Religious or Not

The word religion is from the medieval days, particularly the monastic period. It is from the Latin religare, which means 'to bind'. The word was instituted to define the monks that seemed to have such intense beliefs to which they were bound. The word became more widely used to describe people of faith in God(s).

I find it interesting that religion is an adherence to personal beliefs. Really, don't we all have that? Don't we all believe something? Aren't we ready to give our opinion on things at a moment's notice? Well, then, we are all religious. It is even more interesting to note that some of the most stringent and antagonistic belief systems are not faith or God centered at all, yet the faith based belief system is the one that is labeled 'religious'.

Where am I going with this? Not sure...but I am thinking about so many people that have refused that which God has for them because they were not religious people, or did not want to become such. Yet, they are very religious in the adherence to there own beliefs.

Well, I am not trying to prove a point, exactly. I am just remarking upon the way man reasons sometimes. We all need, even want, to become connected to God. All too often it is our religious beliefs that keep us from Him.

Truth...Reflection Or Reality?

A person witnesses an event. His mind calculates the elements of the event, and forms a story, if you will. The story is not objective, because the person has viewed the happening through the grid of his own belief system. Thus, the narrative which comes from his mind is slanted, opinionated.
The person states his narrative with all the authority of a Philadelphia Attorney. He proclaims it as truth. It must be truth. He saw it with his own eyes!

There is a problem in this sequence of events. There were other witnesses. Others saw it and created narratives from their own frame of reference. I think you are catching on. Each narrative is different from the other. Truth, for each individual, was a reflection of an event processed in the workshop of his mind.

Reality, in this particular realm, becomes dynamic. It is ever changing, spinning out of control. Man is forced to make snap judgments based on his tiny understanding of things as a whole. He fails at this, and must form new 'truth' to bolster his supposition.

It has really become quite a mess, wouldn't you say?

It is hard to imagine, that with an existence such as we have, with the beauty in nature, and the incredible miracle of human life, that truth would be the random, reflective, and subjective gatherings of partial-knowing intellects.
In reality, truth has been here longer than creation. It was present when man wasn't. It was settled before the world was formed. The astounding thing is that we have this absolute, defining truth preserved for us in a book. It is a book that has stood up to and met the demands of its learned critics. It has survived preternaturally, despite claims that it is invalid. This Book, The Bible, was prepared by God, using a tool, man, to inscribe it, as an everlasting record of His thoughts.
And thus, we have truth. Objective, absolute truth. Truth which defines life as a whole and our lives individually. Security, confidence, peace, and joy are born from an introduction to this truth. Partake, and see for yourself, without the distraction of reflection.

More to come on The Book...
Psalms 12:6; 33:4

Are There No Answers?

The poor 'question mark' would be deemed obsolete, along with the 8-track player, the Edsel, and the typewriter. But wait, we can get by without old things, but what if there were no questions? (Ooops, I just asked one...and some say there are no answers...shucks!!)

Well, fact is there are answers. Sometimes there are no easy answers, but there are answers. But, for many individuals, there is no sense of objective reality. Reality is subjective, often boiling down to 'whatever one can get away with'. Since the perception is subjective, it is then 'subject' to change at a moments notice. In that scenario, it is perceived that there are no answers. Whatever happens, happens. No explanation. If you think about it, though, the answer still comes, in the form of consequences, outcomes, if you will.

With subjectivity comes objectivity. Every subject has an object. What I mean is, every thought, action, idea, happening, has a purpose or a reason. If I take a glob of clay and make a primitive car with it, the objective was that I expressed myself in some measure through this creation. It is not particularly useful, and can be easily destroyed, but there remains an object to its being. Without the objective, nothing would exist that has any meaning. Of course, there would be no purpose, no cognisance. There would be no thought, no reason, and then, of course, no answers.

Our world has reason. Each of us has purpose. There is a Creator that designed us objectively for the life we have. We can determine right and wrong, good and evil, happy and sad. Our mind seeks for truth, our soul seeks for acceptance, our spirit seeks for God. Each can be satisfied in its quest if the correct answers are realized.
1 Peter 3:15 Psalms 138:14 Romans 8:28