Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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This thread is for the many posters on the board who are faithful (and willing to share their faith) to describe how they found their faith, the difference it has made in their lives, or any similar stories about how they, individually, have been bettered by such faith.
My hope is threefold:
1. That this thread will be a welcome and warming counterpoint to the various religious threads on the boards.
2. That explaining faith through personal stories will grant those of us lacking faith with a better understanding of what it means and avoid getting bogged down in arguments about historicity and such.
3. That a thread like this, which emphasizes the positive in faith, will do more to foster mutual understanding among the community than tighter moderation of the other religious threads.
I consider many of you to be friends, and hope this helps you find that you are not alone in this community. I sincerely look forward to your stories.
Who knows, maybe I'll be sufficiently moved to abandon the dark side...
Thank you.
I believe faith in something - whatever it may be - is not only a beautiful thing, but an essential thing.
I believe this because human beings are largely at their best, and accomplish their best, when they surrender their titanic egos and embrace humility. The best art comes from serving the art, not the self.
A for-instance might be the Beatles, who remained great even when they were angry at each other, because they only cared about their music. They served the songs without ego, with great faith in what they were creating, and so never lost their greatness together, even in difficult times.
This is true in all things. The best help you can give somebody is the help you truly give them, with no desire for anything in return. These actions require faith in some degree. Faith is essential, even if only in a friend, or neighbor, or declaration of law.
This is something I learned by doing: by being a servant to my own creative side and to the better angels of my nature, so to speak.
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Thank you Sebastian.
My faith in God is a very important part of not only my life, but who I am. It helps me reign in my darker impulses, strive to do right, and try my damnedest to be a good husband and father. I was raised Baptist, and when my father passed away I doubted God, I was angry at him and had little use for faith in general.
When my first son Kellen was born July 24th, 2002 something changed in me. I saw that even though I had turned my back on my heavenly father he had not forgotten me, not just in the gift of this wonderful child but in many other ways as well. Without going into too much detail, I have survived injury and event that should have left me dead, I had lived a life uncaring for my own. I know now that through this time He still looked after me, He called to me, and He loved me still.
For those of you who know me, you know that I try to express my faith and my beliefs through understanding, fellowship, and example. I try to be a better man than my nature would indicate not just for me, or my wife, or even my kids, but for all of you as well.
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... or any similar stories about how they, individually, have been bettered by such faith.
Here is a quick story posted yesterday about an event that happened last year. This story hits a lot closer to home than you would think but I can't get into why here because of where it happened.
But in the end, here's someone who felt led by God to help in an area that hated him simply because it was the right thing to do.
Just hoping that I'm even half the man he was.
Faith is something very personal and close to me. I find that my relationship with with God hard to describe or explain. Except to say that I know He is with me at all times. I know that there are times in my life that he carries me and looks out for me.
In my three beautiful healthy children I see his love for me daily. I don't pray to Him for miracles or solutions, rather for thanks for each day I have with my family, comfort during hard times, and understanding and forgiveness during the moments when I have doubted or knowingly done wrong.
I do not ask for the same relationship, or any relationship at all, that I have out of those that I call friends. I find that I am most comfortable sharing His word through action. I treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion. I respect others opinions, and all I ask is that they do the same for me.
I would like to thank those that do not feel the same as me for not 'trolling' on this thread. Please be respectful.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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Sebastian, thanks for starting this thread.
I think what amazes me most about the Christian faith is who can be the face of Jesus to the world. God demands that those who follow Him provide for widows, take care of orphans, and help the poor.
I’ve seen mentally and physically handicapped persons loving their neighbors. I’ve see the destitute providing for others. I’ve see parents who have lost a child to accident adopt children and give them hope. I’ve seen former drug users give hope and direction to the young. All Christians are called by Jesus to be ministers and a degree or a job title aren't required to minister.
Every skill I possess and every good gift I have from a strong marriage, to loving kids, to a secure job are all blessings from God. But the greatest gift is found in the promise quoted below.
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9
Jesus, the Lamb, offers salvation for every human being; His faith is multi-ethnic. All men and women are equal before Him and no one is excluded from the faith if he or she chooses to follow Jesus.
This belief and the call Jesus gave His followers to provide brotherly love to all humans, has profoundly shaped my life. I used to walk by the homeless and ignore them or sneer, “Get a job.”
Now, I see a human being in each lined face, in every cardboard sign begging for food. I stop for them, every time, bring them a sub sandwich, and tell them Jesus loves them. I can’t fix homelessness but I can be kind to one fellow human being. I would never ever have done that and changed my selfish ways on my own. When I hand out food and comfort that is Jesus working, not me.
I see the difference this universal belief of brotherly love makes in the lives of my kids. They don’t see color or gender or physical or mental challenges in fellow human beings. They are kind to every kid they meet. I wasn’t like that as a kid myself.
Everything I believe flows from the two great commandants Jesus gives: love God and love your neighbor. And the great commission He gave is fulfilled: to share the Good News that Jesus loves each human being and provides salvation to anyone who asks. Jesus wants each person to be saved and He tells His followers to be the face of Jesus to the world by loving and helping all fellow human beings.
The fact that the God who created all things and all life allowed His Son to die for me and then adopted me into His family is wondrous. And having a personal relationship with a God who wants me to help Him in His amazing work is a blessing I could never have imagined on my own. God stuns me with His glory, His devotion, and His love.
Thank you starting this thread, Sebastian.
+1!
Hey, I might even ask the person who started your whole pony bit to come foreward and explain him / her / itself. ~wicked smile~ Or not.
I'm surprised that Sebastian has a heart! There really is a God! ;-)
Like many, religion was handed down to me as a child and frequently present as I grew up. Note that I say religion here, and not faith. Still, I went thru the expected steps of a faith-based life. I went to church because I was expected to do so, I served as a altar and choir boy first as expected and secondly in the deluded belief that I could sing. Well, at least. We were known to 'outsiders' as children of certain parishes, or students of certain schools. As a teenager I'd get angry at the 'hypocrisy' I 'saw' in others. Empty believers. Not sure when/why that began, but as an older teenager my world expanded and my knowledge of other religions did as well. Somewhere in that period my 'faith' was born. I saw people as people, all flawed against the 'perfect' model we were supposed to strive for. I guess I saw the same things in religions themselves. As I grew out of my limited POV I realized that religions could be taught, but faith had to come from within. And be shaped from within.
That realization has continued to grow within me over the years. Forms don't matter as much as substance. And failures ARE going to happen more often than not.
All these years later I circle back to the sense of community, religious and secular, that I grew up in. To my parents, community and family were more important than the self. Service was more important. I've seen that POV damaged in our modern world, and it saddens me.
Today, we're frequently told that nothing is more important than the self. The self lives alone. Communities live on, regardless of how they may move or change. The service you provide doesn't end when the act is completed. It lives on as well. And it isn't limited to the act itself. Kind of like religion.
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I am a Christian. It's not really a way of life for me. It's not a set of rules. It's who I am.
And I think that is why, at least for me, it's difficult to explain or put into words. I've always been a Christian. (Well, at least as long as I can remember.) It's not like it's a job. Or a title. Or even a nationality.
Everyone knows (or at least has some "ideal") of how a Christian should be. There are a few times where Paul essentially said - "if you really need an example of how to be, then look to me for that example." That is my (unattainable) goal. Who I am is who I am. And if I'm not being a Christian, then not only am I doing something wrong, but I hope that others will call me on it.
At the same time, I don't feel that I wear it on my chest like it's a badge. Basically, if you can't tell that I'm a Christian when I don't bring up religion at all, then I'm not doing it right.
A few examples --
In high school, I found out that there were a number of people who were coming to our youth group because of me. They would see me at school and see something different. When I found out, I was actually kind of surprised -- they weren't exactly my friends. I mean, what do I have that would cause people to seek me out?
Then, at the same time, I find it ironic that many Christians don't feel that I am very Christian. I had quite a number of lectures at my Christian college and people telling me that they were praying for my soul.
I'm really finding myself at a loss for words. For some reason I can defend my faith to my dying breath, but I can't seem to explain it.
I taught for a few years. You can have all the training in the world to be a good teacher -- but until you actually get into your own classroom, you really don't know what it's about. But it's even more than that. You may be teaching a class for years, but there's something that happens when you suddenly are a teacher. Before that, it's what you do or a job -- not who you are. That's kind of what it was like to me quite a number of years ago. I was suddenly no longer just playing the part. I wasn't just following some rule set. I simply was a Christian. (Not to say that I wasn't before -- just that my faith or outlook changed considerably at that point.)
I was raised Roman Catholic like my father was. Attended Sunday school from 1st grade all the way to freshman year in high school. Hells, I even went to Gannon University for a semester of Pre-med.
So, there's the foundation. Here's where we build on that:
My mom was born and raised Protestant (back in the good ol' days when they were taught that if they saw a Catholic walking down the street towards them, cross the street to avoid them, or they'd drag you to H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS). Her parents divorced when she was very, VERY young (back in the 40's, yeah it was a scandal), in order to go their separate ways. WITHOUT HER. Yep, she was dumped with her aunt that raised her until her mom came back into her life when she was a teenager. I'm telling you this, in order to get to this. My grandmother's love after the divorce was a nice Jewish man who owned a lot of property in town. They were together for almost thirty years. My grandmother past away just a few years ago, but I've always introduced her as my Jewish grandmother.
Add to that neighbors, friends and family that were Lutheran, Mormon and Latter Day Saints. Then mix with healthy doses of Shamanism, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, Wicca, Agnostics and Atheists from college and post-college and you can say that, if it's out there, chances are I've at least encountered it, if not out-right studied it.
But what really defines my faith? It goes back to my Mom. I remember listening to a lot of the sermons back in the day and, even then, the scientific method had it's firm grasp on me. Words about coming back from the dead and other miracles sprouted theories and ideas about how science could duplicate a lot of stuff going on in the bible.
Then, in junior high, the evolution bug worked it's way into my brain. This led to all kinds of questions that religious leaders and sunday school teachers don't like to answer. And I began to turn my back on the whole she-bang until one night at the dinner table. My Mom and I were talking about school and I brought up evolution and how science could pretty much explain everything. My Dad, being the stubborn SoB I love, told me to just don't worry about it, but my Mom understood how my brain worked. So, she asked where we came from.
"Apes," I said.
"And them?"
"They evolved from mammals."
"Them?"
"Some sea creatures and such."
"Where'd they come from?"
"Elemental stew from the interaction of the atmosphere with other environmental factors." I smiled, thinking I won.
"And what started all that?"
"Essentially, the Big Bang." Smirking with my success with the logic.
"And why did the Big Bang happen."
"Nobody really knows."
"So, is it possible that God snapped his fingers and kick-started the whole thing?"
That stopped me cold. I had a choice. Either a) embrace the scientific method and say that it was possible or b) denounce the possibility and feel a nagging bit of hypocrisy for the rest of my days.
I chose A and have spent everyday with faith as my guide and science as my tool.
"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
- Albert Einstein
I have faith in mankind. I have faith that mankind will be able to solve all of the problems we have created. I have faith that mans reason will win over its fears. I have faith that man will one day be able to co-exist with others of different beliefs. I have faith that mankind will survive and prosper and eventually seed the stars with the children of our creation. I have faith that mankind will one day be able cut out the malevolent part of our psyche ridding the world of evil men.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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I have faith in mankind. I have faith that mankind will be able to solve all of the problems we have created. I have faith that mans reason will win over its fears. I have faith that man will one day be able to co-exist with others of different beliefs. I have faith that mankind will survive and prosper and eventually seed the stars with the children of our creation. I have faith that mankind will one day be able cut out the malevolent part of our psyche ridding the world of evil men.
I agree with much of this, but my favorite explanation of it comes from the Big Bang Theory when the gang shines a laser at the moon to prove that there is a man-made object there that reflects it back:
Don't you see what we've done? It's the only definite proof that a species put objects on the moon. A species that only 60 years earlier had just invented the airplane.
I don't know if there's a god or gods or divine beings of any sort, but in less than a century we've gone from being earth-bound to the point where we can go to the Moon and come back safely. That never ceases to amaze me.
I fully accept and have no problem with the idea that some people will believe that God made this possible, but at the end of the day, it was us humans who did it and did it without any assurance that it would work. We cured Polio, a disease that claimed both of my parents' health and ultimately, lives. We made it possible for humans to fly. We're learning more about the world around us every day and one day, we'll cure cancer. I don't have to have faith in these things, but they still fill me with awe and a sense of the majesty of our accomplishments.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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I should also clarify that I am, in addition, a Planetologist. We believe if we can find the right kids with the right rings, we can summon Captain Planet and end the threat of global warming once and for all. Also, you get a complementary monkey if you join, you know, just in case...
I never really had faith (in God), even as a child. I've considered it to be more of a personal failing than anything having to do with organized religion or anything like that. I enjoy reading the arguments, when done well, of both sides. I would never mock anybody for their spiritual beliefs, just like I don't mock people for the color of their skin or for their love of pony cards.
I'm actually thinking of trying again with the church. I don't know how faith works. But I think I can help my community more with the church than I can without it.
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I never really had faith (in God), even as a child. I've considered it to be more of a personal failing than anything having to do with organized religion or anything like that. I enjoy reading the arguments, when done well, of both sides. I would never mock anybody for their spiritual beliefs, just like I don't mock people for the color of their skin or for their love of pony cards.
I'm actually thinking of trying again with the church. I don't know how faith works. But I think I can help my community more with the church than I can without it.
It's not a failing, just doesn't click with you, (yet?) I do hope you garner some joy and solace from your return to church it can be kinda hit and miss I know.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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I never really had faith (in God), even as a child. I've considered it to be more of a personal failing than anything having to do with organized religion or anything like that. I enjoy reading the arguments, when done well, of both sides. I would never mock anybody for their spiritual beliefs, just like I don't mock people for the color of their skin or for their love of pony cards.
I'm actually thinking of trying again with the church. I don't know how faith works. But I think I can help my community more with the church than I can without it.
Perhaps you just haven't found the right church or faith. Perhaps you should explore your options and see what fits you, rather than trying to fit into their view of what your faith should look like.
I'm an atheist, and as with anything else, I think religion is a double-edged sword. It's accomplished a lot of good things, but also a lot of bad things. That's just human nature.
I do think that religious fundamentalism is a form of mental disorder, and should be treated as such.
I am generally offended by the notion that there can be no morality without god. I also find attempts to convert someone to a faith to be insulting and disrespectful to that person's beliefs. If you want to convert someone, lead by example and let them come to you.
Other than that, so long as your beliefs are about what you should do, and not what I should do, I have a healthy respect for that, and will fight/argue that it's your absolute right to believe what you want. To be hypothetically specific, if you believe you should pray seven times a day, I can respect that; if you believe I have to pray seven times a day, then no.
edit: That is maybe comes across as more negative than I meant it - for what it's worth, I agree absolutely with a lot of what has been expressed in this thread - for example what Bruunwald said - but minus any belief in a god.
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I like to, as much as humanly possible, follow the teachings of Jesus. I have no idea if he was really the son of an all-knowing all-powerful God, or if such an entity exists, or if, by living my life according to tenets of forgiveness and non-judgement (again, as much as possible), I'll get to go to a special happy place in the clouds, or if I'm bad I'll get tortured forever and ever.
Such things cannot be proven, because if they were, it wouldn't be 'faith' and there wouldn't be any sort of morality in a choice for me to live this life by these tenets, it would be simple opportunism and self-interest (and fear of punishment). Do the good thing. Get the cookie, avoid the spanking.
I don't know if there even *is* a cookie, but I'm gonna try to do the good thing anyway, not because I'm hoping to go to a squiffily defined good place that doesn't sound terribly appealing to me, or avoid being sent to a place that I'd pretty sure is a terribly mistranslation, but because it makes this mortal life that I'm living right now a better life.
I like what Jesus had to say on most subjects, and have subscribed to his newsletter, because I like the person that I am when I follow the golden rule better than the person I was before (or can be when I slip up).
If I get a cookie at the end, yay. Cookie! But that's not why I'm doing it.
My reason for living a life of faith is pretty much entirely secular, and I'm okay with that. Son of God or not, Jesus had some good stuff to say, and I can respect the words, without any real concern as to the exact nature of the speaker.
Best of all, since one of the common exhortations is to 'judge not,' I can put my mind at rest and not really care why others do, or do not, choose to follow the same rules. Vive la difference!
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faith can also mean trusting in what you know to be true. Fr. Emil Kapaun not only up for sainthood but also for the Congressional Medial of Honor.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Thanks again for sharing, everyone (though I do admit, I was hoping to get more posts relating to Christian/religious type of faith, rather than the secular variety, because I'm wary that the later could easily turn this thread into an unfriendly place for the former).
I have a question for y'all. Let's pretend for a moment I'm serious about wanting faith. I'm not sure that I am, largely as a result of my ginormous ego and related pridefulness.
I'm pondering becoming a Catholic. My Mom was nominally Catholic during my childhood, and actively Catholic during her childhood, so it is the religious group with which I most closely identify. How does one become a Catholic? May I attend services and participate in the church if I don't believe (and, truthfully, I still don't want to believe). I understand I can't take sacrament, and have no intent of doing so unless it is with faith, but am I precluded from being a member of the church if I don't believe in Jesus Christ?
People never believe me when I say it, but there's a significant part of me that wanted to be a priest. I could just never overcome that whole atheism thing.
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Sebastian,
In most cases you could just start showing up and no one would say much beyond welcoming you and they would perhaps ask you a bit about your beliefs. I do suggest out of respect you talk to the pastor/ priest and tell him you would like to attend ceremonies as an observer. I don't imagine most priests would have a problem with this and if they do then it's not the sort of church I have a lot of respect for.
People never believe me when I say it, but there's a significant part of me that wanted to be a priest. I could just never overcome that whole atheism thing.
I understand that and relate all too well. I devour philosophy, theology, world religions, mysticism, related histories and social anthropologies of all sorts. But I have the latter that won't depart anytime soon. And I like being a bit hedonistic at times. ;-)
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I understand I can't take sacrament, and have no intent of doing so unless it is with faith, but am I precluded from being a member of the church if I don't believe in Jesus Christ?
I set this aside because I wanted to say something separate about this.
A church is a community held together primarily by a set of shared beliefs, but most churches I've been to would welcome you week after week even if you never moved to get closer to embracing Christ. (I can't really speak for non-Christians since I have no experience, Buddists I expect are pretty open). There are definitely exceptions but I would put those exceptions into the category of 'not worth your time'.
As for how you join the Catholic Church specifically, there is a set of classes you take and some rituals, I believe it takes about six months and it's not a huge burden to take on. I suggest if you are genuinely interested you go the observer route for a while.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Problematic question redactedThanks for the response James, but do you mind clipping out the question. I think it will rapidly lead to a debate of the correctness/incorrectness of belief, and I really, really hope this thread can avoid that.
Only if you agree to tell me your thoughts on another thread! I am genuinely curious as to why you think this way.
I have a slightly different point of view. I'll keep it civil and I ask that you do the same.
I have faith in logic, science, and social evolution. I think humanity is going through some growing pains as our society evolves to have more faith in logic and less in superstition. I suspect that this is in part due to the ease of getting factual information. If you don't know something you can google it from the palm of your hand. If someone see's something they don't understand they can easily find out why as opposed to relying on superstition.
For the following please note that FAITH AND RELIGION ARE NOT THE SAME THING. Religion requires faith, but not necessarily the other way around. Religion is dogma where faith is a very personal and internal belief system.
Probably due to the ease of information access, there is a movement away from organized religions and toward facts. It's supported by statistics, but I don't have them on hand. Feel free to google them at your lesiure.
I will openly admit that I do not like organized religion and that movement away from them is a positive step. The major religions are too worried about dogma and not enough about spirituality. Historically, in some examples presently, religions commit heinous acts against humanity that go against their core tenants of peace and love. This is not a judgement, but an observation. I digress.
I have faith that humanity as a whole is getting better over time by embracing science while maintaing spirituality on an individual level that will no doubt be the continued source of our collective curiousity about the universe.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Only if you agree to tell me your thoughts on another thread! I am genuinely curious as to why you think this way.Problematic question redactedThanks for the response James, but do you mind clipping out the question. I think it will rapidly lead to a debate of the correctness/incorrectness of belief, and I really, really hope this thread can avoid that.
Post it in the civil religious thread. I'll take a crack, but I don't know that there will be anything new that I can say.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I set this aside because I wanted to say something separate about this.
A church is a community held together primarily by a set of shared beliefs, but most churches I've been to would welcome you week after week even if you never moved to get closer to embracing Christ. (I can't really speak for non-Christians since I have no experience, Buddists I expect are pretty open). There are definitely exceptions but I would put those exceptions into the category of 'not worth your time'.
As for how you join the Catholic Church specifically, there is a set of classes you take and some rituals, I believe it takes about six months and it's not a huge burden to take on. I suggest if you are genuinely interested you go the observer route for a while.
** spoiler omitted **
Going to a church to be a dick is too dickish even for me. That said, I do fear entering into a discussion of my beliefs, because there comes a certain point at which I become frustrated at what I perceive to be irrational thinking.
Sebastian, I have been to a handful of Catholic churches. Most of the ones I went to were large enough people seem to not notice who comes and goes. Also, in my experience, Catholic churches have less interaction between the congregation than say a Baptist church. There is one part of the service where you turn to your neighbor and say "Peace be with you". This may lead to a question if the person does not recognize you as a regular.
The Baptists churches I have been to, they call out the new people. Not in a bad way, but I imagine it would make it more difficult to sit in the back and lurk without someone noticing you and asking questions.
The Lutheran church I go to occasionally is in the middle between my experiences with Catholic and Baptist. Large enough you could sneak in, but occasionally, the pastor asks everyone to get to know their neighbor.
Another point to consider, I have never once been asked what faith I am when I went to a church. Most people seem to assume you are of the same faith as the church you are in. It has only been after longer conversations that I ever mentioned I was an Atheist.
The Quaker gathering I attended seemed the friendliest towards this. I went and could have easily left before anyone even noticed I was there. However, I stayed for discussion afterward at which point a couple people came up to talk to me. Never once did they question my belief (or lack thereof) until I volunteered that I was an Athiest. At which point their reaction was more of 'Interesting' than 'Heathen! Get him!'
Just go. I doubt anyone will notice you until you are ready to 'come out' to them.
Be aware that all Catholic Churches are not created equal. Tongue in cheek aside, I was surprised to find a lot of variety amongst them. As a younger person I assumed they were all 'run' the same, but that's not true.
Eg. 1 - As a child and young man, I viewed the monsignour as very authoritarian. He was a chaplain in WWII, which may have been part of it.
Eg. 2 - Same church, decades later. New pastor, but an older. Actively pursuing taking the parish back to the 'olden' days style of church.
Eg. 3 - My sister's church. Catholic, but very casual.
Eg. 4 - A friend from grade school that is a priest. Not a stick up the back kind of guy.
Again, a lot more variety than one would imagine. And a lot more change over time than one would imagine.
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I grew up in the United Church, and generally was raised in a protestant home with parents who taught the morality and left out the more political sides of things. I believed to a point.
When I was a teenager I lapsed, and then went to confirmation to make my father happy. Confirmation in a United Church really opened my eyes. My church leaders actually made me think about alternate religions and made me question a lot of what I was raised with.
At University I hung out with a lot of Atheists, Catholics, Pagans and Wiccans. I started looking around for another religion, and eventually came upon Deism. It made the most sense, and I really felt like it was something I could agree with and live it.
Born Episcopal. Now Presbyterian through marriage(the common ground between my faith and my wife's [Primitive]Baptist upbringing). Don't go to church that often, but I do actively try to do right by others. That said, if you want to know what I believe, it's all summed up in this old poem I have next to my desk on the wall...
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all person.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you concieve Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
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Thanks again for sharing, everyone (though I do admit, I was hoping to get more posts relating to Christian/religious type of faith, rather than the secular variety, because I'm wary that the later could easily turn this thread into an unfriendly place for the former).
I have a question for y'all. Let's pretend for a moment I'm serious about wanting faith. I'm not sure that I am, largely as a result of my ginormous ego and related pridefulness.
I'm pondering becoming a Catholic. My Mom was nominally Catholic during my childhood, and actively Catholic during her childhood, so it is the religious group with which I most closely identify. How does one become a Catholic? May I attend services and participate in the church if I don't believe (and, truthfully, I still don't want to believe). I understand I can't take sacrament, and have no intent of doing so unless it is with faith, but am I precluded from being a member of the church if I don't believe in Jesus Christ?
People never believe me when I say it, but there's a significant part of me that wanted to be a priest. I could just never overcome that whole atheism thing.
1. Find a Catholic church where you are comfortable. Some dioceses (groups of churches in a particular geographic area) require you to join the church closest to your home, but this is generally not the case. If you haven't already found a church home, attend mass at various churches in your area to find out where you are most comfortable. This will help you determine which church will best meet your spiritual needs.
2.Attend a Catholic inquiry session. Most churches hold these meetings on a regular basis. They are usually listed in the church bulletin or you can ask one of the priests for information. These meetings are designed to give you the requirements for joining the church; requirements will vary depending on whether or not you have received any sacraments and are returning to the church or you are brand new to Catholicism.
3.Attend the Catechumenate. Unbaptized Catholics usually spend one to two years in the Catechumenate group; the length of time might be shorter for people who have been baptized. However, each candidate is encouraged to spend as much time as they need before they are fully initiated into the church. The steps in the process include the Sacrament of Baptism, the Eucharist and/or Confirmation.
4.Choose a sponsor. If you decide to join the church, you will need a sponsor who is a member of the Catholic faith community to serve as a listener and mentor.
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Now that the basics are out of the way, Relax. Just go, no one will say anything.
If you are interested in the Church they have classes usually every week on the faith. You can sign up for these. You are not required to join to take these classes. The classes are for anyone interested in the faith up to and including members since we have found over the years that most "cradle catholics" have less understanding of their own faith then most converts. They also tend to be the ones who give funny looks when the priest points out something that they thought was religious Dogma and the Priest politely points out that it is not and never had been. Hence the need for the classes.
Also if you are ever in the area you can always go with me. In fact the best way to go is with a friend that way you can ask questions of someone.