religion and faith (also long)

[Davidius]

This is partly in response to the post made earlier about the crisis of faith that a person was having and partly to state what I believe. I have spent a great deal of time pondering such faith-challenging questions. I also feel very good about the answers I have to most of these difficult questions. However, what I have come to understand after reading the Gospels over and over again is that the true follower of Christ is defined not as a person who has all of their theological ducks in a row, so to speak, but rather a person who is living an authentic, compassionate, and responsible life. Jesus himself said that his true followers were the ones who do the will of the Father. One need look no further than the parable of the sheep and goats found in Matthew 25:31-46.

As for religion itself, I believe that it certainly does have meaning and value. It provides answers to "why" questions that science will never be able to answer. Why is there a universe? How did something so complex as the human body/mind come to be? How are we to understand miracles? What should I think about other people's spiritual experiences and my own? Why do we feel bad when we make a selfish decision, but feel good when we act kindly? These are the kinds of perennial questions that science does not have an answer to, and probably will never have an answer to. Not only that, but religion gives people a sense of meaning and context to people's lives. It fills the void that empty materialism cannot fill. It's comforting to believe in a just God that will figure everything out in the end. It's comforting to know that you are unconditionally loved by someone. It brings peace to the mind to be able to pray for strength when troubling times come upon you. It also offers hope that there is life after death, and that we can have eternal happiness if we live our lives in accordance to the teachings of Christ. In any case, faith and beliefs are important... but not as important as who you are as a person. As a great professor of mine puts it: "the two most important questions a Christian should ask are: what is God up to in this world, and what ought I to do." That's all.