What is religion? What is faith? There can be a difference, you know.
Church
I was born and raised a Baptist. When I was young, I went to Sunday school, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, and Wednesday evening prayer meeting.
As I look back, it did me absolutely no harm and quite probably some good. But I haven’t been to church in a long time.
I am not what you would call a very religious man.
I think that people go to church for many reasons.
Some go to church because they are deeply religious.
Some go to church just in case they are wrong about religion. As a personal opinion, if they are wrong, I don’t think just going to church will help much.
Some, especially older ones, go to church for companionship. I see nothing wrong with that. Even if they are not deeply religious, they are trying to associate with whom they would think of as “decent people”.
Some politicians go to church and even carry a Bible, and they are not at all religious. I believe they figure they can get votes from the “little people” who only count at election time. Maybe you can guess my feelings about politicians of that ilk. Note here that I am not talking about all politicians who go to church.
Heaven
I don’t know and nobody else knows if there is really a Heaven because there is only one way to find out. And if they find out they can’t tell anybody.
There are those who laugh at people who believe in Heaven. I don’t.
I have known people who state absolutely there is no Heaven. How do they know? They don’t. They base their ideas on their feelings because they most certainly don’t know.
On the other hand, religious people have faith there is a Heaven.
The same goes for Hell.
Many of our Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, were Deist. If I were pressed to answer a question, that is where I would go.
A Christian Way Of Life
You know, there are people who aren’t at all religious but who lead a Christian way of life. I am not talking about a belief in Jesus Christ. I am talking about decent, honest people who have respect for the lives of others. And this definitely includes members of the Jewish Religion. And, I am sure, many other religions.
And I’ll tell you something else I believe. If there is a Heaven, all of those people who lead a Christian way of life will get there, regardless of religion or lack thereof.
Miracles
I am not a great believer in miracles. I cannot honestly say there are no miracles because I don’t know everything.
Some things, such as a “miraculous” recovery from a disease, could be just one of those wonderful things that happen. I don’t know. That is an individual belief.
But, if there is such a thing as a miracle, the United States of America is a miracle. Think about it.
Representatives from 13 Colonies, all having different ideas, agreed on the Declaration of Independence. Keep in mind that by signing the Declaration they were signing their own death warrants. What they did was treason and punishable by death. Also keep in mind that many of these men were quite wealthy; they were risking their lives and their fortunes.
We were fighting a war against the strongest army and navy in the world. And, somehow, Benjamin Franklin, with help because of the victory at Saratoga, persuaded the French to aid us.
General George Washington’s retreat from Brooklyn Heights was a miracle of weather. Heavy rain, to give a day to retreat from Brooklyn to Brooklyn Heights. A strong wind to keep British war ships from sailing up the East River. An extremely dense fog which kept the British army blind to the retreat across the East River.
Believe what you will but when you add all of those things up, the sum approaches being miraculous.
Religion and Faith
Some religions can be very dogmatic. Some members of a religion accept the dogma to the letter. Some accept part of the dogma. But they all accept their faith in God.
But faith is something special. There are many who accept no specific religion but who have a faith in God.
In Closing
I am asking nobody to believe in what I say. I am asking nobody to agree with me. I am asking nobody to do anything. I am merely telling you how I look at things.
