About my faith
February 6th, 2006 by Larry D. Burton
I’ve been debating for a while now whether or not to do a series on my religious beliefs for this public journal. I’ve decided that I need to write this and that I need to make it public. This decision was somewhat difficult for me because, although I’ve always been open about my Christianity, I’ve always believed that I should let my actions speak loudest about my life rather than my words. Because I think that I have been doing this for the biggest portion of my life I’ve decided it was time to put a few things into words.
First let me start off with my definition of God. My definition is sort of simplistic. I have some pagen friends who have noted that most Christians seem to define God in simplistic terms but I believe that is what a definition is suppose to be. I also believe that God has more than one aspect and must be defined in each of God’s aspects.
I believe God is the Creator. God planned and set into motion the creation of everthing that we are able to sense and to know. I believe that God did not create in a secret way, His methods are knowable. All of His creation can be seen and is revealed to us through science if we have the wisdom to follow the scientific method.
I believe that God is the ideal for good, the standard for how the goodness in all of us will be judged. God has told us what this standard is through numerous religions. Micah stated this standard quite succinctly; act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. Jesus restated this standard by telling us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. This standard is not rules to follow but the way to be, the way to live and should be the essence of ourselves. This idea isn’t limited to Judeaism and Christianity; it has been echoed in Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.
From that standard comes all the ingredients for a happy life; a life lived the way God intended us to live it. Do you want world peace? Love your neighbor. Be merciful to him when he is in need or has done you wrong and act justly to him. Doing otherwise, in my opinion, can only lead to stress.
I have more to say but I think I’ll do that in installments.
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Since I started coordinating Dave Ramsey’s “Finanacial Peace University”, my walk has taken on a whole new direction. I’ll be very interested to read the rest of your thoughts and ideas.
Larry, your thoughts are so very similar to my own that all I can say is, Yes!
Especially the reference to Jesus’s summation of the standard for expressing God’s intention in our lives, loving god with all our heart, and mind and spirit, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. In the Episcopal Church’s liturgy, this is concluded, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”