I’m going to publish an “I Believe” post. It’ll be the kind that talks about faith – real faith, the faith that doesn’t necessarily have a definition but that makes me who I am and directs my hopes and fears. And it’s going to be a little scary to share that with you because, like I said, I feel sometimes like I’m alone in not having a distinct community of people who believe the same things I do. But I’m going to publish it anyway and I hope that it encourages you to talk about your faith, too, if you haven’t before, no matter if you belong to an organized religion or not. I know that each one of us gets to a place where we are comfortable sharing these things in our own time, but I’d love to read if you are!
Please do share your own "I Believe" thoughts in the comments below if you're comfortable; regardless, I'd love to know what thoughts this post (and the other responses) inspire. You're a wonderful group of people and many of you have been here for a while, so it goes without saying that I expect the conversation to be respectful but I absolutely do encourage different angles. Please consider this a safe space and help me keep it one. And finally, as I replied to Jenna earlier this week, this is some (but not all - I've limited myself to 10 points here) of what I believe now and I hope that my beliefs will continue to evolve throughout my life.
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin; cast in bronze 1925
Rodin Museum (Philadelphia)
I believe in one God.
I believe that science and faith in God are not mutually exclusive; that they coexist and they illuminate each other and that when we make further discoveries in the scientific realm we are engaging in spiritual exploration as well.
I believe that there is no one right way to define or worship God and that we all do so in a context that best fits and/or explains our understanding of the world around us; as Rousseau said, "God created man in his own image and man, being a gentleman, returned the favor."
I believe that God doesn't care how we define or worship him as long as we are kind, loving, and generous to those we know and to those we do not know.
I believe that God loves us so much that he will let us make decisions that hurt us rather than impose on our free will.
I believe that God is too immense to dictate to us about morality; that he trusts us to construct our own from love and hope and faith in all people.
I believe that any organized religion can be a force for good or for evil.
I believe that fundamentalism is dangerous no matter what name it gives itself; that extreme and exclusive dogma is counterproductive to true faith in God and in man.
I believe that while the details of my faith should (and, hopefully, will) evolve over time, no one can undermine it by believing something contrary or contradictory.
I believe that questioning is a sign of confidence, not weakness, and that every time we reaffirm our beliefs or reconstruct them to reflect our changing consciousness of the world around us we glorify God and the power and autonomy with which he endowed us.
What do you believe?
