i've done much deep thinking today on many matters. i'm not sure what conclusions i've reached. my convo with bryan last night reguarding religion, made me think hard about my own ideals. i like them, and i think they work very well, and could lead to a very happy life, that god would like, and would be good by him. it's hard to explain my ideals. i'm really not sure who'd get it for sure. definately kathy and katie and emily, and aj and chris could get the concept, if not agree (i think k&K&E would agree with me).
anyway, the ideas of my belief are these:
God wants for us what any parent wants for their children: happiness. (OK so this doesnt cover every parent out there! stop trying to argue afore i even present my points - you know what i mean)
Therefore, as long as we all are happy, what more could God want? Each person is different, and gets happiness from different things. So, I think the only thing that God wants us to do is to be happy in every way, and spread happiness to His other children. In these ideas, I am completely throwing out the concept of 'sin' as it is in the Bible. I'm redefining it to be simply, something that does not bring happiness. This is better for everyone, I think, because it lets sins change as you change, and as times change. There are no set-in-stone sins.
Now, you're thinking I'm crazy, right? How do I expect this to be any good? Well, in order to explain further, I'll explain that I believe there is inner good, and inner God, in everyone. This inner good and inner God is what determines if something makes you happy -- not your brain.
God wants all of his children to be happy, so if you are intruding on somebody else's happiness in any way, that is a 'sin.' If you're doing something that does not truely make you happy, that's a 'sin' too.
Now, let me clarify. Just because you say something is making you happy does not mean it is. Even if you convince yourself in your brain that it is. Perhaps you're not convincing yourself, but maybe you just dont see how it is not bringing happiness to you, yet. In otherwords, you dont see how it is hurting you, or making you unhappy, yet. At least, not conciously. In your heart, I believe, the inner good and the inner God know and will tell you if it makes you happy or not. If you are honest with yourself, and really listen, and reason, then you'll know for yourself. The trick is, it's hard to do that. If you want to believe something will make you happy, or you're ignorant to the consequences, then you can easily believe it'll make you happy.
Some examples, if can explain:
Drugs - If you're doing drugs, it might bring you physical and mental happiness, but I doubt there's one person you can find that honestly, truely, no matter what they say, gets happiness from drugs. The inner good, and inner God, your heart, knows it is hurting you, and knows it is bringing you sadness.
Pre-maritial sex (or perhaps better put 'sex without love') - This is an example of how sins can change from one person to another, and with age. For myself, I don't think having sex right now would bring me any happiness. I don't think my brain could handle the self-doubt it'd bring, and I'm not prepaired to bring a kid up happy, in a happy environment, bringing happiness to it. It'd be a sin against myself, my happiness, and God, to have sex right now, because it wouldnt bring any happiness to me. Now, someone else might be. Not someone else might say they are... someone else might truely be ok in their hearts with having sex right now, and prepaired to raise a kid happily as possible. Since it would cause no spiritual unhappiness (most important), and no mental/emotional unhappiness, but would bring physical happiness (least important), and perhaps a little mental or emotional happiness, it would be just fine. It wouldn't be a sin for this person, as long as their partner felt the same. This also makes it a sin to have sex when you're married, if you're not in love with who you're married to - it's not going to bring you happiness. Don't you think that defines things better than simply using something formal to define love?
Killing - In most cases, you don't even have to get complicated for this one: It's interfering with someone else's happiness, which is their God-given right. God wants us to be happy, you took away their happiness, so yes, that's a sin. Ok, here's the complicated side: Let's say the person wants to die, truely, and you kill them. I won't go into whether someone really wants to die, perhaps there is a time when your heart, your inner good, and your inner God all say it is time for you to go. I don't want to tangle in that right now. Obviously, for most people, killing the person, even if they wanted it, would make you sad. Even if you didnt show it, it would bring unhappiness into your heart. So let's say you're a sadistic, ruthless killer? That doesnt mean you don't have a heart, and that your heart, your inner good, and your inner God don't know it's not bringing you happiness. It's a sin against yourself, and your happiness. Also, you're killing one of God's children. If He wants them gone, He'll take care of that Himself; you don't have to help.**
I think for the most part, most everything else explains itself. Respect, treat as you'd like to be treated, etc., etc. It all comes back to happiness, and everyone being happy, and listening to your heart/inner good/inner God.
I feel that this is a better reason to do something than because the Bible tells you. No disrespect, but the Bible was written by humans. Why bring the reasons back to the Bible, when you can bring them back to yourself, your heart, and God inside of you?
NOTE - Yes, this is idealistic. But aren't all religions? I'm not going to try and set up a society or something like this, jeeze.
** This does not nesscarily reflect any views of mine on the death penalty. That's a different matter completely, in my head. Yes, it's influenced by religion/morals/beliefs, but I don't want to drag all of that in here, it'll go on forever.
I'm not a very religious person, as most of you know. I do have some basic beleifs though, and I realise that by cramming them all in here, and making religion my only topic, it sounds like I'm a door to door God-salesman. But really, I'm not. I just had these ideas, and I think they're pretty cool, so I'm sharing them.
anyway, the ideas of my belief are these:
God wants for us what any parent wants for their children: happiness. (OK so this doesnt cover every parent out there! stop trying to argue afore i even present my points - you know what i mean)
Therefore, as long as we all are happy, what more could God want? Each person is different, and gets happiness from different things. So, I think the only thing that God wants us to do is to be happy in every way, and spread happiness to His other children. In these ideas, I am completely throwing out the concept of 'sin' as it is in the Bible. I'm redefining it to be simply, something that does not bring happiness. This is better for everyone, I think, because it lets sins change as you change, and as times change. There are no set-in-stone sins.
Now, you're thinking I'm crazy, right? How do I expect this to be any good? Well, in order to explain further, I'll explain that I believe there is inner good, and inner God, in everyone. This inner good and inner God is what determines if something makes you happy -- not your brain.
God wants all of his children to be happy, so if you are intruding on somebody else's happiness in any way, that is a 'sin.' If you're doing something that does not truely make you happy, that's a 'sin' too.
Now, let me clarify. Just because you say something is making you happy does not mean it is. Even if you convince yourself in your brain that it is. Perhaps you're not convincing yourself, but maybe you just dont see how it is not bringing happiness to you, yet. In otherwords, you dont see how it is hurting you, or making you unhappy, yet. At least, not conciously. In your heart, I believe, the inner good and the inner God know and will tell you if it makes you happy or not. If you are honest with yourself, and really listen, and reason, then you'll know for yourself. The trick is, it's hard to do that. If you want to believe something will make you happy, or you're ignorant to the consequences, then you can easily believe it'll make you happy.
Some examples, if can explain:
Drugs - If you're doing drugs, it might bring you physical and mental happiness, but I doubt there's one person you can find that honestly, truely, no matter what they say, gets happiness from drugs. The inner good, and inner God, your heart, knows it is hurting you, and knows it is bringing you sadness.
Pre-maritial sex (or perhaps better put 'sex without love') - This is an example of how sins can change from one person to another, and with age. For myself, I don't think having sex right now would bring me any happiness. I don't think my brain could handle the self-doubt it'd bring, and I'm not prepaired to bring a kid up happy, in a happy environment, bringing happiness to it. It'd be a sin against myself, my happiness, and God, to have sex right now, because it wouldnt bring any happiness to me. Now, someone else might be. Not someone else might say they are... someone else might truely be ok in their hearts with having sex right now, and prepaired to raise a kid happily as possible. Since it would cause no spiritual unhappiness (most important), and no mental/emotional unhappiness, but would bring physical happiness (least important), and perhaps a little mental or emotional happiness, it would be just fine. It wouldn't be a sin for this person, as long as their partner felt the same. This also makes it a sin to have sex when you're married, if you're not in love with who you're married to - it's not going to bring you happiness. Don't you think that defines things better than simply using something formal to define love?
Killing - In most cases, you don't even have to get complicated for this one: It's interfering with someone else's happiness, which is their God-given right. God wants us to be happy, you took away their happiness, so yes, that's a sin. Ok, here's the complicated side: Let's say the person wants to die, truely, and you kill them. I won't go into whether someone really wants to die, perhaps there is a time when your heart, your inner good, and your inner God all say it is time for you to go. I don't want to tangle in that right now. Obviously, for most people, killing the person, even if they wanted it, would make you sad. Even if you didnt show it, it would bring unhappiness into your heart. So let's say you're a sadistic, ruthless killer? That doesnt mean you don't have a heart, and that your heart, your inner good, and your inner God don't know it's not bringing you happiness. It's a sin against yourself, and your happiness. Also, you're killing one of God's children. If He wants them gone, He'll take care of that Himself; you don't have to help.**
I think for the most part, most everything else explains itself. Respect, treat as you'd like to be treated, etc., etc. It all comes back to happiness, and everyone being happy, and listening to your heart/inner good/inner God.
I feel that this is a better reason to do something than because the Bible tells you. No disrespect, but the Bible was written by humans. Why bring the reasons back to the Bible, when you can bring them back to yourself, your heart, and God inside of you?
NOTE - Yes, this is idealistic. But aren't all religions? I'm not going to try and set up a society or something like this, jeeze.
** This does not nesscarily reflect any views of mine on the death penalty. That's a different matter completely, in my head. Yes, it's influenced by religion/morals/beliefs, but I don't want to drag all of that in here, it'll go on forever.
I'm not a very religious person, as most of you know. I do have some basic beleifs though, and I realise that by cramming them all in here, and making religion my only topic, it sounds like I'm a door to door God-salesman. But really, I'm not. I just had these ideas, and I think they're pretty cool, so I'm sharing them.
