There's been a whooooole lot of talk about Indiana's RFRA lately. Some of it's been positive, some has been negative, and some try to dive a little deeper. And then there are pieces like this little gem... *sigh*
Religion, religious freedom, religious differences, different religions... It's definitely a discussion that is ongoing, as it should be, and we're going to have to work through this together. I strongly feel that everyone is entitled to the system of faith as they so choose. There is no one way that will work for everyone. I have many friends with many diverse faith systems, and I will always stand by them in their right to express their faith. Some folks choose Christianity in various forms, some folks follow the Word of the Prophet. Other folks choose not to believe in a supreme creator, and that is their faith system. Some folks,, like myself, come to their own conclusions. Let me give you some background on me, and my three pillars of faith. Not preaching, not saying I'm right and others are wrong, just a little back story.
Pillar #1: Human beings are flawed.
I've always been the type of person who asks "why?" I think my mom convinced me as a child that I had allergies just so she could give me a Benedryl, otherwise she'd never get a few hours of peace and quiet from her curious brat. In the matter of faith, I loved going to church and reading the bible, because it HAD ALL THE ANSWERS! Between that book and the public library, I learned the joys of doing research at an early age. I could find answers to biology, math, physics, and chemistry. I could explore faith, music, literature, poetry, and film. I was happiest when I was in church or the library. It was so satisfying to feel I had answers.
Not surprisingly, when I hit adolescence and I wasn't understanding why all my little guy buddies were getting in a lather about my all my little lady buddies, I turned to my two sources of comfort. First up was the library (this was before the internet, yes I'm that old) where the encyclopedia described homosexuality in... well, let's just say it wasn't very nice. I didn't want to dress like a woman, and I didn't want to have sex with children or animals. Next up was church, where the Catholic priest told me that some men simply aren't interested in sex, and such men often found satisfaction being a servant of God. My 12 year old brain put it together that since I obviously wasn't gay, and I wasn't interested in girls, I must be destined to be a priest! Until I was about 17, I felt my future lie in the church, and my mother was so proud!
As I grew older, that questioning part of me started looking more towards people and less towards data. Why did step-dad #2 believe that African Americans should be ran out of town? Why did our preacher ask the congregation to vote a certain way? Why did that politician take money from a group of people? When I asked people, I was told things like "That's the way it is," or "because the bible says..." or, my personal favorite, "BECAUSE I SAID SO!" That last one was usually followed by "Take this Benedryl."
At some point I realized that all human beings are, by nature, lest than one hundred percent honest. We can't help it, it's who we are. We can tell a lie and justify it with the best of intentions. We can do terrible things in the name of freedom. We will do what it takes to survive, even if it's at the expense of another. I'm not saying human beings are evil creatures. I'm saying that the mind of human kind is a playground of justification.
I started looking at the foundations of faith with this filter. Step-dad #2 honestly felt the scriptures justified his feelings towards African Americans. On the other side of the coin, Mom felt spiritually justified in divorcing her first three husbands to marry this guy. Neither mom or the dude felt they were being untrue to the gospel. They had their justifications.
Wait, you mean we can interpret the scripture? Does that mean... people already had?! Lightning bolt to the head moment for young CJ... the word of God may actually be corrupted by men and women who, with the best intentions, made a change that was justifiable to them. So, all these rules... maybe they're wrong? Are they all wrong? It's enough to give a fella a brain cramp!
Pillar #2: Where did it all come from?
I'm a science nerd. I love physics, math, etc. A good hypothesis delights me. When I discuss religion with my Atheist friends, there's a lot of commonality about how we've evolved over the millennium. I get it, I really do... but there's a couple of things that hold me back from saying I'm an athiest: love (see next pillar) and the question of origin. Where did it all come from? For there to be a big bang, SOMETHING had to blow up. We're all made up of atoms, what are they made up of? Our universe is expanding, which means there's room in something! Energy is constant, but where did it come from? The idea of intelligent design sort of appeals to me... but who designed the designer who designed us? Whoa...
Pillar #3: Love
There is no space in my faith system that will allow me to believe that whatever supreme being designed or created us is going to fault us for loving someone (yes, it's my justification). It's the penultimate emotion. Love is like oxygen, love is a many splendor thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love! Yes, I just referenced Moulin Rouge. In order for a species to survive, there must be a drive to procreate... but that's just sex in our case. I'm talking about love... wanting to be near your loved ones, wanting to protect them, desiring to make them happy. Holding their hand and knowing they love you back... for that I am truly thankful.
In a nutshell, my faith boils down to this: I don't align with organized religion, because humans are the ones defining the meaning. The argument of science still doesn't answer for me where it all started. And finally, love is more than a physiological drive... it's a gift that we need to cherish, and it comes from somewhere.
Here's what I'd like to ask of the world: As we have these discussions regarding religion, please keep in mind that we're all different, we all have our systems, and we all have our justifications. We must treat each other with respect and recognize that these systems are neither better nor worse than others. One faith system does not trump another, regardless of majority or minority. One person's faith does not give them the right to say another person is less than equal.
Let's Talk About It: What are some of your Justifications? What has shaped your faith system?