God Almighty- Creator of the Universe.

My Faith

I believe in a God, who has power much beyond the imagination of humans. This God with unlimited power has created this universe and everything in it and is in control of everything, past present and future. The complexities of this universe, the human body or how intricately the nature and its systems are interwoven and perfectly balanced, will automatically confirm a Powerful God, who is much beyond our comprehension. It will also make one realise how insignificant we humans are in the grand universe we live in.

Humans are the only living things, which have the ability for reasoning, to think about future and therefore fear the unpredictable future. The animals have only instincts, fear, threat to their life and survival. Only man can think in a logical way, analyze information and come to conclusions, whereas most other animals can act mainly on instinct or on past experience. Humans therefore inherently feared and continue to fear, the unknown future. This natural fear of uncertain future was and is the driving force, for the search for God and of all religions. Humans worshiped any force beyond their control, from primitive times. Fire, wind, sun were worshiped as God, by primitive people. As human civilization made progress, the thinkers conceived and assigned various forms, to make this unknown force, realistic and more easily understandable. This God with unlimited power, was worshiped for favors, protection and future guidance and blessings. The humans are the only living things, which can conceptualize a life after death. All humans have a natural fear of future, both in this world and about the life beyond death. The Christian faith also teaches to look for goals beyond wealth and comfort in life, but also to an eternal life after death.

Faith in a higher power was and is essential, to calm the troubled human mind. Cutting off from worldly passions, like the sages, removes worries of future life here on earth. Human race still depends on the super natural power beyond their control, for the life here on earth and life after death. Various religious thoughts and interpretations by great thinkers have evolved over centuries and are followed by various faiths. Most of these religious teachings revolve around an Almighty God, with unlimited power, in control of everything now and future, including a life after death. Fear of God, is manifested through, submission, worship, offerings, penance and a life style, to please the creator. The religious thinkers and leaders prescribed practices, according to their interpretations of religious texts. All the religious scriptures are believed to have been written, with divine influence, God’s spirit or revelations to those saints who wrote them. These core beliefs seem to be more or less common to most religions. The human mind seem to derive the psychological calmness and euphoria it needs, by the strong faith and traditions of any religion, learned and practiced over a long period of time. It is a scientific fact that the human mind and body could be conditioned and manipulated by various methods and it has very little to do with any particular religious faith. Walking on fire, going into a trance, talking in tongues and even faith healing, are not exclusive to any one religious faith. Anyone with training can induce all these, as human mind is very powerful and has much physical influence over the body. The mind could be controlled and conditioned by many methods. A great majority of great thinkers, who were born and brought up in a particular religious tradition, find it difficult to change their faith, even after deep study of other religions. A strong faith in any religion or higher divinity seems to provide the humans the much-needed peace of mind and confidence, to get on with life in an orderly way.

All religions have made contemporary changes in their faith and practices, depending on progress and knowledge gained over time. The human and animal sacrifices of the past are an unacceptable practice today in most modern societies.

The fundamentalist thinking is present in all religions. The fundamentalists, has blind faith in their religious teachings and practices. They resist all changes. They not only exclude all other religious thoughts or concepts, but also want all others to accept only their way of thinking. This trait is also found in many religions, including some sects of Christians. This often leads to conflicts and even bloodshed, which is against most religious tenants. One should realise that the line dividing between faith and blind faith are so very thin.

All religions also serve the purpose of acceptable orderly social behavior and make the society behave in a disciplined manner. Belonging to a religious group, also gives individuals a sense of belonging, provides the human mind much needed social security. The humans are a social being and religion provides him the social life and a sense of belonging. The group worships, religious practices and discourses are useful to mould social behavior and life. Group singing, chanting, worship, music, meditation or prayer, no doubt provides the human mind, much needed calmness.

A God of universal love, kindness and compassion is common to most major religions.

Loving God, through loving others and all God’s creations, is a common ground in the broader sense, of most religious faiths. Most religious faith requires the selfish human desires to be controlled and to be content with just necessities of life. Most religions require the poor, orphans and the less fortunate to be taken care of as a service or thanks offering to the creator, the God Almighty.

Having stated some of the commonalities of most major religious faiths, it`s purpose and its effect on the humans; I would like to examine some of my own Christian belief, faith and practice.

I was born and brought up in a Christian family and traditions. We had daily family prayer at home. I have attended Sunday school, regular church services, bible study, conventions, discourses and activities of the Church of my faith. Yet I find it difficult to understand and accept many of the Christian tenants as it is taught, practiced or perceived by my Christian denomination.

I have difficulty in believing literally every word in the Bible as absolute unchangeable truth,` word of God`. I do accept that the Bible was written by persons with divine inspirations and accept the principles behind the Christian faith. I have difficulty in understanding many beliefs and practices. I accept Jesus Christ, his mission and teachings are divine. Yet I want to express my doubts about Christian faith we practice, in the hope that I would get more enlightenment on the all-powerful God, we worship.

The Christian worship consists of much praise to the God almighty. Is this to please God or our own peace of mind? Does God require our praise and confirmation to be great and holy? The Bible has stated that God can ask and get praises from stones, if He wanted to. Why are we giving so much significance to offering praises to God? Does thanking God by words, chanting, songs or prayer mean much to God Almighty or is it for our own calmness of mind?  Is it not more meaningful to demonstrate our gratitude and love to God, by our true love, compassion and help to the needy, sick and lonely fellow beings? ‘Did you cloth me when I was naked, feed me when I was hungry and visit me when I was lonely`?The God is love and compassion and the least we can do to please him is to reflect unselfish love and compassion to others. Real unconditional love and concern for others, without any prejudice, should result in true compassion and help to less fortunate. This is at the heart of Christian faith and also most other religious teachings. Accepting distress and difficulties, as divine assignment, is also part of most faiths and is not exclusive to Christian faith. Many Christian religious practices, has much selfish motives, including our prayers. We pray for gaining good health, peace of mind or material blessings for us, our loved ones, friends, our neighbors, our parish, religious leaders, our country, our leaders etc. We do this, so that we will have peace and happiness around us. Prayer, singing, group worship and meditation provide us the calmness or peace of mind. We do all this in the hope that all this will lead us to a peaceful happy life, here on earth and also after death for ourselves.  I believe that this selfish motivation is a major factor for our religious behavior. I believe that some of this selfishness is an essential trait for survival and is not a sin, at a controlled level. The fear of punishment, the selfish need to attain a happy life, here on earth and life after death, leads us to good social behavior and it serves a very valuable social purpose. In my view, this is one of the basic tenants also of Christians, like most other religions. This may be a difficult concept for many of us and religious leaders in particular to admit.

I want to understand the Christian concept of life after death and heaven, which is the ultimate hope and aim of all Christians, and many other religions. There are number of references in the Bible, of recognizing dead persons like Abraham, Elijah, and Moses. There is the story of the rich man and leper at his gate, recollecting earthly memories (parable told by Jesus himself) and of being with our loved ones in heaven. Restoring our body in an indestructible form, is part of Christian faith. I find it very difficult to understand, the ability to recognize people in life after death, as all our earthly memories are stored in the brain, which dies at death. A complex chemical process in the brain achieves this brain memory, which is destroyed at death. Unless a duplicate of our memory is stored and restored in life after death, by some ways beyond our present understanding, one cannot conceive recollection of anything from the earthly life. If it is restored by such a divine way, it also means that all of life’s experiences, good, happy, bad and painful, will also linger with you in the life after death. In such a case it is only a continuation of experiences of life on earth, which includes unpleasant events and relationships. This can not be Heaven of joy and peace but only a continuation of earthly life with all good and bad memories.  I have difficulty in understanding in such a life after death or heaven which includes our complex earthly memories, to recognize people.

Christian belief in the final judgment at the Second coming of Christ, when all the dead will rise with the living, is in conflict with Jesus narrating the story about the rich man begging God from hell after his death and the promise Christ made on the cross to the thief on the right, that he will be in paradise with Him “to day”, is difficult to be reconciled. Where our souls till the second coming of Christ are, is not clearly stated in the Bible.

 

The Christian theology teaches us that God almighty knew us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb. He knows our inner thoughts and motives (He has count of even the hair on our heads and not even a sparrow perishes without his knowledge). He knows the past, present and even the future. He is obviously in control of everything. Does this mean that the humans with the power of discernment cannot influence, alter their own life and future here on earth? Does everything go strictly according to a predetermined divine plan or set of laws? If this is true, there is no meaning in prayer, worship, kindness, and loving behavior or even any of the religious teachings. This is a major area of contradiction in our religious teachings. It is logical to think that God allows us freedom of behavior, so that we could make changes in our life. Everything will not only go according a predetermined divine plan and laws, but also deviate within certain limits, by our actions and prayers. Faith, prayer and our life style could change the future, at least to certain extent. If this is not true, there is not only room for religion, but also no meaning or purpose to life.

How do we  justify God making some people happy, others sad, some rich, others poor and starving, some healthy, others sick, some intelligent, others retarded or handicapped, some die young, others suffer prolonged pain and suffering, I believe that there is a purpose in everything God does. How can God be unfair and cruel to some, to be born into such sufferings? The Hindus, who believe in rebirth, justify it as the price paid for their previous life. The Bible clearly says it is not so. God’s ways are beyond our comprehension and logic. It has a purpose for everything, beyond the logical explanation, for this diversity of life.

 

I believe that the Bible was written by people under the influence of Holly Spirit or by divine revelations. Most of the New Testament scripture was written or modified by persons much after the time of Jesus and some of them by second-generation disciples. Only few of the authors have first hand knowledge of the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is therefore logical to assume that there have been deliberate or natural distortions in some of the teachings. It is natural, that over a long period of time, many interpretations and personal bias have crept into the books adopted into the Bible much later and formed Christian teachings. In modern light, it is unrealistic to expect to believe the Bible literally and that no word should be changed. I am inclined to believe that the broader Christian concepts of life revealed through the Bible and teachings and examples of Jesus Crist, are divine and are more important than literal meanings of words or stories in the Bible.

 

I have difficulty to accept the Christian teaching that salvation is possible only through proclaiming Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. Can a God of love and compassion, abandon a large proportion of human race, outside Christianity, to perpetual condemnation? What about the millions of past generations before Jesus Christ? How will they be judged? There are millions who have never had a chance of hearing about Christ.  I am unable to reconcile that a God of love and compassion, will abandon such a large majority of his own creation, without a fair chance to salvation. I am not questioning the divinity of Jesus Christ and his basic teachings.  Jesus Christ, was Divine, otherwise he could not have made such a great impact, in the world, within a short period of 3 ½ years of preaching in a hostile community.  I believe that there have been some serious deviations by early Christian church leaders, to give this religion more exclusiveness, to make it different. I believe that Christ only taught a religion of love and compassion to fellow beings. ‘`Love thy God with all thy heart and love thy neighbor as thyself’` in my view, summarizes or contains all his teachings. All other practices like child or adult baptism, being born again, Holy Communion, group worship, etc are rituals, which serves much useful purposes of commitment and an accepted social behavior for a cohesive religious faith.

Christian faith tells that if you confess your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your only God and savior, you will be saved. It also teaches that one will be judged according to his deeds in the final Day of Judgment and one cannot achieve salvation by his deeds alone but also by grace. Does this mean that one who lives a selfish, irresponsible life, can get salvation by only a subsequent change of mind? Being born again means a true change of mind and living a loving and compassionate life thereafter. I feel that this can take place with, belief in Jesus Christ as divine, follow the true practice of the philosophy of his teachings and not necessarily by accepting Jesus as the only savior. This is an area, where I need clarification.

I would invite comments and responses to my thoughts above, from anyone who has spent time to study these aspects of Christian faith in more detail. I am willing to keep an open mind to logical responses and would be grateful for sparing their time.

 

Part 2.

God obviously did not create all human beings equally endowed. Some are tall others are short, some intelligent others dull headed, some with ability for hard work, some gifted with music or gift of the gab, others less artistically inclined, some healthy, others with chronic illness, etc. Creative or inventive minds are gift of God. Same way, some are borne with criminal inclinations, weak will power to resist alcohol or drugs and get addicted to drugs. There is scientific proof to support genetic influence on behavior. Those who are born in good families, who are healthy, educated wealthy, should be aware that they enjoy these only by grace of God and not by their own cleverness, efforts or hard work. Every human individuals are differently created and are unique. Unfortunately the attitude of most towards the poor and the needy are that they are poor, because they are lazy, drink or waste their earnings, do not want to work or are not motivated. Most of us forget that the inherent genes with which they are born with, generations of deprivation in the past, present circumstances and many other factors much beyond their control, put them in the condition they are in. We have no right or are qualified to judge them or condemn them. If God has created them with such disadvantages, it is the responsibility of those who are better endowed by God, to take more compassionate approach to the poor and help them to the extend each of us can. Most of the time we are not willing to help or share, but only do lip service or at the most do something very marginally to help. God has given only one life to each one of us, in which we can help or do good to our fellow beings. There are many things (clothes, furniture and many more), which we do not use at all, which could be valuable to others, yet we do not part with them. Even your own children may not be able to enjoy much of what we think we are leaving for them. If you do not help with real concern and love to others, who work for you or you come in contact with you in your day to day life, God is not likely to be kind in your life here with peace of mind, joy and contentment or after death. What you can unselfishly do to others now is the only thing, which you can return to God in gratitude to Him for your life and blessings here.

 

There is also a political dimension and practical reason (compulsion), why we should be more kind and considerate to the less fortunate people around us. What happened in Russia, China and France? The poor organized themselves in violent revolutions, took away the wealth of the rich, both land and materials. The poor have very little to loose and could revolt even today, against a system of unequal wealth and opportunities, which is not fair to them. They are large in number, but are kept under control by a thin line of morality and a delicate system of law and order. The Naxalite movement, which is active in some parts of our country, should open our eyes. We could be victims to such violence or robbery anytime, if we do not understand their situation and do our part to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the needy around us. The pent up emotions of the poor is manifested through non violent methods of cheating, unreasonable demand of wages etc.. At political level, changes in government laws, reservation, public policies and taxation etc., are results of unfairness to the poor. Therefore it is wise to part with a small part of our time and wealth gladly to the poor and needy, before they take it away from us in some way or the other. Unreasonable behavior, cheating, stealing, robbing, or more legitimately through Government legislation, are natural responses. It is a practical compulsion to be kind and good to others for a peaceful life in a society with vide disparity in wealth. Coming back to the religious aspect, the Bible states that the blessings will go down to generations to those who are kind and do His will, which is, love and compassion, to fellow beings. We are probably enjoying God’s blessings from the goodness of the life of our forefathers and not by our own ability or achievement. If God created people with different abilities and blessings, we should also believe that He has his plans beyond our understanding. The bible teaches that God knew us even before our birth. John the Baptist was preordained for a job and was given a different name before his birth. God is in control of everything and we should trust him in everything, including our own and our children’s future. True faith in God reflects confidence about future. There is no point in complaining about the past, worrying about our future or of our children, even in adversities. This does not mean that we should not take reasonable care and act in our best judgment as God has given us the ability to analyse and take decisions. Next generation will have to live their life on their own terms and abilities. God will provide them the wisdom, skills and everything required, to take them through all phases of their life. We should learn not to interfere with their life, which is a reflection of your faith in God and also our confidence in them. We need not worry for our children.  We have had sickness, disappointments, disagreements, all of which are part of life. If we have real faith in God, we should be grateful and trust in God’s ability to give us peace, happiness and blessings we require, in the short period of life on earth. Christianity and also most other religions teach that God expects us to control our selfishness and desires. We are expected to love, care and share. This has to be spontaneous, generous and without expecting anything in return, not even gratitude. We are expected to do good to not only those in our judgment are deserving or good to us, but to all those who are less fortunate than us. Are we good to others because we fear them in some manner? We should only fear God and to some extent the society in which we live in. I am afraid of God for what he can do to us in this life here on earth.  We should show real concern for those who work for us and with us. We have a little bit of God or goodness in us. I believe that every human being also represents God or has a little part of Him. If we expect God to be kind to us, forgive us and not count our mistakes, we should try to behave to others in a similar manner. Our behavior and actions should earn the goodwill of the people with whom we have interaction and the society around us. We must help build a better society and our next generation will surely have the blessings to live in a better society. I am convinced that, irrespective of the faith or religion, this is what God expects us to do in our short life here, whether we enjoy many blessings or not.

I was impressed by a message I heard at our Church, as it reflects some of my thoughts and is the essence of all religions. The main theme of which is given below with some of my interpretations, which I believe is universal for all religions.

The Universe and everything in nature around us is not created by any accident, but by a super intelligent design. If you look at how the human body functions or anything else in nature, one can see how complicated and delicately balanced it is. This should convince us without any doubt that each one of us is here on earth at this point of time, not by accident but by Divine design to serve a purpose and a plan.

This does not mean that we do not have choices. We do become what we are on the basis of choices we are allowed to make in life. Each one of us has a specific time slot and purpose in our life on earth. What we are, our positions and everything that we have is given to us by God to serve a Divine purpose on earth. Only a limited time is assigned to each of us, to serve the Divine Power, who has placed each one of us here and now. This responsibility starts with our family, relatives, friends, and neighbors. It should extent to those who work for you, work with you, those who come in contact with us in our day-to-day life and even those whom we have never met, who suffer from hunger, poverty, pain, ill health, loneliness, mental agony and are less fortunate than us. You should have true love and unconditional compassion to all and should not sit in judgment of others on their appearance or behavior.

 

We are expected to use our talents and resources to share and serve others. We are expected to be honest and sincere in all that you are entrusted to do, from time to time. This is part of our Devine duty. Everything you have, your life, your talents, abilities are only by Devine Grace and we are holding them only as a trustee.

You have only a limited and specific time here on earth and will be called to leave anytime. You will not be able to take anything from here with you. You have only one chance, a short spell of time, to serve God on this earth. Whatever good service you do here on earth to God’s creation is service to God. You are expected to live this short spell serving others and not live in isolation or in selfish pursuits. The Devine God has his own glory and power and does not require our praises, meditation, penance or offerings. The church service, the scriptures, sermons, religious discourses and fellowship, serve to nurture, prepare and help you in this Divine plan to serve others.

You should be sincere and leave a pleasant relationship with everyone with whom you deal in your day-to-day life. You have to reconcile with all, forgive and love even those who have offended you. You may not get another chance to reconcile or serve others. Your short spell of time on earth has to be used for the glory of God, who has put you here on purpose. Devine God is true love and full of compassion, and each one of us represent Him here on earth. Therefore our life should reflect the same values. This in short is the Devine Purpose for us on earth, as we are part of the Devine God on earth.

 

K.George John.Tiruvalla.