Sunday, Apr. 04, 2010 9:10 p.m.

what I believe, part 2

I've done some more research. I think I'm coming to the conclusion that a religion does not exist that fits what I believe.

In continuation of my thoughts from the other day, the following are additions to what I believe:
- I should specify that not only do I believe that our worthiness will be judged based on "purity of thought, commitment to established ideals, and in a sense, 'finding your true self'", but also on commitment to intelligent reasoning.

- I believe the universe was created by the supreme, all-knowing God, but I don't really believe in the Genesis creation story. I suppose I believe in what would be considered 'intelligent design'. I believe that it is important for us to try to understand nature through scientific observations, but as our minds are unable to see the full picture that God can, our concepts of time and scientific discovery might be skewed.

- I believe God is eternal and has no beginning, and no end. Or, more precisely, I believe that time is a concept that we (again) don't fully comprehend. I think of time as an infinite circle: never beginning, never ending, not as a linear progression.

- Oh, side note, for those who get caught up on the rather ridiculous argument of God's gender: God is spirit, neither male nor female. Humans refer to God as "him" because we are used to a gender pronoun to describe some things. We call a boat "she", though it is not female either. Many languages other than English have words that are "masculine" or "feminine", but again, this does not actually make a non-living object an actual male or female.

- This brings up gender roles: I believe that inherently men and women are equal and just as intellectually capable of reason. However, I do believe specific roles within a marriage/family are to be encouraged. Men and women ARE built differently, no matter how much feminists or other groups will object. Men typically are stronger in certain areas, women stronger in others. Additionally, a family unit runs smoother when there are defined roles. There is no shame in a women who chooses to devote her life to child-rearing and housemaking, in fact, I would say that in many ways, her commitment to this role will likely have even longer reaching societal effects than that of her husband because of the influence she has over her children.

- Though this is more of a societal issue than religious issue, I believe in marriage. I believe that marriage has always been meant for heterosexual, male-female, relations...and that sexual relations are best when enjoyed within a marriage only. I believe that sex can be enjoyed without the intention of procreation, but that procreation is, and forever will be, the natural biological outcome of sex. I believe artificial reproductive technology (ART) should only be used in cases where something natural is "broken", not in place of something that was never meant to happen...i.e. ART should only be used for heterosexual married couples, not for homosexual couples trying to artificially force biology.

This is all I can think of right now, but more will come! Topics I still want to touch on: abortion, religious practices, sacred texts, ultimate life purpose, and maybe some other things too.

I kind of like doing this, and getting out all my thoughts in small chunks...

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