**I hope you don't mind D.V - but I decided to share my email to you because I had a couple of emails about my previous postings on Christianity and it is something I believe deserves to be addressed to all who raised questions. I also realize that is a personal entry to which some might take offence; however, I am choosing to post my emotional/spiritual journey in Rwanda because I think it is important to my growth as a human being**
I consider all of your responses/emails to my postings an important part of my personal analysis of my experiences here. Thank you for taking the time to reflect and add to the dialogue on the issues this journey has raised or reinforced in my consciousness.
I fear sometimes I offend people who have CHOSEN to be Christian. I believe there is a difference between those who have blind faith and those who take the time to consider - well maybe not consider- but, respect other religions. My thoughts on religion are quite basic - if it brings you comfort and permits the souls of humanity, of any faith, to belong to your "heaven" based on the merit of being a good human being - please, believe. I find it difficult to be told I am going to hell because I do not believe in Jesus when I know I live my life according to the ten commandments, perhaps more faithfully than some Christians I know. To me - the values espoused by the commandments are reflective of my beliefs in what it means to be human, moral, and ethical. I do not mean to pick on Christians - it is simply the context through which this discussion began.
The reality is that I am envious of those who have chosen to believe - those who find comfort in one particular religion - whichever one that is. I sometimes wish I had faith in a system that was more concrete than the abstract collection of beliefs I have gathered from the different religions I have come across in my travels and life experiences. As many, I have experienced moments in life when I have had to examine my own mortality and I found it terrifying that I did not have a place to go - physically, mentally or emotionally - where I felt safe to really think about our purpose on this planet and selfishly, my own afterlife.
My life experiences have been such that I realized at a young age I could not believe in the religion in which I had been raised. I had too many questions and could not bring myself to accept the solutions my religion provided. Since, I have searched for answers in other religions and have not found one that fits my values/beliefs. So, I live my life with the comfort that my 'stolen' beliefs from many different religions/spiritual scholars, quilted together in my soul, may not be shared with others but they are mine and I know that I can remain true to them.
The reality is that I am envious of those who have chosen to believe - those who find comfort in one particular religion - whichever one that is. I sometimes wish I had faith in a system that was more concrete than the abstract collection of beliefs I have gathered from the different religions I have come across in my travels and life experiences. As many, I have experienced moments in life when I have had to examine my own mortality and I found it terrifying that I did not have a place to go - physically, mentally or emotionally - where I felt safe to really think about our purpose on this planet and selfishly, my own afterlife.
My life experiences have been such that I realized at a young age I could not believe in the religion in which I had been raised. I had too many questions and could not bring myself to accept the solutions my religion provided. Since, I have searched for answers in other religions and have not found one that fits my values/beliefs. So, I live my life with the comfort that my 'stolen' beliefs from many different religions/spiritual scholars, quilted together in my soul, may not be shared with others but they are mine and I know that I can remain true to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment