Rambling Thoughts

I find it interesting how we all go around and around trying to not just figure out the meaning of our existence. We go beyond that and try to prove that the conclusion that we have reached so far is the correct conclusion. Non religious people point to all the different religions and say that they can’t all be right. Religious people point to the non religious and say they can’t be right Both sides talk about how much blood the other side has shed. And nothing gets resolved.

Most people in both the religious and non religious groups espouse their vision of the “truth.” There is even a group of people who hold to the truth that there is no truth. Sooner or later each group uses the Jain parable of the blind men and the elephant to describe those of other beliefs.

From this parable, two facts become glaringly clear. Everyone is blind. At the very least, none of us see clearly enough to have enough evidence to be able say with perfect accuracy, “This is exactly what we’re dealing with.” The other fact is that we need someone who can see the whole elephant. Christians say that person is Jesus. Atheists and the irreligious tell us that role belongs solely to them.

This is the human dilemma. For those interested in the spiritual aspect, a further dilemma is that we can’t find God on our own. He must reveal himself to us. Christians believe that God has done exactly this, and that He’s done it in three main areas. First is Creation, Second is the Bible, and Third of course is in the person of Jesus the Christ.

At the core of this revelation is that all of us, from the worst individuals to the most righteous individuals, are deeply flawed. The evidence that this is accurate is played out for us daily on the news, in our place of work, in our personal relationships and even in the deception we use when interacting with ourselves. As the saying goes, “The reason we can’t communicate effectively with others is because our own lives are so full of contradictions, we can’t even communicate with ourselves.” We need help!

Again, the religious person believes that help must come from something or someone that is stronger than ourselves. Declared atheists (those who submit that God does not exist), and functional atheists (those who live as though God doesn't exist) believe that there isn’t any help beyond ourselves. The behaviours of both groups prove beyond any doubt that we as a species are in deep, deep trouble and fighting against each other probably isn’t going to move us toward solving the problem.