What are my religious beliefs? To answer that, to fully explain it, I need to show you my views on the state of the world. Do you not see it and hear it all around you? The suffering and slaying of the innocents by the hands of a society that has turned a blind eye to their agony. As if it was not enough that children all over the world and right in our own country starve and die and are victim to the most deplorable acts, the adults squabble and fight over petty religious disagreements. So much so that they kill other human beings over their beliefs. I see all that and I ask myself why. Could their really be such a being that would create all humanity and confuse them so that they fight? Could this being be a monster who is amused by this? No! I refuse to believe that. We are the monsters. Human beings are misguided fools with the minds and hearts of savage beasts… but then what of the loving ones? The bleeding hearts that do everything for others and think not of their own needs. I am torn between such a paradox and have decided that a new path is necessary, a path forged from the fires of desperation and love, two of mankind's most powerful attributes.
This path I speak of is entirely philosophical and applies to every religion whose principles are that of mercy and love. The path starts at your values. What do you think is most necessary to improve the world? Is it heart? Is it the ability to love others unconditionally to the point where you would put their needs before your own? Is it work? Do you believe that all can be fixed if everyone is willing to do their part and forsake the sins of sloth, greed, and gluttony? What of knowledge? Do you think that our ignorance is the cause of our suffering? Would you work to dismiss such ignorance? Or perhaps it is faith. Perhaps instead of fighting over religious beliefs we should be faithful to our own beliefs and become perfect examples of morality so that others might follow. If you believe in any one of these, you are wrong… for it does not take just one but all of these values. All of these bodies must work together in unity and harmony to quell the pain of the world and rid ourselves of suffering once and for all.
That is my belief. That the perfect human being does not exist but everyone is capable of their own perfections. That the strong, the soulful, the wise, and the faithful must destroy the barriers that they have created in order to usher in a new Eden for us all. When I look at this paradise I can see in my mind how it starts. A rich man looks at his house, his cars, his clothes, his jewelry and asks himself “Do I need this? Do I need any of this? Does it really make me happy?” He then gradually sells his things that only carry with them the sin of vanity. He sells them and uses the money to aid the schools in the neighboring town, schools with shoddy books and shoddy structures as well as teachers who are under qualified and even destructive. The rich man uses his money to change these schools just a little bit. The rich man's neighbor sees the unconditional bliss of the rich man and decides that there are things he has that he does not need as well. This man sells his exotic cars, his silk garments, and his incredibly valuable paintings and statues. He contributes to a nearby project that is designed to build decent housing for the poor. Before long this snowballs and eventually the entire county is made livable where at that very place not too long ago, there was killing on the streets. Ten years later, the county is even more prosperous and there is love throughout and everyone has plenty. And all of this was started by one man who had heart and who did what he felt was right. If I could see this sort of thing happen just once in my lifetime, I could die happy. Even if it is just a county. Either way, whether it is a county, a city, a country, or even the world somebody has to take the first step.
It is also necessary to break down the reason why I have faith. I realize after much thought that it is called faith for a reason. Faith and not fact, faith and not force. If our creator wanted us to follow one path and only one path and if she or he were merciful, our creator or creators would have told us at least once a year in black and white, clear as crystal in a fashion that was unarguably divine. That is why it is faith and not fact. And if it was force then there would be no free will at all. Thus, I decree that if there is a just and loving god then that god is unconcerned with what faith people have so long as they have faith. Do I believe that there is a reward for righteous living? Yes I do. Do I believe there is divine punishment for evil? Indeed I do. But I cannot bring myself to believe in eternal torment no matter how grave the crimes one committed in their life time. I believe that there is nobody, save for the newborns and toddlers who goes into heaven without at least a little purification.
