Posted by rayww on November 20, 2004, at 11:06:18
In reply to Re: Faith is not an end. Faith, like belief, is a tool » rayww, posted by Gabbix2 on November 19, 2004, at 15:15:31
All you say is good.
Love is good.
Kindness is good.
Your God is good.
there is an element that transcends all goodness, but it is still good, isn't it?People have a tendency to "invent" their own God, and perhaps that is good also, "but" IF there is a real God, and IF He did indeed create the universe and all that is herein, all we can ever hope to be able to do, until we see him face to face, is innvent our own concept of Him. That is mostly good also, because at least we are clinging to that hope that somewhere out there is a God who loves and cares about His handiwork.
Everyone has the right to say "my" god this or that, and believe in their own god, and if it helps them to be more true to themselves, that is good. But, like you say, if their God tells them to do hateful things to women, homosexuals, or tells them they are better than others, that is evil. Satan tries to mask himself as God, and often succeeds. If there is good, there is also evil, otherwise how would we know there was good?
It is good that others are venturing into the faith forum to examine their own faith issues. I encourage everyone on PB to do that at some point. It is a mentally healthful thing to do. I could say that I have no faith issues, but without exception, every topic I write to adds to my understanding. So, even though we think we may have no issues, none of us know everything there is to know about faith and religion. There is no end to understanding and knowledge. Only beginnings.
poster:rayww
thread:408646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20041120/msgs/418234.html