Pooooor religion. I have to feel for it a bit.
What started as a way to explain the way things are - to give people something to believe in - has turned into a justification for violence and bigotry. A good thing used by the wrong people.
Like baking cookies and using them on a diabetic.
Me? I'm a Christian. It's what works for me. It's my piece of the divine puzzle. But I understand that my piece doesn't fit for everyone. And I think if we all had the same piece, we would have a hard time completing the final picture. My personal belief is that if there is a divine force somewhere in this universe, it would be a little vain to think we have it all figured out after such a short existence. But I think it's possible that we could all have part of it right, even if it's a small part. I've used the elephant example so many times I'm sure some of you have heard it already. Then again, it's been a while since I got religious here.
Long story short: You put five blind men in a room with an elephant, place them around different parts of the elephant, and then ask them what an elephant is. One will say it's like a tree trunk (legs), one will say it's like a snake or a hose (trunk), one will say a large leaf (ears), etc etc. None of the men are wrong, they just don't see or understand the whole.
That's how I feel about religion.
I don't see other faiths as a challenge to mine as long as they don't come stomping around trying to piss on my puzzle piece. Or my cookie.
Too many metaphors. I'm feeling silly this evening, I don't know why I'm posting in ID. I guess it seemed like a good time to share a religious opinion. I may not agree with everyone's religion, but who am I to say that it's wrong? My personal beliefs are that you shouldn't hurt other people so I'll stand up for that. But as long as your religion isn't hurting anyone, I have no beef with it.
My faith is personal and my own, and it's brought me a lot of good. I don't go to church as often as I used to, but I pray a lot. It's helped me come to a state of mind that there is nothing that I can't make it through. And I think that's what's important. More important than how many verses you know or what sins your neighbors committed. It's an inner peace that has been really valuable to me. And I think finding that inner peace for yourself is more important than how you found it.
Cheers, other pieces!
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