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Sunday, 03 January 2010

BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE & BELIEF: GOD & ME…


I have been asked on more than one occasion what belief in God is. I know that my weekly entries that bash religion left a few out there confused about whether I belief in God or not; and while some see my views about religion as blasphemous, (which is MORE than fine with me btw), I cant help but smile @ the notion that people believe that you can’t believe in a God without religion. Whether God existed or not wasn’t paramount to me, I just found it interesting how folks either embrace OR shun his/her existence. And while I understand both points of view, I am MORE than happy to plant myself FIRMLY BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE & BELIEF where God is concerned.

Since I was a little boy, I ALWAYS thought about how GREAT it would be to grow up and stare religion down. If God existed, the way in which mortals serve him with their wobbly altar that is RIDDLED with words that most put humans down, the collect plate that is @ a rakish angle on the table AND DON’T GET STARTED ON THE TALKING IN TONGUES & CATCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT, would any God seriously mix with this type of worshipers? They are what I call THE DEVOUT, LEVEL 1 of the belief system. They equate their religion to God and NO doubt that they are correct. Their mantra is, I BELIEVE EVERYTHING I’VE EVER BEEN TOLD & I AM NOT GOING TO QUESTION IT! I feel that they just need to re-evaluate who OR what they believe AND what he/she expects of them.

Then you have me that’s smack comfortably in the middle. I would consider me to be a LEVEL 2, THE SPIRITUAL BUT PARTIALLY AGNOSTIC PERSON. I am that persons having some doubts and believes that EVERYTHING ISN’T QUITE RIGHT WITH EVERYTHING I’VE BEEN TOLD & THOUGH I CAN’T PUT MY FINGER ON IT, I AM GOING STAY IN THE MIDDLE FOR NOW. I know this may seem like the coward’s way out, but MY belief is a mind over matter type of situation…I am NOT won over based solely on the cold hard facts nor am I the type who has yet to allow any doubts to even enter his consciousness.

And finally you have the persons that the persons that believe it is BRUTAL to be trained to sit quietly and listen to sermons about a God that does NOT exist. So being a logical man, I can see their point. However I am NOT TOTALLY sold. I get where they are coming from, but I can’t base my beliefs on things that I can feel, touch and/or taste alone. I need more than a BIG BANG THEORY. Though I would argue more for this side, I wouldn’t necessarily throw the persons from level 1 under the church bus. This group is what I refer to as LEVEL 3, THE ATHEIST. They NO doubt that God is pure speculation, myth and superstition. Their mantra is, I FOUND THE COURAGE TO QUESTION THE VERY ROOTS OF THE BELIEF SYSTEM, & FOUND IT TO BE INCORRECT…SO I REPLACED IT WITH A BETTER ONE! They leave NO room for shades of gray in between the levels.

So given all of this, the subject of God will continue to leave us feeling muddled and unfocused, unsure of which way to turn; and being humans we feel like if we can’t see where we’re going or where we’ve come from, we might run into something that will destroy us. I believe that THE best choice for me is to NOT wait for things to become clear, but to keep myself grounded in between knowledge AND belief.

19 comments:

  1. Hi:
    Brilliant! Love your blog...but you know that if you can't explain certain things, like creation, the universe and that kind of stuff does not mean that you have to fabricate all these outlandish explanations and myths. They (religious ones) chose to have "faith" in those things that at best are fairy tales and totally improvable.
    And in the process of attempting validation hurt a lot of people and are detrimental to society.
    saludos,
    raulito
    http://fromtop2bttm.blogspot.com/

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  2. Hey there,TGK. Religion has long been a subject that I trtry not to discuss when it comes to the existance of God. Long ago ,there were thought to be hundreds of Gods that controlled every aspect of the human life. there was a God of Love. There was a God for Hate . There were Gods that were in some form associated with every human emotion or deed. Now , I feel that because of the modernization of the bile most people understand that is One God overe all Gods.here is only one CREATOR.Through the bible we learn about angels and demons and so forth, all of which were created by God.To say that there is no od is kind of confusing because who can truly explain the miraculous change of events that have brought forth our world. ...

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  3. always introspective. this was a good read and got me thinking.

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  4. Your journey is the only road toward self actualization. One must question and be questioned. Enjoy the journey. I don't discuss why I'm a Humanist with most Black folks because WE are not ready to question nor think critically about that which mama and grandma forced me to believe.

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  5. Personally not a "religious" man but not Agnostic, lately I have come to understand that if I need a word for my belief structure it is that of Gnostic.

    Though even in that it is a label and when it comes to spiritual matters label prohibit and inhibit.

    Best just to allow that spirit within you to teach you and not listen to any human, especially them who prefer a label over knowledge.

    Be Well

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  6. It's always been interesting to me that EVERYBODY - EVERY CULTURE - from Western Urbanites to the most isolated and "primitive" of people believe in some higher power, some greater "other". So it would seem, to me, that the impulse toward the spiritual is something intrinsic to our very being as opposed to just being what we learn. Although I'm not a fan of any organized religion - too much hatred and death in the name of "religion" - I do believe that each one us has the power to find god within us.

    Love, Scott

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  7. RAULITO – YOU ARE SO RIGHT! THANKS FOR THE COMMENT…

    MACKSON – WHO CAN EXPLAIN THEM INDEED?

    THE CPA DOC – MY JOB IS DONE…

    THE PULPIT – I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN…

    THE WALKING MAN – ALWAYS A PLEASURE READING YOUR THOUGHTS…

    SCOTT747 – I TOO BELIEVE THAT GOD IS IN EACH OF US…

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  8. Most importantly, we must separate myth from fact...just because our instinct of self preservation tells us that we are afraid of the end does not mean that we have to invent something to make the end more pallatable. If man's ego is so large that he can't come to terms with his own finality, then he has to have some kind of "faith" and that too is twisted.
    saludos,
    raulito
    http://fromtop2bttm.blogspot.com/

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  9. RAULITO - YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT SEPARATING FACT FROM MYTH AND THAT'S WHERE I AM...

    MISS SHALLOTTE - JUST OK?

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  10. I don't know what label you would give me when it comes to matters of faith ... I love what you say about staying grounded between knowledge and belief though I don't feel as though thinking about matters of faith keeps me muddled but rather it keeps me searching for something bigger than anything intellect could every fully comprehend.

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  11. (1) What I know is, once God touches your life, u change. And all your doubts & questions regarding His existence cease to exist.

    (2) As far as I know, people can & do speak in tongues & they do 'catch the Holy Spirit'. Unless I don't understand what u mean, people 'catch the Holy Spirit' bec that is the time when God speaks to them (yes, God does speak. A topic on its own). In my experience there are people who fake it, but it's very simple to know who does/doesn't. When u 'catch the Holy Spirit', something happens inside of u, it take control of u & u do things & say things over which u have no control. Remember the saying: 'the body is a temple of God'? or 'We are made in the image of God'? God is a Spirit & He lives in us. We are a part of God & He is a part of us. So yes, it is possible to 'catch the Holy Spirit'.

    (3) Does Religion equals God? I guess by religion u mean Christianity/Buddhism/Islam etc? Can u believe in God without believing that Christ (for e.g.) was/is God's Son, sent by the Father Himself to help humanity find salvation? Can u believe in God/is your belief complete without the belief that God has given His Son the power to rule the Heavens & the Earth & that Christ is the key to the Kingdom of God; that no one can come to the Father except through Him? I DONT KNOW IF THAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR ALL MANKIND but what I know from my side of the fence is that God has annointed & chosen Christ to be the Messiah & that through Him we may salvation. Christ is a Guide, so to speak. And this is coming from someone who @ some point was sceptical & left church at the age of 12. Today the world is a different place for me.

    (4) U sau u are spiritual but believe that not everything is quiet right with everything u've been told. No amount of preaching/threats of damnation were able to turn me into a believer. I am where I am today not because of what someone said or bec I got an invitation from a friend. And I know what I know not bec I have been listening to some preacher somewhere, nor do I listen to what other people say & internalise it. No man is my teacher. Why should they be when God is a part of me & I a part of Him?

    (5) So u are not 'won over based soley on cold hard facts & u can't base your belief on things u can feel, touch & taste alone. I don't know what to tell u, except that once God 'touches' u & opens your eyes, all the drama is over. U will know what is/isn't. It is that simple.

    If u had told me 6yrs ago that I would be where I am today, talking about God & visions, I would have told u that u were crazy. I had some vague idea that God was there but I didn't really get it & I didn't want people bothering me with talks of God & salvation & what not. But I changed & it was not by convincing from another person.

    Sooo.. Kishna-Andrew, which Level am I? I would say by your definition, I'm Level 1. Am I right?

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  12. Now that I really think about it.. U just need a little tweeking here & there to fall off that agnostic fence u're perched on. U are a child of the spirits, whether u say so or not. Otherwise, I would not be so 'attracted' (for lack of a better word) to u. U just exasperate me sometimes, but then I was in your position once.

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  13. great post
    loved this

    linked it

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  14. Right there in the middle with u buddy.

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  15. MISS SHALLOTTE
    1. I HAVE NO DOUBTS ABOUT HIS EXISTENCE, I JUST DON’T GO ABOUT GOD THE WAY OTHERS DO…

    2. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT FAKE SPEAKING IN TONGUES…WELL TEACH ME REAL FROM THE FAKE…

    3. HOW DO YOU KNOW THESE THINGS FOR SURE?

    4. I DON’T NEED WHAT THEY SAY TO BELIEVE IN GOD…

    5. YOUR POINT HERE IS MIS-GUIDED…DID YOU READ THE ENTRY WITH CLARITY? I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE ATHEIST OUT THERE…

    IF YOU WANT TO BE A LEVEL 1 THAT’S ON YOU…DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE I AM COMING FROM? THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME I TALKED ABOUT MY BELIEF IN GOD…IT SEEMS THAT IF I AM NOT ON YOUR SIDE OF THE FENCE, THEN I DON’T BELIEVE…THAT’S NOT THE CASE LOVE…

    JIMMY – THANK YOU

    TRU3LOGIC – IT IS NICE TO HAVE SUCH GREAT COMPANY!

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  16. Alright, pardon me for misunderstanding u.

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  17. damn it Mr. Keeper of the Gayte you never cease to amaze with your writing. Love this entry!

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