Wednesday, September 12, 2007

On beliefs

Religion is a personal thing. And living in the south in the US, and having "different" beliefs than the majority, I've grown used to keeping silent about what I believe, and more importantly, what I don't believe.

I started this post this evening thinking about how I understand the comfort that a belief in an afterlife gives us. Even without such a belief, I could smile at the thought that Wally is about to walk in on Susan, and she'll have the teapot on the stove, tea stewing just the way she always made it. It was always Red Rose tea.
Only in Canada, eh? Pity. There goes that thought.

Still, the thought did make me smile, and led me to thinking about how much joy Wally had lost from his life in the past few years -- the chance to walk in the woods listening to nature (he never could understand why someone would want to listen to a walkman when you could listen to the birds, and the wind in the trees, and the rustling of the leaves and....) -- his beloved Susan -- etc.
And while I am not happy for him now, perhaps I am comfortable for him.

But then the thoughts turned: Boo and Skibo both decided they needed to say the blessing at dinner. This was a surprise, as we don't say a blessing. And we didn't know they knew one either. But apparently, in two different classrooms they are teaching the same blessing at lunchtime: this looks more like school policy than an individual teacher's initiative. And it is one that we are not too comfortable with: we wish to talk to our children about spiritual issues, issues of faith and religion, on our own schedule, to help them come to terms with what they believe, rather than to have society force it down their throats.

LOML and I have similar beliefs: we don't talk about them much, because they are not that important a part of our lives: we place more importance on who and how we are in the world, how we treat others and the world, than on theological issues. I can talk only for myself, as a result, about why I believe or do not believe.

I think that it would be an act of supreme hubris for me to believe in a personal deity interested in my every action and my well being. And while I can conceive of a goodness-monitor deity, I don't see any evidence of a personal guardian angel in most lives around me --- it's the "would god permit misery" question. I see no evidence to believe. As far as which belief system to believe in, I see so many, all proclaiming loudly that they alone know the one true belief, that were I to want to believe, I think that I'd be swamped by options!
In short, in some ways I see religion, not as the opiate of the masses, but more like fast food: it is convenient, filling if not nourishing, you can easily get used to relying on it, but I don't see any real evidence for the good that it does.

Please understand that I do not object in the slightest to your beliefs, especially if your beliefs do not hurt me, do not affect me; I am even happy to discuss them with you, provided that you treat me and my beliefs, or lack of the, with the same respect I grant to yours. I'd rather you don't think of trying to convert me, and I'll try not to ask too many difficult questions of your beliefs: I don't want to challenge you unless you want your ideas challenged. But please, I'd rather talk to my children about these things before anyone else does.

Yours, in disbelief,
N.

3 comments:

Poppy B. said...

You're not going to find evidence in favor of religion or a deity or whatnot by observing the natural world. If you did, you'd end up a pagan.

Right now, you're in stasis, and apparently happy with it. Either you will feel the need to explore religious issues, or someone will reach out to you.

(By the way, speaking as a Christian, the concept of an afterlife isn't particularly comforting. That's not what interested me when I started, and there are times when I wished I didn't believe in it.)

awareness said...

Hey there.

I'm completely with you. The school crossed the line. At least they could've informed you of their intent or that it was in the policy guidelines. I find that here too......an assumption of the majority that all have the same beliefs as they do or should have....which gives them to right to plant their beliefs right in the middle of your world. It's what turned me off in the first place.

I can't stand how some just assume this.

As far as my own flaky journey....not that you asked, or even want to know.....it has been my writing and some encounters through my work particularly in the past couple of years which kick started my thinking on this again. I will avoid all pushing, all non-thinking, all assumptions thrown my way. My journey....and who the heck knows if and when it will ever come to a faith fruition or I will continue to have doubts, is in no hurry. I certainly don't see it as an easy way to figure things out....it actually complicates it all exponentially.

shalom...... :)

carmilevy said...

I think the world would be a happier, more peaceful place if more people shared your perspective. I always bristle when I see followers of a given religion stand on the supposed superiority of their beliefs. Rote dogma is the crutch of the lazy mind.

So much for the separation of church and state.