G
Ginkgo
Guest
I would like to begin by stating that I do not care to debate the existence of God; for when considering the implications of human thought, Faith, and Reasoning, such a debate is as fruitless as a wooden sword fight between toddlers, and about as unappealing as watching a train wreck in slow motion. Rather, the substance of my thesis is founded upon the notion that building an integral world-view is like forging a key to Life with the intention of unlocking every decision that presents itself. Otherwise, one may find himself wallowing in a pool of apathetic diffusion, attempting to pave a consistent path through life only to hang upon the fabric of incongruous beliefs. The nature of such a sickness exhibits symptoms of agreeableness and indifference in such a person, who may also be considered the "Rational". These poor individuals find themselves agonizing at the consideration of every decision; for the outcome always hinges upon every scrap of evidence known and unknown from the expanse of the universe whittled down to the singular quark. The sustenance of such an objective preponderance requires God-like capacities; thus these people aspire to be like God Himself. Ironically, they are also plagued by the fear of insufficient information - lack of Faith. On the other hand, there are the "Faithful" - those who adhere to a given set of integral principles and pierce every decision like a pike through a tuna fish. Occasionally, there are moments when those principles must be questioned when an unprecedented situation arises in order to reconcile a refined world-view.
I, for one, find the very heart of my Faith in a single scripture: "And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NAS, Mark 12:28-31)" -- Without God, there is no Love; for the very foundation of Love is rooted in the distinction between man and all other things. God made us in His image, and no other tangible thing is equal in his sight. If the contrary is true, then our fellow men are just as valuable as a misplaced garden hose or the Holiday Dinner. In the eyes of the absolutely rational man, all things matter are equally contemptible and lovable; which paradoxically defines and defies the premises of Humanism. This mentality of regarding all things with distributed divinity gives birth to materialism and pantheistic paganism - not Love.
I, for one, find the very heart of my Faith in a single scripture: "And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NAS, Mark 12:28-31)" -- Without God, there is no Love; for the very foundation of Love is rooted in the distinction between man and all other things. God made us in His image, and no other tangible thing is equal in his sight. If the contrary is true, then our fellow men are just as valuable as a misplaced garden hose or the Holiday Dinner. In the eyes of the absolutely rational man, all things matter are equally contemptible and lovable; which paradoxically defines and defies the premises of Humanism. This mentality of regarding all things with distributed divinity gives birth to materialism and pantheistic paganism - not Love.