Religion and Spirituality are a confusing matter especially when we try to better understand the world with other eyes, beyond what we can see. Many people claim that, like the wind, God is always present but we can only feel Him.
When we speak of God, the same images and ideas come in our minds, Jesus on the cross. However, there are people who stand out for the difference in thought and strength of their beliefs. To better understand some questions, I had the help of @Agape93, @Grond21 and @jennifer_bloom who agreed to share with us some of their opinions and knowledge on this controversial topic.
In your opinion, how would you describe God?
@Agape93: Depends on the god in question. If you’re speaking of the abrahamic god of judeo Christianity, I would describe him as weak, cruel, capricious and foolish.
@Grond21: This is a tough question. Because I am constantly learning about him, and the more I learn the better he gets. But I know it's not him who's changing, it's me. I would say though, that he is a God who is strong, reliable, loving to an insane degree, full of mercy, and really genuinely wants to get to know you on a personal level. In fact, there is nothing you could do that could ever push him away.
@jennifer_bloom: God is the light of love and grace and the medicine of mercy and meaning.
How can you be sure of God's existence?
@Agape93: Same as any other, intuition. A gut feeling that it makes sense. Do I believe he is as is described in the texts? Of course not. Maaaany things in them have been demonstrably proven to have never happened. So I guess we can add “liar” to #1.
@Grond21: For two reasons, one my own experience and the other philosophical logic. I have had a personal experience that proves his existence to me. It doesn't prove it to others, but that's okay. And then philosophically, the arguments for God's existence are airtight and numerous. Logically, I haven't seen any argument that refutes them. And these arguments have stood the test of time, for centuries.
@jennifer_bloom: God has created confirmation for me that His words are true by proving things in the bible.
Do you think there is a place for people after death, who have done good things (Heaven) and for those who have done evil (Hell)?
@Agape93: It depends on their belief system, what they worship if anything, and if they’ve given the rights to their souls to any being. It’s not so cut and dry.
@Grond21: I most certainly do. I believe that God made us to be with him in heaven. And he wants us to freely choose him. Because he loves us. If it's not a free choice, then we don't love him back. And so there has to be a free choice to reject him forever, which is what hell is. As CS Lewis said, the gates of hell are locked from the inside.
@jennifer_bloom: Yes I believe there is reward and punishment after death for those who do good and those who do evil.
Do you believe we have a soul?
@Agape93: Absolutely.
@Grond21: Yes. We are equally soul and body. Conjoined, neither superior than the other.
@jennifer_bloom: Yes I believe the soul is the instrument you use to play the music of God in your heart.
Do you believe in coincidences or miracles can be real?
@Agape93: Coincidences and ones application of Will. I don’t believe in miracles.
@Grond21: I think that there are things that look like coincidences. And it's fine to treat them that way. But then there are things that are miracles that cannot be explained any other way. Like the sun moving in the sky in erratic patterns, witnessed by 70,000 people.
@jennifer_bloom: I believe in both coincidence and miracles.
How do you see God? Who is He to you?
@Agape93: He’s a weak, jealous fool of a god. Unworthy of my devotion or respect.
@Grond21: My savior. My rock in the storm. The one who will have open arms and welcome me back whenever I have rejected him. I feel like the prodigal son, who keeps turning away and he always welcomes me back.
@jennifer_bloom: I view God as my unattainable goal like Harvard or Stanford. I’m always pursuing Him but I never come anywhere close to the perfection or change He wants in me.
Do you consider yourself committed to your religious teachings?
@Agape93: Devoutly so.
@Grond21: Yes. I am a sinful human, and it is a real struggle sometimes. But yes I do.
@jennifer_bloom: I would say I try to commit to some aspect of God each day but there are many areas where I fall short.
Do you think being religious and spiritual is different?
@Agape93: Yes. Religiousness and spirituality are two overlapping magisteria. You can be one or the other, or both, like myself.
@Grond21: Radically different. To be spiritual but not religious is just to worship a god of your own choosing. One who is just a vague impression, who makes you feel good and makes no demands of you. it's just something that makes you feel nice. But to be religious is hard, because you're actually following a creed and a person. Just like loving a person in real life can be hard because of who they are and what they ask of you, so too when you are religious you have to conform your life to the person you are following. That is not easy. So while religion can be very spiritual, being spiritual without religion is not even close to the same thing.
@jennifer_bloom: For me being religion means you worship and pursue wisdom while being spiritual means you understand and embrace the beauty of our emotional and moral lives.
Are science and faith mutually exclusive?
@Agape93: Yes I believe so. Religion touches on things science cannot quantify and understand. Science deals with the physical world, and that’s it.
@Grond21: It depends on what kind of faith you mean. On one end of the face scale, you have fundamentalism. This is practically synonymous with superstition. Where someone believes something without evidence, and even if evidence is given them, they rejected if it contradicts their belief. Then on the other end of the belief spectrum, you have the faith like you would have in your best friend. You know that they are trustworthy. You can't say exactly when you knew this, or exactly what it was that taught you it was true. But you have faith and it is not in any way contradictory to reason. This is the good kind of faith, and if your religious faith is of this kind, it will not contradict logic or science in any way.
@jennifer_bloom: I am not sure if science and faith ever have disagreements but I don’t think they do if some scientist is willing to acknowledge that his views can be circumvented.
In your opinion, what is the point of life?
@Agape93: To do ones Will, to achieve ones True Will. To love and achieve love. That’s the point of my life. To anyone else, it is what they decide to do with it.
@Grond21: To pick up your damn cross and carry it up the hill to the kingdom of God.
@jennifer_bloom: Life has many purposes - some merely try to survive while others care for people and still others pursue a vocation or seek self improvement. So long as your reason is positive and acknowledges God you are free to come up with the purpose you believe best reflects your own life.
I thank the interviewees once again for the time and knowledge shared with all of us. Regarding to the unknown, our answers tend to generate more questions and it is never easy to come to a single thought. When we speak of God, even the strongest faith is shaken at the slightest sign of eternal doubt:
Are we alone, after all?
Thanks for reading!
#scctakes #food4thought
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