As someone who lost his mother at age 10, I wish I could believe in "the resurrection of the dead," which goes hand in hand with the "belief in the existence of the Creator." I have often wondered why some people are given the gift of faith and others are not--and I truly believe it is a gift, as life would be much less fraught if I knew that I would be reunited with my loved ones in an afterlife under the benevolent gaze of an all-knowing God. (As for Kurzweil enabled by Moore's Law, that would be the belief that we would be able to connect with an AI simulacrum of our loved ones, not their true soulful selves, right?) Perhaps having been raised by atheists precluded me from believing, though I know many former atheists do find religion. But I have never been able to square the idea of a God capable of creating the universe with one who would create it in such a way that there would be multiple religions that would seek to destroy each other. Why would God allow the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the current situation in Israel and Palestine? Going further back, if we take the Bible at face value, why did he wait till Moses came along to make himself known? Of course one can make an argument for free will, but if God created man in his image, why would that man choose to be evil rather than good? As for aeronautics, hydraulics, or refrigeration, you may not understand them, but given enough time and effort you, or any reasonably intelligent person, could. No amount of intelligence allows one to understand religious beliefs; it requires faith. So I continue to find religious beliefs baffling and illogical, and taken as a whole a negative influence on the world. At the same time, I see much beauty in the cultures built around individual religions, particularly our own Jewish culture. And whenever I find myself in a synagogue, I wonder how many people who are "worshipping" truly believe in God, and how many are there to connect to the culture--and friends, family, community--rather than the almighty.
God’s wisdom and reasons are beyond our knowledge, in many areas. I see the lives of all of us through time as a giant painting; we are able to see only the parts of the painting that have thus far been completed, but God the painter knows the whole painting. He sees all from beginning to end. Only from such a perspective will all of the details be seen to fit, and make up a beautiful and perfect whole. There will always be events that leave us with questions about the why’s, but to know God is to trust these things because of who He is. I also believe that God does not enjoy our suffering, and that His plan works all things with the minimum possible suffering to achieve His perfect ends. These things are indeed a matter of faith, since not all of the details necessary to see the full beauty of God’s plan are visible to us at any point in time. Man chooses sin because of pride, and a desire to exercise his will (freedom of will, if you wish). But He demands a loving and free relationship with us, rather than one in which we are completely constrained to do only His will. If our choices were so compelled, how could they in any way show our love for God? Consider how we raise our children: do we constrain them from all harm, or from all difficult consequences, by exercising complete control over them? If it were even possible, what kind of people would they be when we are gone from their lives? Those are just a few thoughts which I hope will be helpful.
I'm 75 so I know the answer is coming sooner than later but with a nine year old granddaughter who is the joy of my life I hope not to soon. I don't think my wife, parents, grandparents will mind waiting a little longer.
IMHO, you shall, indeed be reunited with your sister and your father. I believe in reincarnation, so I can conceive of the idea that your souls will meet again; if not in this life, then, in the next one. Call it an article of faith, but I, too, see science as a miracle.
As someone who lost his mother at age 10, I wish I could believe in "the resurrection of the dead," which goes hand in hand with the "belief in the existence of the Creator." I have often wondered why some people are given the gift of faith and others are not--and I truly believe it is a gift, as life would be much less fraught if I knew that I would be reunited with my loved ones in an afterlife under the benevolent gaze of an all-knowing God. (As for Kurzweil enabled by Moore's Law, that would be the belief that we would be able to connect with an AI simulacrum of our loved ones, not their true soulful selves, right?) Perhaps having been raised by atheists precluded me from believing, though I know many former atheists do find religion. But I have never been able to square the idea of a God capable of creating the universe with one who would create it in such a way that there would be multiple religions that would seek to destroy each other. Why would God allow the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the current situation in Israel and Palestine? Going further back, if we take the Bible at face value, why did he wait till Moses came along to make himself known? Of course one can make an argument for free will, but if God created man in his image, why would that man choose to be evil rather than good? As for aeronautics, hydraulics, or refrigeration, you may not understand them, but given enough time and effort you, or any reasonably intelligent person, could. No amount of intelligence allows one to understand religious beliefs; it requires faith. So I continue to find religious beliefs baffling and illogical, and taken as a whole a negative influence on the world. At the same time, I see much beauty in the cultures built around individual religions, particularly our own Jewish culture. And whenever I find myself in a synagogue, I wonder how many people who are "worshipping" truly believe in God, and how many are there to connect to the culture--and friends, family, community--rather than the almighty.
Time for another conversation, no? This one will go even deeper.
God’s wisdom and reasons are beyond our knowledge, in many areas. I see the lives of all of us through time as a giant painting; we are able to see only the parts of the painting that have thus far been completed, but God the painter knows the whole painting. He sees all from beginning to end. Only from such a perspective will all of the details be seen to fit, and make up a beautiful and perfect whole. There will always be events that leave us with questions about the why’s, but to know God is to trust these things because of who He is. I also believe that God does not enjoy our suffering, and that His plan works all things with the minimum possible suffering to achieve His perfect ends. These things are indeed a matter of faith, since not all of the details necessary to see the full beauty of God’s plan are visible to us at any point in time. Man chooses sin because of pride, and a desire to exercise his will (freedom of will, if you wish). But He demands a loving and free relationship with us, rather than one in which we are completely constrained to do only His will. If our choices were so compelled, how could they in any way show our love for God? Consider how we raise our children: do we constrain them from all harm, or from all difficult consequences, by exercising complete control over them? If it were even possible, what kind of people would they be when we are gone from their lives? Those are just a few thoughts which I hope will be helpful.
I'm 75 so I know the answer is coming sooner than later but with a nine year old granddaughter who is the joy of my life I hope not to soon. I don't think my wife, parents, grandparents will mind waiting a little longer.
Thank you for this. Explains so much of what I believe and have pursued.
IMHO, you shall, indeed be reunited with your sister and your father. I believe in reincarnation, so I can conceive of the idea that your souls will meet again; if not in this life, then, in the next one. Call it an article of faith, but I, too, see science as a miracle.