Saturday, November 1, 2014

There are many paths

The Pope now says that the big bang and evolution are real. He also says they are not incompatible with a creator. I Agree with him. I wrote an essay about this very subject some time ago, maybe he read it ! LOL, I don't think so and this idea has been around for a very long time. It is just that the conditions are right to make such a proclamation. Attendance is down and the church is a business like every other. Time to attract another group of buyers. New young customers are not easy to attract in this particular market.
Now don't go thinking I am bashing the Pope or the Catholic church. I am not. I do not think the admission of these theories is a compromise in faith. As the Pope said, this does not exclude a creator, it requires one. No matter how you look at it, it all had to happen somehow. The Bible says ,on the first day God created the heavens and the earth. How long is a day ? Sure, we circle the sun in twenty four hours but how long does it take for the galaxy ? You could look at it a different way. You build a pyramid one block at a time don't you ? Wouldn't it make sense to build a universe the same way ?
I will not go into that discussion here as I have already done so elsewhere. The only thing I find a bit troubling about this is it does appear to be a bit of a compromise. It can appear as a chip in the wall, To those of little or no faith. I am concerned about this presentation. Faith can not be proven, either it is or it is not. To those of us whose faith in a little stronger these proclamations will not shake us. I do think this really only affects those looking for a validation of their faith. The truth is this validation can only be provided by yourself. No one can convince you to believe. The how is not as important as the why. Why should you believe ? That is a question to ask yourself, and to ask your Priest or Pastor. When you reach the point where you no longer need to ask, you will have achieved faith. The important message is not how creation happened. The important message is the dissemination of a moral and ethical code to live our lives by. The method to get people to listen is called Religion. It is the promise of eternal life that has used as the main attraction in this function, and the threat of eternal damnation if ignored. Not surprising given the nature of man. Some may accuse me of having a pragmatic approach, and I can see their point, but I think as long as I am comfortable with that it does no harm. There is more than one path to faith. The destination however, is the same. It is that end result that we should be seeking. And the end result is what ? To live our lives in a moral and ethical fashion and contribute to society ? I believe that is part of it. There is more. It is the more that has us all confused. What is that ? As for me, I can only go on faith. I believe my soul will still exist in some fashion. I have ideas about that as well. I also believe my theories are just as valid as the Big Bang or evolution. I do not require science to " prove " my faith. Nor can science disprove it !

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