During work tonight, I met a man who had been a Christian convert (or follower) who had been into drugs and lived (apparently) a harsh life. He was a man, perhaps in his late twenties, with a very gentle face. Something about his face softened my heart. I had asked him how his day was, when he told me he had gone to church. From there, we had begun to talk about religion. That was when he told me about a bit of his life.
When he had finished his sandwich, we began to speak about Jesus Christ and my increasing interest in the Tanakh. He then started to explain to me how Jesus was the messiah that the Jewish people had been waiting for. The man (David) began to tell me how Jesus started to hit the necessary requirements that the Tanakh showed. When David spoke, he spoke with such gusto and sombre passion that I started to think about my position with God. Unfortunately, you cannot have theological dicussions at a subway (it is a shame, I know) and I had to go back to my work and he had to leave. But this got me started thinking about my relationship with God, and I thought, like a Daoist might, that perhaps I was born into God. Not for God, but into God.
I say this because a man may have been born a Buddhist, never knowing about the Godess Kannon, or Jesus himself. In my case, I was born INTO God, and I see that I have no choice. But it's funny, for my choices are not Pagan, but philosophical. For me religion is a way of thinking, not a way of living. I seek not a god to pray to, but a way of thinking.
Let's say that if I ever become a Taoist, I don't pray to Lao Tzu or if I become Buddhist, I will not pray to the Buddha himself.
So thinking about the what David had told me about his view on Religion, I'm beginning to think that the extremist and western christian view of religion is dangerous. It does not promote open-mindedness but promotes one world view. It encourages no one to think, showing them instead that if one 'strays from the path' of christ, hell will immediately follow. And seeing a man like David, it saddens and angers me, burning up my heart. Why should a man not at least question their faith? The Rabbi do it in Judaism, why can't the common people. Jesus himself was a rebellious thinker, who preached something different, so why can't Christianity be about thinking, not about living.
I think that Religion should not be a guide for life, but be a guide for thinking. It should not dictate your actions, but your perception in life, but at the same time it should not cloud your judgement. For this kind of ignorant and narrow-minded
When he had finished his sandwich, we began to speak about Jesus Christ and my increasing interest in the Tanakh. He then started to explain to me how Jesus was the messiah that the Jewish people had been waiting for. The man (David) began to tell me how Jesus started to hit the necessary requirements that the Tanakh showed. When David spoke, he spoke with such gusto and sombre passion that I started to think about my position with God. Unfortunately, you cannot have theological dicussions at a subway (it is a shame, I know) and I had to go back to my work and he had to leave. But this got me started thinking about my relationship with God, and I thought, like a Daoist might, that perhaps I was born into God. Not for God, but into God.
I say this because a man may have been born a Buddhist, never knowing about the Godess Kannon, or Jesus himself. In my case, I was born INTO God, and I see that I have no choice. But it's funny, for my choices are not Pagan, but philosophical. For me religion is a way of thinking, not a way of living. I seek not a god to pray to, but a way of thinking.
Let's say that if I ever become a Taoist, I don't pray to Lao Tzu or if I become Buddhist, I will not pray to the Buddha himself.
So thinking about the what David had told me about his view on Religion, I'm beginning to think that the extremist and western christian view of religion is dangerous. It does not promote open-mindedness but promotes one world view. It encourages no one to think, showing them instead that if one 'strays from the path' of christ, hell will immediately follow. And seeing a man like David, it saddens and angers me, burning up my heart. Why should a man not at least question their faith? The Rabbi do it in Judaism, why can't the common people. Jesus himself was a rebellious thinker, who preached something different, so why can't Christianity be about thinking, not about living.
I think that Religion should not be a guide for life, but be a guide for thinking. It should not dictate your actions, but your perception in life, but at the same time it should not cloud your judgement. For this kind of ignorant and narrow-minded
