tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4325865623924936197.post751137154840037257..comments2023-03-21T07:24:49.169-04:00Comments on Just Some Stuff About Life As I See It: F(ear)AITHjsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02841951364803029201noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4325865623924936197.post-8138313858780569172010-02-03T18:57:33.990-05:002010-02-03T18:57:33.990-05:00I think of safe as being "okay" with wha...I think of safe as being "okay" with whatever happens; being able to cope with what is. I guess I think of safe as meaning my soul is protected regardless of what is happening on the outside. I don't believe that it is God's plan to intervene on our behalf whenever "bad things" happen. That's life on earth!<br /><br />Some very interesting thoughts on faith in this post and comment. I've added the book you recommended, "The Inner Experience" to my library list. I'll definitely check it out (eventually!) Thanks.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693795343641111526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4325865623924936197.post-84329098141397669942010-02-03T15:40:32.644-05:002010-02-03T15:40:32.644-05:00Hi LM - first of all it would be unrealistic to ha...Hi LM - first of all it would be unrealistic to have faith in the idea that God is going to keep you safe. I suppose it depends on what your definition of 'safe' is but if you think that just because you have faith or trust in God then you won't fall victim to a mugger or some other unfortunate pitfall or violent crime I'd say there's a good chance you're going to be very disappointed by him at some point (or many points) in your life.<br /><br />With this post I am not attempting to define by means of some sweeping statement or even by means of one single word ‘what faith is’. Faith has many, many aspects and those aspects will vary from person to person. Please understand that when I say ‘faith’ the closest I can come to what I mean is to define it as an experience of God that results in a knowing of him, a knowing of his existence within me. It is a knowing that wells up from deep inside. It does not come externally by seeing him in the birds or the ocean or what have you. It is a true knowing of his existence within me, from within the deepest part of me. As I said there are aspects that vary from person to person but I would like to add one caveat. I do believe that there are aspects of faith (or we can also call it knowing) that are the same across the board for everyone. If it were not so how would we know that we in fact have this knowing? If you doubt this you can pick up any piece of mystical literature and it matters not the theological doctrine i.e. Christian, Jewish, Muslim and I would also include Buddhist, Native American (or any other Indian society). They all share certain similar aspects. The desired end result might be different or rather what they believe is there or rather what they’re ‘shooting’ for but there are absolutely aspects that are the same across the board. That’s because regardless of the theological belief system we are in every circumstance talking about human beings. Philosophical, ideological beliefs aside there are simply some aspects of it that must be the same.<br /><br />My goal with this post was to take one very small aspect of my faith experience and write about it. This small aspect is pertinent to me because fear was a very defining aspect of the environment in my formative years. I can see now many years later how profoundly affected I was by it. The realization of this is just one small piece of the veil that is torn away for me on my way to (I hope) an even deeper understanding of God. It is and will continue to be an evolving experience that will not end, or at least not in this lifetime.<br />I so get your struggle to understand. I went through it and I continue to go through it daily. Enlightenment does not come nearly fast enough. Please keep with it because it can only be in that struggle that you will come to more clarity, little by little.jsshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02841951364803029201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4325865623924936197.post-69778595552977409422010-02-03T11:46:26.997-05:002010-02-03T11:46:26.997-05:00I had always thought of faith as "belief"...I had always thought of faith as "belief" but more recently I've come to read about faith as "trust" which is perhaps what you are getting at here.<br /><br />If I believe ghosts exist do I have faith in ghosts? Same thing with God. Just because I believe God exists doesn't mean I have faith in Him/Her/It. But if I trust that God is going to alleviate my fear and keep me safe -then I have faith in God.<br /><br />That's how I'm starting to see things.<br /><br />I know that my lack of faith has very real root issues. My parents were neglectful/abusive drunks. I didn't trust them when I was a child. They scared me. Both of them. In fact, I didn't trust anyone. Adults were all messed up and the world was about to fall apart at any given moment. I still feel the same basically.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693795343641111526noreply@blogger.com