Death blows... I mean it BLOWS! Confidence should not be confused with faith. To me, one is borne of security and the other is fueled by hope. Where either has its merits, they are nothing alike.
Hope may spring eternal, but I do not. Each day is a struggle for the security that easily fades when I am weak and helpless, only to be brightened and reaffirmed when Amy appears, when she speaks. Confidence glows when I see my family, hear from my friends, when I can again understand that I am never alone in life. To die is to leave all who I love, all that I love, requiring faith that beyond heaven on earth lies a Utopian fantasy better than life, perfect and eternal. I believe a bird in the hand is better than two in a bush, even a burning one. I cannot rely on parable to convince me that I will be in a better place when I die.
I want to live as long as I'm not killing those around me. I have no interest in experimenting with the afterlife. I'm not confident enough to feel secure in its existence and I refuse to take it on faith.
I truly believe that outside of faith and hope, the world is as clueless as I. Belief alone does not prove reality.
I don't mean to piss anybody off. I am not printing a recipe for argument. For those with faith who have every confidence in their beliefs, I am happy. I, however, must cling to what is tangible. I cannot imagine trading in life for anything. I cannot replace perfection.
Hope may spring eternal, but I do not. Each day is a struggle for the security that easily fades when I am weak and helpless, only to be brightened and reaffirmed when Amy appears, when she speaks. Confidence glows when I see my family, hear from my friends, when I can again understand that I am never alone in life. To die is to leave all who I love, all that I love, requiring faith that beyond heaven on earth lies a Utopian fantasy better than life, perfect and eternal. I believe a bird in the hand is better than two in a bush, even a burning one. I cannot rely on parable to convince me that I will be in a better place when I die.
I want to live as long as I'm not killing those around me. I have no interest in experimenting with the afterlife. I'm not confident enough to feel secure in its existence and I refuse to take it on faith.
I truly believe that outside of faith and hope, the world is as clueless as I. Belief alone does not prove reality.
I don't mean to piss anybody off. I am not printing a recipe for argument. For those with faith who have every confidence in their beliefs, I am happy. I, however, must cling to what is tangible. I cannot imagine trading in life for anything. I cannot replace perfection.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, we all die. As far as the afterlife goes all you can have is faith in what you happen to believe in. As far as belief in Christ and salvation either you believe it or you don't. It's not something somebody else can do for you. In other words you can't pretend to believe it as if that would be some kind of afterlife insurance, just in case it's true. Some Christians have this all confused. They think they can brow beat people into believing, I'll admit they do it with good intentions, because that is what they were taught to do. Unfortunately the road to hell is paved with good intentions. (not sure if that last comment fits but it sounded good when I thought it.) As far as clinging to something tangible, that is a fleeting experience for all of us. Plus, at some time all of us will be required to trade in our life for the intangible. By the way, you didn't piss me off. Like I said earlier nobody can make anybody believe anything. We are each responsible for ourselves. You need to be confident in what you choose. Not what I would choose for you and I respect you for the decisions you make and your willingness to put them out there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark, well put. I appreciate that people gain faith in different ways. I'm glad I didn't piss you off grandpoppy
ReplyDeletehhhhmmmm.... Define life. You may bury a physical body but where is the MIND/SOUL housed? Is it attached and imprisoned physically to the body and only there? Or is it an energy which is everywhere and can not be created nor destroyed? You can keep the body alive and functioning with no awareness- or is the subconscious always listening even if it can't reply? What about those who say they have had experiences while dead to be brought back to full life full of stories? Funny how every country, every religion, every age of person seems to have similar stories of the afterlife. Oh wait- I forgot- ALL, every single one of those people are wrong or mistaken in the same way because it's an unexplainable glitch of the mind in the death process according to some doctor somewhere. It couldn't be that those people actually know what they are talking about. Can't be. That would be too simple and make way too much sense. Especially the children of nonreligious parents who go into great detail of meeting God or Jesus or the same white light and tunnel. Or what about Uncle Jimmy who told, in exact detail, what happened while they jump started his heart. A nonreligious experience, verified by those who we personally know. Just asking.
ReplyDeleteIts still all just speculation. Heaven. Reincarnation. Nirvana. Eutopian society. A perfect government.
ReplyDeleteSo- no matter how much evidence there is you choose to not believe it. Is the world still flat then? You aren't willing to debate the possibilities?
ReplyDeleteHow did Zhou light you on fire with his hands? (something you thought was impossible before you met him and experienced it) How did Dr. Nemeh get rid of your anxiety in just one SKYPE session? I thought you were deeper than to just say- I don't know and I'm too lazy to look into that because it doesn't fit my preconceived notions.
Interesting.........I, myself, believe in the afterlife. Humans in general are wired to the tangible. Kind of a "Prove it" mentality. About 6 months ago I was in a furniture store and the salesman that walked up to me was a guy that I had taken into the hospital about a year prior. He recognized me, but I didn't recognize him. Out of nowhere he said, "You saved my life one day". After he recalled the situation I remembered who he was. He told me that after we got him to the hospital he was in the room with his wife waiting for a doctor and he coded..........not breathing and no pulse. He recalled the entire event from his wife rushing to get a doctor, the look on her face, her words, the responses of the doctors, the interventions they took.........everything! He said he watched them shocking his heart. He stated that he was above the whole scene watching down with clarity. If that was a response of the mind then tell me why his view of the scene was from above and not below. I stood there listening in shocked silence. He thanked me again and said that if we hadn't gotten him to the ED as fast as we did he wouldn't be alive. I walked into that store to buy a recliner and walked out with the most profound presence of God I have ever had. Make your own case...........
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