Would it be common for people to doubt seriously that there is any
hope for the future beyond life in this world. It seems that the way life
is that we go about only partially seeing any hope if we have any hope at all.
Are we realists through what’s observed about our reality in this way or are we
unnecessarily discouraged in our approach to a future.
Even people of belief in God and His plan and of eternal life are
repetitively reminded by natures terms of ones mortality. Observing natures
processes like death and the resulting grief the other ideas supposedly offering
us a future come on very scary terms. Self-admittedly many acknowledge this fear
that they have with these “scary ideas” offering for us the only foreseeable
solution. One reason the answers appear scary it seems is because the religious
story’s are very fantastical in nature. Old Testament myths, for instance, don’t
appear valid as real actual history. People naturally therefore are distrustful
and skeptical about them and because of this kind of natural logic they
are fearful.
Life being a place of much fearfulness and uncertainty do many people
surrender to religion as their only hope because they are desperate and other
options of hope aren’t as persuasive or predominate in their community.
Are we merely fearful and desperate and so we conform to those old story’s.
The claims of the New Testament such as the raising of the dead by Jesus
through His miracles. The implications of Jesus own resurrection after His
execution on the cross are story’s that effect this desperation we have. Many of
us trust and have faith Jesus exists and take it by faith the claims that He was
resurrected from the dead. The gift of His Holy Spirit being given to us we
think bares witness very personally and experientially to Him being present with
us by supporting us through this life. Is a desperation prevalent in all of us
nonetheless in believers as well as nonbelievers.
It seems some of us must want desperately for Jesus to be real even if we
have faith in a desperate way. Can it not be a faith we have that wavers and
occasionally doubts, that worries, even fears it’s own conviction of what the
truth is. For us who love God so much is dependent on Jesus story being actual
history; of Jesus actually being who the story claims He is; of His miracles
really happening as they did; of God really preparing a place for us in Heaven
etc.
This persuasiveness repeated to us might have the effect that diminishes
and obscures doubt and skepticism. In this predicament we’re in in life are we
not therefore compelled to try and drown out any doubts that occur if we want a
hope in the future. This an atheist might argue is merely wishful thinking. To
us who find great conviction and comfort it’s not merely a fairytail.
Then there is the business that out of all the ideas in the world only one
version of ideas can save, at least according to those who know that one
particular set of ideas. The rest of humanity are on rout to Hell, if Hell
exists, I personally don’t believe it does. According to this the narrow road to
future happiness, for those in possession of the supposedly right way of
thinking, will reluctantly then allow the rest of humanity to fall out of focus
as they say goodbye to them and greet each other in love in Heaven. By small
outreaches attempting to convert others in the larger world in life this
justifies Gods uneven plan for the fate of the earth’s total population.
I don’t think love or God can be obliterated from offering hope to
anyone despite this way of accessing reality. In my opinion God must just have a
love more far reaching then this. Jesus would speak to the world if He returned
I’m sure. He would no doubt be more inclusive then these scary terms that offer
hope on such severe terms.
This isn’t the world of ancient Rome where ideas of God by an emperors
conversion can reach the entire Roman world by decree. This is the larger more
modern world where we understand diversity and the too numerous to count
cultures and arguments beyond count. This is a world where truth and knowledge
and reality are looked at coming at the claims of truth from many different
perspectives. In such a world as this the authoritarian command of total
acceptance of any perspective asks something totally unfair of every person in
such an environment. We naturally because of this will therefore form different
sets of arguments and it is natural, not unnatural, to do so.
Can’t Gods mercy reach us where a certainty has not reached the human
condition. The need for ideological certainty and for us to know absolutely “the
only way of looking at things as being our only hope” is an outdated, ancient,
arbitrary demand on people. I love God and I believe God inclusively and fairly
loves humanity and will eventually show it more completely.
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