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Joe WeinsteinCredo March 4, 2006 I consider life to be joyous and hold it in deep reverence. Life is often filled with pain and suffering, some unavoidable, some we bring on others and ourselves. No matter
what our lot in life, loving, ethical behavior and a positive attitude will help us achieve the most from life. What I call “God” today, I discover in Nature and in Humankind. Assuming that God is not responsible for pain and suffering, I begin to doubt that God is all powerful and all knowing. This doesn’t make me think less of God. It makes me doubt the people that have tried to describe God in the past and have made a profitable business out of Religion. If you were God, would you want to be worshipped? Studying history, many of the lessons I have learned sadden me. Humankind has brought so much unnecessary suffering on itself. Religious and political ideologies have been
prime contributors to needless human anguish. I don’t believe that God has a “Chosen People”. God certainly never promised any special group of people certain land that would be theirs forever more, commanding them to annihilate the people already living
there. I believe it is possible that an ancient natural disaster at Sodom and Gomorrah was purposefully but wrongly attributed to God in order to condemn the group of people we today call Homosexuals, Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgender, and other Queer folk.
I believe that the Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, each made great advances for humanity. Stopping human or child sacrifice is a good thing. But I still question belief systems based on a doctrine of a ransom to
appease some vengeful God. Fundamentalists of all major religions continue to hold that theirs is the only true religion. They continue to preach hatred towards those who love persons of the same sex. I think that religious liberals do humanity a disservice when they keep quiet and don’t challenge erroneous, illogical, and unloving doctrines. Jingoism, tribal superiority, irrational nationalism and superstition
should be addressed and exposed. We must seek a balance between the search for truth and our support for religious freedom. The prophets of old raised up their voices for what they honestly believed. We must raise up our voices today, even if to do so
challenges another’s fundamental beliefs. Occasionally, I awaken in the wee hours of the night and find myself in a state of reverie. I experience great peace and joy for fleeting moments, dreaming that there could be instantaneous and lasting world peace if
everyone could recognize the errors of their beliefs, the sad legacy of their belief systems or political ideologies, founded on falsehoods and myths. At times, when we examine the different belief systems of the world, it would seem that they cancel one another out.
What really matters is that we treat each other with love and kindness, settle our differences by non-violent means, and seek ways to share and preserve our planet home. Realistically, this may never happen. I can dream, can’t I? The best we can do is to manage our lives in the most noble manner and assist others in their journey as much
as possible. Often when I reflect on the things I need and have, I get a sense that the universe or what some might call God has provided, lovingly. Maybe things are just as they ought to be. I
count it a privilege to bring a bit more peace and beauty into the world through my art. Our time may be short and fleeting, but we can make the best of it while we are here. |
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