God Works in Mysterious Ways (?)
I grew up in a very devoted Catholic-Christian household. While other kids had Jack and the Beanstalk read to them as a kid before bedtime, my mom used to read Bible passages to me. I was put in youth groups and Bible studies from my earliest teen years. I even went on to study Philosophy in college to better defend my religious beliefs. However, when I graduated college, the only thing I truly learned was how complicated this world really is.
The fact is this: We do not live in a Sunday School world. Despite our best intentions, our society praises greed, lust, and power. 99.9 percent of people in our world do not turn the other cheek when struck on one side of the face, and they do not forgive seventy times seven times. We no longer live in a world where a kid can just go to school and play with their friends outside afterwards...we now live in a world where kids can NOT go outside and play in fear of getting kidnapped, molested, or shot. Our world has gotten really, really f'd up...and I don't think the Son of God would be very happy if He were to sit with us, Christians or otherwise, to see where our world has headed.
So, where does God fit in all of this? Is it still justifiable to believe in an all-loving, all-powerful God? If this God is so omniscient and all-powerful, why doesn't He do something about all the unnecessary suffering in the world? Does He truly work in "mysterious ways", or is that just an excuse that believers espouse to rationalize the BS that's going on around them?
Frankly, I have to say that while I do believe in God...I must admit that I don't know how to answer these questions. Again, this world is very, very complicated. From atoms...to biological cells...to landscapes...to human emotion--everything about this universe is complicated. It would be silly, pretentious, and arrogant of me to think that I could simplify the not-at-all-simple issues. However, I must stand firm in the belief that this incredibly complex universe had to have been designed by an intelligent being. I believe that this Being is present in our lives, and this Being is also involved in our lives. However, I must say that I am not sure why He does what He does and allows certain things to happen. That's not my place.
Christians often have a saying: "God is good all the time, and all the time...God is good." Quite frankly, I can't say this with 100 percent conviction. When everything in life is messed up and the fecal matter is hitting the rotating blades...God doesn't seem like such a good guy at all. In fact, He seems like the exact opposite. It's as if He's an angry kid with an ant farm who takes joy in shaking the ants until they are drowning in dirt. However, while I believe these feelings are justified, I also realize that it's hardest to pray when everything in life is going great. As much as it hurts, and as much as it sucks, I tend to reach out to God when everything goes wrong. I seek Him in the darkest of places. Even when everything sucks and I'm angry and shaking my fist at Him, it's better than not saying anything at all. I'm not trying to sugarcoat suffering or wrap it in a pretty box. All I know is that in order to be saved, we need something horrible to be saved from.
None of the above is meant to convert atheists or agnostics into theism. It's simply my way of explaining how I can remain a believer despite the BS in this world...of how I make sense of the non-sensical. Call me weak. Call faith a crutch. Say whatever you want. All I know is that faith helps.
The fact is this: We do not live in a Sunday School world. Despite our best intentions, our society praises greed, lust, and power. 99.9 percent of people in our world do not turn the other cheek when struck on one side of the face, and they do not forgive seventy times seven times. We no longer live in a world where a kid can just go to school and play with their friends outside afterwards...we now live in a world where kids can NOT go outside and play in fear of getting kidnapped, molested, or shot. Our world has gotten really, really f'd up...and I don't think the Son of God would be very happy if He were to sit with us, Christians or otherwise, to see where our world has headed.
So, where does God fit in all of this? Is it still justifiable to believe in an all-loving, all-powerful God? If this God is so omniscient and all-powerful, why doesn't He do something about all the unnecessary suffering in the world? Does He truly work in "mysterious ways", or is that just an excuse that believers espouse to rationalize the BS that's going on around them?
Frankly, I have to say that while I do believe in God...I must admit that I don't know how to answer these questions. Again, this world is very, very complicated. From atoms...to biological cells...to landscapes...to human emotion--everything about this universe is complicated. It would be silly, pretentious, and arrogant of me to think that I could simplify the not-at-all-simple issues. However, I must stand firm in the belief that this incredibly complex universe had to have been designed by an intelligent being. I believe that this Being is present in our lives, and this Being is also involved in our lives. However, I must say that I am not sure why He does what He does and allows certain things to happen. That's not my place.
Christians often have a saying: "God is good all the time, and all the time...God is good." Quite frankly, I can't say this with 100 percent conviction. When everything in life is messed up and the fecal matter is hitting the rotating blades...God doesn't seem like such a good guy at all. In fact, He seems like the exact opposite. It's as if He's an angry kid with an ant farm who takes joy in shaking the ants until they are drowning in dirt. However, while I believe these feelings are justified, I also realize that it's hardest to pray when everything in life is going great. As much as it hurts, and as much as it sucks, I tend to reach out to God when everything goes wrong. I seek Him in the darkest of places. Even when everything sucks and I'm angry and shaking my fist at Him, it's better than not saying anything at all. I'm not trying to sugarcoat suffering or wrap it in a pretty box. All I know is that in order to be saved, we need something horrible to be saved from.
None of the above is meant to convert atheists or agnostics into theism. It's simply my way of explaining how I can remain a believer despite the BS in this world...of how I make sense of the non-sensical. Call me weak. Call faith a crutch. Say whatever you want. All I know is that faith helps.
posted by Mike Pana at
5:23 PM
1 Comments:
Hey Mike, nice blog this is the first entry that i read from it. I like it alot. Long time no talk huh. I hope all is well for you and Allison. Also, I hope everything is well with your family and Allison's as well. I wanted to say, in response to your blog, that "yes" this world makes it very hard to believe that among the "fecal matter" God is working. However, like you said, you must stand strong.
I believe that God graced all of us with the ability to be responsible. He created all this for us, lol we were the ones that messed it up. Just like a teacher (like you Mike) holds his students responsible to practicing / implementing / studying what he / she has given them....God is asking us to be responsible for the world He has given us. Yea, at times this world sucks, yea it is far from where we want it to be, and definately YEA it is far from perfect. But, if our family / or relationships sucked, werent what we expected, or not yet perfect - I am sure we would make the effort to change them. In simplest of terms, this world is one big family with alot of issues.
Anyway, like you I am not trying to impose anything on anyone by writing this. I, like you, wanted to "speak from the heart", because I too believe that when we speak from our true heart - in our actions, words etc things will work out for the best.
Talking about things like this reminds me of the nights we would chat while finishing / cramming / sorta studying for our exams. Miss those days, life was more straight forward....getting back to the complicated thing again...But maybe thats the whole thing. When life gets complicated, life will start revealing its true colors to us. I guess inside complexity we'll find true beauty...that has to be some Shao'lin proverb or something of that nature lol.
ANYWAY.....lol I hope all is well Mike. Tell your fam i said "hi" and give them and Allsion my love.
- Shingo
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