reading this...and even more for liking it and saying so.
honestly, i believe that sometimes shocking people comes second to shocking yourself - the things that you are capable of thinking of or saying. It's a test of your true character, what you are made of. although most people have the tendency to believe that when you rant and let it go, it's directed to them. They most of the time forget that sometimes you do things for yourself.
Btw, I'm glad you took well to that "hate" hub. It seems we are on the same wavelength :D
Well said, well said! Thanks for a great read. We're on the same page. :)
What a great hub, I loved it. Thumbs up and a big hug.
Spryte what can I say. Back to your awesome best. You handle a controversial subject with tact, aplomb and somehow managing to talk about religion and your beliefs (or lack of them) without offending anyone (yet). We will have to wait for the feline perspective though!
Greaaat Hub Gal!
Pam & Jewels - Thank you :) And a hug back atcha Jewels! It's so good to see you!
Sixty - I'm not sure which feline you are referring to...but I'm curious now. So far neither extreme has landed here, but I suppose it could happen. Hard to argue with a person who would say, "You might be right...but I don't know." LOL :) Thank you so much for the kind words!
Beautiful, Your thoughts are so similar to my own although I don't think I could have done as great of a job. Thumbs up!
Spryte the feline(s) i refer to are your cats! However on reflection I hope my reference does not evoke some tart comment. But as they say "it's all traffic, isn't it!" LOL and hugs
RV - Thank you! It's been rather nice to see so many responding positively to this piece. :)
Sixty! You've been peeking at my notes have you?? Cats play a role in the one I'm working on at the moment.. As for tart comments and traffic...I'm afraid this piece isn't offensive enough...lol!
Just wanted to say this hub is very inspiring. Really great piece. Glad I came across it. Actually read it yesterday but had to wait till today to comment.
Excellent hub, spryte! Love it and so very true.
Harold and Maud is one of my favorite movies. That clip fits in perfectly.
Paper Moon - Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm always touched when people say they have been inspired by something I've written.
SoulaBee - I can never thank the friend enough who first turned me onto this particular movie. It's definitely a favorite of mine as well and speaks volumes in such an adorably quirky fashion. Thanks so much for the kind words!
Spryte, there is one thing I do know for sure and that is that I Love Love love this hub! I love they way you think, maybe because I feel close to the same. I don't know. I would like to believe that life doesn't end here, it's a comfort to think I may be able to see those I have loved again one day, but truly I just don't know. Thanks for writing this. I hope people will read it and try to understand that it is a persona;l journey for all of us. The fighting drives me crazy. Believe what you want, but don't try to make me believe either. I can do that on my own. You're brilliant!
*blush* Gwendy - Thank you. Look! Look! My first time as a 100!!! I can't help but stare at it....it's so pretty. I keep refreshing the screen, expecting it to fall, but each time it comes back and omg....yeah, I'm a nutjob because it means so much to me.
(And I don't even know how to save it so I can look at it later and show my husband and not think it was all a dream!)
I'm the same way about hoping there is something that comes after this. I love life...I'll miss it when I don't have it anymore...so I'm pretty sure I'd be giddy with delight over an after-life. It would be like having the band come out to do a few more songs after a really great concert. Or....sort of like that. :)
Spryte, I noticed your 100 too. Congrats! I don't know how to save it either. I'm not sure I know of anyone I could refer you to either. Maybe CR.
I know what you mean. :)
Thought provoking, and sensitively handled. I'm finding so many Hubs that are inspiring me to write, it's awesome. Nice job with this one, and although our views differ, I respect how you don't "force" your views on anyone.
Now if I could just muster the focus to actually write...
Elegy: I took a moment to read one of your hubs before responding. You've intrigued me...the pic, the name, the comment. It's a pleasure to meet strong, intelligent women. Thank you for dropping in...I've become a fan.
My mother was a Taoist but she always said that I have to decide for myself, whether it is religion or career or something else, and not do what she wants. It is because of that that I am who I am today, and I really thank her for that.
Good hub!
wandererh: I love the tenets of Taoism...to do good for the sake of doing good and not because you expect to be rewarded afterward. Your mother sounds like my mother....a very smart woman! :)
G'day kiddo.
"you don't know" "I don't know" "they don't know"
and the only ones who might know ain't comin back to tell!
Did I tell you that this is a great Hub?
I didn't!
OK spryte this is a great Hub..
Aggie -
Back away from the Easter candy. Just say NO to those jelly beans and marshmallow peeps. I know the sugar rush feels good now...but eventually you have to come down.
:)
Love ya too!
Oh damn it, you won't let a guy have any fun. Gawd you could be my mum! LOL
;-[)
Have a good one.
Oh have a good Easter too! *wink*
Fabulous Hub Spryte, summed up my thoughts and feelings completely. You worded this in a way that would make perfect sense to anyone, and everyone!
Congrats on your 100 score. To save the screen you need to press the "Print Screen" option on your keyboard (there should be a button), then open "Paint" in your computer programmes. Right click and paste and the screen shot will appear in "Paint", then "Save As"and you have it forever. Hope this helps :)
Aggie: I can't think of anything else to add but.... :PPP
Misty! Thanks for the instructions...I won't miss it the next time. I hope there is a next time...of course there will be a next time. Maybe...
I'm glad you enjoyed this one :)
I believe but it doesn't meant that someone else is going to believe, I have to worry about me so I don't have time to argue with others and I believe many have found a new respect for me because of it. I believe we should all get along and as for this hub well put !!! I give it a thumbs up...:)
AE - I like your attitude! I'm all about respect. For me the word tolerance goes along with the word forbearance and implies that somebody might get to play the martyr. I think it's a cheap way out...implying that this person thinks they know more than you do and is the better person for biting their tongue and not saying what they think...when they've just said it without words. Whereas respect signifies that although different, this person is your peer and your equal.
If we can ever find our way...all of humanity...to just respect each other, perhaps it is possible for everyone to get along. How's that for pure optimism? :)
What a beautiful hub! My eyes had tears in them when I read the wisdom of your mother. A wisdom that you have obviously inherited. The world would be so much better off if all people could understand that no-one has the ultimate truth, it is a very personal issue. Just as each of us are different and unique, our beliefs are different and unique. I believe even within the same religion, no two people believe the same way.
I'll say it again, this is absolutely beautiful and tells a great truth! Thank you for sharing your feelings.
kari: Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a beautiful and complimenting comment. :) But then again...I'd expect nothing less from a Pisces!
I loved your hub. It was so refreshing to find someone humble enough to simply "not know". I know I've sought out my own answers to what was out there and wondered who I could believe even when it was explained to me.
Truth is I don't know either. Doubt I ever will in this lifetime. I guess that's ok though.
Hi Fitness:
That is a question though isn't it....listening to somebody's explanation and then wondering if it's something you can believe in too. I've seen several hubs and forums where the chief complaint seems to be the amount of proof that is constantly being demanded. I suppose the amount of proof required is proportional to a person's desire to believe and as long as I can avoid the battle between the two extremes I might be able to draw my own conclusions and live a contented life.
NIce to meet another "I don't know" person!
Study all these works
The Bible, St. James
The Bible, New Standard
The Quran
Budda
The Talmud
If you don't care to study, at least take a look. Every single one of these has message that is profound, is Truth, and bears acknowlegement. All religions have beauty. All religions are good. It is people that ruin them. People are small minded, and only read one book.
All religions are bad. Only one is enough. This too, is found in all books.
Lengo - I love this comment...very simple and yet a direct hit to the very heart of the matter. I want to put it on a t-shirt, turn it into a poem, a billboard or graffiti it onto every wall. Thank you so much for posting this here and allowing me the pleasure of reading it.
I like your hub. As one who feels no need for god or gods or religion, I agree that believing something does not make it so. I am also humoured by how religious people turn to their unproven, unprovable books to find justification for their beliefs. there is nothing I find in the bible, the koran or any other religious book that I can say is proven true. There are some good ideas found in these books, but not enough to induce me to join any sect or religion. Proving a belief by resorting to a single source, written by the very people who want to foster the idea, is disingenuous and blatantly deceiving.
Hi Ivan (you aren't THAT terrible, are you?) :)
While I have the greatest admiration for people that truly live their faith, I've met my fair share of hypocrites. Quoting from a book...any book...to me seems rather like saying, "I read it on Wikkipedia...therefore it must be true!" Yes, most of the books are old and I can admire them for that...but given that they've passed through a couple of millennia, have definitely been altered by human hands to suit the current time period and just the fact that every religion seems to ironically have THE book, makes me skeptical as well.
However, conversely, if a person states simply that they just believe because in their heart they feel it is the right choice for them to make...who am I to say they are wrong? It doesn't mean it's the right choice for me and as long as they respect my choice, I won't disrespect theirs.
What a wonderful hub - faith is a journey and faith isn't a contest....oh if only everyone would walk in the light that is given to them and not look around to see what others are up to when it comes to faith and belief! 'I don't know' is so much nicer than 'I know and you had better too!' :D
Great perspective!! I am in the same boat as far as religion goes. I have Christian friends who ask me if I believe in God (knowing they mean the Christian God), and I say I just don't know. I used to, but I don't know, anymore. This was very interesting to read, and I loved the clip from Harold and Maude!! I love that movie!!!
Shalini - I agree wholeheartedly with you. Unfortunately we seem to be in the "Noseypants Era" where everyone believes that if they slap a self-interest tag on another person's behavior then they have every right to comment on it.
Anna - Always a pleasure to see you! I'm grateful for the religious upbringing that my parents gave me as I think it's the root of my moral and spiritual values. Beyond that, when a friend asks I simply tell them that I consider it personal and private...letting them draw their own conclusions. :) After doing this piece...I broke out my DVD of Harold & Maude and watched it again. I love it too!
P.S. One of the smartest people I know is my husband, Dr. Runeric, and one of the reasons I was impressed by his intellect was that he NEVER said he KNEW ANYTHING. If asked a question on any subject he always began his answer, "I think . . . " or "Research indicates . . . "
I love this hub, though I must admit to having set up camp myself. I've done it not out of thinking that I'm particularly right, for that can't be quantified in any rational way, but out of a sense of comfort with what I believe to be true about the miracle of existance and the cycle of it. So quickly when listening to the even the most basic tenets of any of the more popular and widely accepted religions, I find something within which I could never in good conscience invest, some statement that so blatantly condemns one uniquenesss or another that I go from curious to disgusted in a blink. I confess to you that I'm a Pagan in the spirit of Heinlein's Martians. I'm a Jesus fan that feels strongly that he's been famous for 2000 years for a very good reason, but I'm pretty sure that Christianity used his story for the purpose of mass control, twisting it in ways that it was never meant to be.
So my question to you is, are you sure you are agnostic? That you don't know if there is a higher consciousness from which we come and to which we will return? Or is it that you don't know what the existance of said means to you or expects of you?
Druneric - I have to get ready for work shortly, but I've bookmarked your page to delve into later. The topics are too interesting to rush through and I'm curious as all hell to see what you've written!
A lot of people could take a lesson from your husband in how to express an opinion or a fact :)
Katie: Hmmm....I understand what you are saying about some religions and their tendency to excommunicate people simply because they are different...and even more ironically so because they were created different. Which then poses an ethical problem for them and so in order to assuage their guilty conscience for these rather irreligious thoughts they decide that these differences must have been a personal choice. :)
Answers to your questions...
Am I sure I'm agnostic? Nope. I think I'm actually some odd hybrid.
That I don't know if there is a higher consciousness? Definitely don't know the answer to that one...although I do hope this is true.
I don't know what the existance of such would mean to me or expect of me? I try not to live my life by anyone else's expectations but my own. I don't always succeed...but I try. Trying to please a higher authority that may or may not exist seems like a rather futile gesture and one that could ultimately induce a grand paranoia. Since I'm my own worst critic and spend a lot of time in self-examination, I suppose one could say I've gifted myself with the highest authority over my behavior and if my conscience doesn't bother me...then I'm doing okay.
I hope that answered your questions. I must admit they were interesting ones to say the least :) Thanks for putting so much thought and effort into your comment. I love receiving ones like yours!
I believe in the omnipotent cockroach. j/k
Its still hard for anyone to write about religion nowadays. I'm still pondering about writing a hub about my faith too. I feel pretty better after reading this hub. I don't feel so left out now.
*waves to May*
I often wonder sometimes what human condition it is that causes a person (me too) to think they are so alone in feeling something simply because nobody has had the courage to blurt it out yet. I used to feel...different in that uncomfortable way a lot when I was younger, back when "fitting in" was a matter of life and death, at least socially. :)
And then...I'm not sure what happened...but I rebelled for one small second. I forget which particular embarrassing human weakness I admitted to a complete stranger...but I remember the reaction quite clearly. At first there was all sorts of facial tics as she struggled to comprehend what had just come out of my mouth...and then she laughed, long and hard, until tears came to her eyes. Her hand reached out to touch my arm and she struggled mightily to regain control of herself, but in the end she just blurted out, "Oh my god, I can't believe you said that! Me too!!"
It was a true epiphany for me...
I realized that no matter how alone I might sometimes feel...there are other people that share that same feeling for the same reasons...and suddenly I don't feel quite so alone or different. It's just that people have a tendency to feel uncomfortable about those perceived differences, don't want to bring them to anyone's attention because of that herd mentality and the chance of being socially ostracised...and I say, screw it. I know that I'm not alone...
If I could have one wish that I could grant the entire world it would be for everyone to be able to spend more time recognizing the things which unite us rather than the things which divide us.
So no May....you are never left out...at least not on one of my hubs :)
This is an awesome article, thanks so much for sharing it with us. A short while ago I wrote a hub on religion because it's such an exhilerating experience to believe in someone/something. I found God only two years ago in a prayer circle that my two older children and I formed, at home, during a time of crisis. It was probably the most loving, liberating, and breath-taking experience I've had to date (besides bearing children).
I didn't realize, when I wrote my hub, that religion was such a taboo topic. That statement should show you that I've been extremely sheltered for much of my 33 years. The reason I personally relate to this hub so well is because of the reason I've been so sheltered, my narcissistic (soon to be) ex-husband. His sociopathic, egotistical mindset has rendered me speechless on countless occasions. He has never allowed anyone around him, to be right about anything. He could've witnessed an event with his own eyes one day, and the very next day oppose that same truth. Another witness to this "event" will point out a fact of the situation and my ex would use his fat, witty piehole, to make that person look like a lying psychotic!
Believe in what you will, love yourself, and continue to educate yourself. In my opinion, three keys to a happy existence.
This is one of the best hubs I've had the pleasure to read:)
MissJamie - I've just realized after reading your comment that the right to simply be able to say "I don't know" is a freedom to be treasured. Your soon to be ex sounds like an absolute control freak and hurray for you to finally be out from under that.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on my hub...it's a pleasure!
Different religions seem to me like different languages - all in how you were raised and from your own background. Different words to describe the same thing.
Kate - That's pretty much my take on it too...it seemed to depend on the perspective . Growing up I spent a lot of time with my nose buried in books on mythology. Norse mythology, Greek mythology, Roman mythology...all of it. I especially loved Slavic mythology...so...brutal. But the thing was...there were all these people spread out all over the place...and all they were trying to do was try to explain what was inexplicable to them at the time.
Do you think somebody from Greece ever pointed at a Roman and said," Yeah...well my god can kick your god's ass anyday?" Maybe they did...
Great hub - glad you didn't fall prey to the omnipotent cockroach idea. j/k
I thought I'd caught the point of your hub...then I got to the comments...now I have way more to think about. Thx for the hub - and also, thx to all who are commenting and sharing...
Hi Myth - Oh dear...I didn't mean to make work for you! :)
What I love most about this hub is the responses it has been getting from people. Everyone seems to feel comfortable discussing their ideas of what religion means to them and nobody has said one derogatory thing. Imagine that! Perhaps there is hope for humanity somewhere on middle ground?
Thanks for stopping in...I have to go check you out now.
I was raised a nothing. I think I can count on one hand how often I've been to church, but I guess that's helped me keep an open mind. My in-laws, on the other hand, are not open at all. Every visit involves either questions on when Cecilia will be baptisted, or they leave behind directions to the closest Roman Catholic Church. *sigh*
Spryte, this is probably the best presentationsof "Freedom" I have ever read. Admitting that you do not know, is liberating isn't it? I have said many times that "I will find out when I get there." We are kindred spirits you and I, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
I recently wrote to another Huber that; "my system of beliefs does not compel me to look for converts" And I stand by that. When I know my answer, I will share only with those that wish it, and will never compel other's to my "Campsite" If you and I arrive at the same place, I'll be sure to have a fresh bag of marshmallows ready for you. I only ask that you do the same for me if you should arrive there before me. Once again, Bravo!
Row - :P You weren't raised a "nothing" LOL! Gawd woman I miss you! Every time I think of good times...I think of you singing along to that awful South Park song and me thinking...did that just come out of her mouth???! :) Or sitting around in our jammies watching Survivor and drinking hot chocolate. Themz were good timez!
Y'know...a part of me thinks that it isn't fair to bury a child in a specific religious belief. It's not like they have a choice right? But then again...I really would have hated to miss the whole experience growing up. Religion was different for me as a child...probably because it was easier to believe that somebody was always watchign over me...and not just my parents. So...which is best? I don't know.
Trooper - You gave me the wonderful gift of a smile with your comment. Of course I'll share my marshmallows with you...any time!
I believe God made each one of us. We are all his children and he doesn't put more emphasis on one group or race nor than another race or group of ppl. He said we are all the same to him. And I agree with some of the points made in this article, life would be much better if we were all one big homogenized lump of humanity. Enjoyed this hub, please free to visit me at my sight, I write short story mysteries and hopefull you'll be entertained enough to become one of my fans. Blessings to you!
I randomly found your page and I love it! I love people who write like you, it makes all the 'bulbs' in my head light up! I thought I should share my view. The thing about religion is that I think it makes one closed minded and people tend to subconsciously add their own thinking into, for example, Christianity. They work like lawyers trying to convince the jury and convince them that they're the right side. They manipulate the 'law' to back up whatever claims they have created. From studying the Bible, I believe that this wasn't what God intended. There are so many pages of the bible where God complained about people twisting their ideas and calling it God's word. The best way, I find, to read the Bible or any other 'religious' book is to be open-minded to learning. If someone has a closed or preconceived idea, they would never understand (and that goes for a lot of things in lofe as well).
Keep on writing, you're so interesting!
Well, I must say that I am VERY happy to have you randomly find this hub. It is one of my personal favorites. Thank you for sharing your ideas and adding to this article...I think some of the most interesting "stuff" occurs when people leave comments as you have. :)
Mighty Mom 3 years ago
I don't understand how any religion can believe theirs is right and everyone else's is wrong. Tolerance, people! That's what God -- I don't care which version you worship -- would want for us all.
I like the visual of being a daisy among daisies but missing the colors of a garden!
Excellent hub and excellent choice for right before Easter!! Great to have you back actively hubbing, Ms. Spryte! MM