I believe there is a higher power and, for the ease of discussion, I'll call him God. I believe that God sends messengers to us on occasion to help guide us to the next step in our existence. In our recorded history, both legitimate and theological, he's sent us some good ones: John of Patmos, Moses, Muhammad, and Jesus. From a relative point of view, I believe that the three major religions today (Muslim, Christian and Jewish) are all facets of God. Just as our leaders (political and otherwise) try to wear many hats or have many faces to attract the most followers or help the most people, I believe that the three main religions are different faces of God.
In my opinion, God uses the three main religions (and possibly other minor religions) as tools to help and guide the most people in our world(s). As support, I point to the Tanakh (Judaism), Quran (Muslim) and Bible (old and new testaments). On a theological level from a Christian point of view, the Gospels (Mathew, Mark, John and Luke) are the same story of Jesus from different points of view. As an analogy, the three main religious texts (Tanakh, Quran and Bible) all the tell the same stories about Adam & Eve, Moses, Noah and Jesus. Only the relatively recent history (the last 1500 years or so) do the stories deviate and spiral outwards into their main theological differences. So in my mind, God is like a giant tree with each major branch being one of the three main religions of today. Funny thing is, each branch considers themselves the most important branch, or the only "right" branch and they are so busy making themselves "right" they can't see the bigger tree as a whole or the role of the tree itself.
I have a real problem with religious fundamentalism. God's message is of peace, understanding and love. People spreading hate, destruction and mayhem because God said it was a good are really fucking stupid. A cleric says to blow yourself up? A preacher is protesting military funerals because the military accepts homosexuals? A Rabbi is helping plan raids into another country? Get lucid and get a life. And in this country, don't hide behind freedom of religion and then use it as a shield to subvert the ideals of this country or impose your "right" view on the rest of us.
I know I'm not Catholic. Besides laying the ground work for some great movies about exorcisms and crusades, they have too many rules and too much kneeling. Besides, how can I respect the elders of the church when they have covered up child sexual abuse. I'm not Muslim and I can't follow leaders who tell me to blow myself up. And I'm not Jewish because I'm not rich or don't control a vast media empire.
As I read over what I've already written, I guess I've already given myself an answer. I believe in God as I describe him and I believe that faith, hope and charity help the most people. Now if only there was a church for that.
1st. There are more that three major religions. Buddhists outnumber all three of the ones you mentioned.
ReplyDelete2nd. To answer the question of what you are: you are by definition an Agnostic. You believe in God but do not define him and/or are not religious.
3rd. Most churchs are good communities of people in general. The Roman Catholics are a minority in this country when compared to several protestant churchs combined. The Pope speaks for a minority of American Christians so be careful about confusing and/or lumping them together into one organization.
4th. The Catholic Church seems more prolific because it is old, iconic and inflexible. This allows for great character conflicts that generally do not exist - or to such degree - as they do in protestant churchs.
5th. Ryan is right, you just haven't found the right church. To understand religion, really, you have to be part of it. We've known each other for years and don't take this the wrong way. I was born and raised in a church and went most every Sunday even into high school. You were not. What has been ingrained in me is alien to you, as growing up without a church as a moral foundation makes me pity you. I PERCIEVE that you have had a much harder time building up your moral character because you did not go to church, where some of the stiffness in my moral inflexibilities is alien to you. (Note, I'm not saying you are more or less moral than I am. I'm saying that our perceptions are very different because despite our otherwise identical socio-economic background and only-child righteousness, our parents raised us as opposites regarding how we see the role of religion in society and our lives.)
5th and finally. "When you follow God's message (peace, love and understanding), you're not really worried about what other people are doing or saying."
Nonsense. That statement is like the idiom "Why can't wall all just get along?"