You only have to look at the Middle East where generations of Arabs and Jews are still fighting over scraps of land that both believe are their birthright.
For us here at the bottom of the globe, seemingly sheltered from the carnage that is a result of different belief systems, it is difficult to imagine what it means to sacrifice all for the common good - a formula for living set by other mere mortals yet accountable to no one.
To some extent, we should be able to learn lessons from those who have put faith in false doctrines that require blind allegiance from those seeking the truth or at least some answers to questions that continue to trouble the mind.
Whether the teachings of ancient dogmas will be an effective influence on future civilisations still remains to be seen but one thing is certain - the ones that continue to preach hatred and division will suffer the consequences of their own misguided pursuit of hegemony.
While it is anybody’s guess as to the public mood for a reset of international alliances once this current bloody Middle Eastern skirmish has been temporarily settled, we can only hope that a lasting peace will be based on faith in a system that treats every citizen as a unique human being with equal rights to self determination within a society that respects freedom of choice.
Unfortunately, that may be expecting too much in a world that is dominated by regimes that are either atheist or promoters of a God that is nothing more than idol worship. Alternatively, although discredited by centuries of failures, a belief in one’s own ability to survive the pressures of modern society is enough for some and good luck to them even though it would appear that wanting to “go it alone” is more often than not, a recipe for disaster in itself.
For my money and based on my own experience of survival in a world increasingly influenced by the objectives of self appointed tyrants, a belief system that satisfies one’s personal needs is the only pathway to an enduring peace of mind.
I have chosen Christianity simply because it accommodates my own personal failings, which in a life without faith, for me becomes an intolerable existence.
How can you forgive someone for things they have done to you without acknowledging your own imperfections? And relying on a framework that accommodates all those individual weaknesses helps to make it happen.
However, consider this. A life without a faith is no more than “believing in fairies at the bottom of the garden!” - a juxtaposition that reflects on the charges so often laid at the feet of Christians. We can’t both be right.
So, the choice of which one of all these recipes plays a part in our personal lives, if any, remains a personal decision and so it should.
We reap what we sow.
Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.
2 comments:
You do you Clive. I personally find it troubling that people have to look to ancient fabricated literature to tell them rape and murder is wrong. I consider myself a humanist. It's comes naturally to show respect to others and lead and honest life.
This past weekend was the 80th anniversary of the release of prisoners from Auschwitz and Birkenau POW camps and coming up is the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. What have we learnt since then? However, there is a book which I now have titled Freedom, The End of the Human Condition, by Jeremy Griffith, who is an Australian biologist, and who has spent over 40 years on this. The book is available online. A top Canadian psychiatrist states that this is the book that will change the world. Happy reading!
Kevan
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