In which I attempt to nail down some the elusive concepts I see in religion; I am aware that these things probably vary by denomination, and maybe even by person. Any feedback on general consensus is welcome.
On origins:
One of the few earnest questions I remember receiving at the "Ask an Atheist" table was "Where do you think you come from?". It's a common enough question, and incredibly vague. Did they mean personally, or with more regard to ancestry? Were they talking more about the soul or the ego, or the body? When I asked for clarification, the response was "well, I believe God put me on this earth for such-and-such purpose..."
You often hear "God made me how I am" or"It was God who made/sustains us, let us give him thanks". But the biology of birth and the biology of living is well-understood, as far as I know. What part does god actually play in all of this? Is his involvement necessary or just for kicks? Does he only manipulate the probabilities? Is he perceived as a creative force or one of guidance?
Extending further, what is his involvement in the human species? Or, perhaps more properly, the human genus? Did homo sapiens arrive on earth fully made? Then what of erectus and neaderthalis and hablis? Perhaps a theistic evolution route? Why the trouble? I know I am only human, and yet the creation of a human "kind", only to have one survive, seems unnecessary compared to just creating that one species from the get-go.
Is god the type of god with an eternal plan; one set perfectly in motion so many eons ago, that even from the genesis he set all atoms perfectly in motion so as to realize Newton and Ghandi and Ham and Hitler at their appropriate times? Or is he more free-form, did he create the universe and then let it go its own way, popping in now and again to make sure he wasn't forgotten and nudging genetics in favor of certain individuals? Are his interventions planned or unplanned? Did he really have no other option than to flood the earth? Was the Holocaust really necessary? Or is the temptation of the devil or "its a lesson" used to explain such things?
On prayer:
What is it? I enjoy the quote "Two hands working accomplish more than a thousand clasped in prayer", but some will come back against this stating that it exhibits a misunderstanding of prayer; that prayer is not a magic trick, it is a meditative action, something which is internally refreshing and empower, thus being a form of productivity. However, does not Jesus, for example, promise that, to the faithful, whatever they ask of Lord shall be done, even be it the moving of a mountain or walking over water? I know there are likely responses to that line of though as well, likely a symbolic answer, but it seems that prayer is not intended entirely to be meditative. It can reaffirmation, praise, inquiry, or requests. Heck, the Lord's Prayer is two or three of those. The last, of course, is the most troublesome. How does it fit into "eternal plan" or "free will" or "lessons of faith"?
Is there a correct method of praying? Did not Jesus say to repeat the Lord's Prayer in the secret and solitude of your own home?
On salvation:
Good works? Faith? Is it God who damns, or do we damn ourselves? Is the concept of mercy compatible with perfect justice? What goes on in heaven, anyway? What happened before the death of Christ, with regards to salvation? What about those who have not heard the Word; the virtuous pagans?
I've slowly been making my way through the book of Mormon; it mirrors Lutheranism in that good works are a primary if not the way of getting into heaven, but good works can only come from those who first accept Christ as their savior. I thought it then got a little fuzzy insofar as to the damnation system: we can picture damnation is being there; as though Xianity is the one path and anything else is, by amoral default, the road to hell. Other times it describes Satan as coming up and claiming individuals (although this might be in a purely spiritual sense; perhaps Satan only claims them after God pours out his wrath on them); and often it describes the wrath of God coming down and striking the unbelievers, as though God is actively angry. Now, regardless of how it actually works, it is emphasis that the choice and ensuing result is all up to the individual, because that's apparently free will. So while it may be God who smites the wicked into the arms of Satan, technically, we asked for it, and so we cannot be angry with God. Now, we still get into the thorn-brush of His eternal love, as certainly he or the Son are said weep and are filled with sorrow because of the inequity of the wicked, and yet is was ordained (and probably foreseen) from the beginning that those who broke the rules would get the divine banhammer, and god cannot change his ways.
On the Bible:
Why the whole Bible? Why just the Bible?
Also, and this is something that's I've not gotten for a while, and would gladly welcome more clarification. The whole "Jesus has not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it"-- what does it mean? And, more specifically, what does it mean for the old law?
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