Faith, Spirituality and Religion

Coming from a Bible-belt state, I often get asked about my thoughts and beliefs on religion, faith and spirituality. Growing up I went to both Seventh Day Adventist and Baptist churches. My parents believed we should be exposed to both. I took things away from both that I still use in my life today but I could tell, even at a young age, Christianity did not have all the answers for me.

Getting older and being exposed to more people, opened my eyes to other types of religions, faiths and spiritual belief systems. I began to realize the world is so much bigger than the Bible and Christianity and all its denominations. Education through talking, listening and reading really opened me to a better place. A place of love, understanding and a belief system that accepted more than just the Bible as the only “right” way to live life.

Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Wiccan and all the other faiths and religions have their place in the world as well. Life is not easy and as human beings, we need something to believe in to help keep us stable. Faith, religion and spirituality are about personal belief. About what feels right to the individual. Personally, I took something from all of them and joined it into something that works for me.

I cringe when I see people attempting to cram their ideas and beliefs down other’s throats. That they have the only right way to believe and anyone who does not is going to live a horrible life. No one ever has a right to try to force their ideas on someone else as the only right way. Believing other’s ideas and beliefs can have value or add something to our lives is the only way we grow. Without the ability to think and process for one’s self, we stay stunted, stuck in dark places.

I am still learning, so I attempt not to judge. I have to admit it gets hard at times when extremists enter the picture. But I believe with any form of faith, spirituality, religion or any point in life, everything is better somewhere in the middle ground then at the extreme outer edges.  People have a right to choose how they want to represent themselves to the world in these aspects.

I am still be exposed to the world, as a result, my faith, spirituality and ideas of religion are constantly changing. I continue to grow. Proudly, I considered myself spiritual. I do not believe in one religion more than another. Parts of all of them make sense, while other parts do not. I have faith in the people or things that help make me strong, loving and continue to grow. I have faith in those who chose to make this world a better place. I attempt to be one of those people.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/in-good-faith/

 

 

Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful

I consider myself a spiritual person.  My faith is something that surrounds me all the time, it’s not just found on Sunday inside a Church or dependent on the rules and ideas of one particular book, person or idea.  Spiritual for me, means that we live as well as we can, help others and that karma does play a huge role in life.

I have more problems with the ideas of many organized religions because many of them seem to come with rules that exclude people for one reason or another.  While that might work for the masses, it doesn’t work for me.  I believe a true faith doesn’t exclude anyone, instead it invites all to take part and join in if he or she so chooses.  It also doesn’t say someone is wrong just because of the person they chose to love or the colors of their skin or because they might have different ideas of what faith is.  Faith is and always will be individual to each person.

You might ask, if I believe in God or any of the other deities of the many religions?  I will say I don’t know if there is a higher being, but I do believe there are more powerful things in the world than me.  There are plenty of things I don’t understand or can even being to explain.  I do believe there are forces at work around us that can help to guide us down the different paths of life. What exactly those forces are, I don’t claim to know but I do believe they exist and I do believe the signs are put there for us to read if we are open to looking for them.

I like the teachings of both Buddha and Jesus, that we should be loving and kind to every being, including ourselves, because we are all connected.  Most religions offer shame and ostracization when you don’t fit the mold of what they believe is the “right” way to live and think.  We do live in a world that connects, where the actions of one can and will have reaching consequences for someone else, whether it be bad or good.

Sometimes my faith in the world around me falters, especially in times where it seems like so many are fighting and so many believe that getting ahead means stepping on anyone who gets in their way.  I try to continue to see the good but it is hard when the news is filled with nothing but people killing others and having no love for each other.  My faith cries out at all the bad in the world and for all the ones who are left to fiend for themselves.  What’s so wrong with humanity helping each other, instead of helping only one’s self?

To strengthen my faith, I go sit on a mountain top or watch the waves roll in on the ocean.  It’s from these places and many more that I find peace in knowing that my faith is strong and what is right for me.  I’m still on the spiritual search and am open to new ideas because I believe true faith constantly evolves and never remains static.

More articles about being Faithful or Unfaithful:

• Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful
• Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful
• Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful
• Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful
• Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful