God and Faith

Okay, I'm waiting for my iPod to charge so I can hit the gym and jam to some tunes... I figured that now would be a good time to elaborate on my views on God and faith, as I promised my friend Steve. So here we go.

A few weeks ago I posted a passage that I wrote some time ago regarding my perceptions on the formation of the "God ideal" in the human psyche. I still believe alot of what I wrote, but there has been an evolution of sorts in my mind as to what is more important. I wrote towards the end that I have come to believe that the implicit actions of faith have become more important (to me) than what I may actually have faith in. Some comments I received posed the dangers of "blind faith," but I would like to make a more clear delineation on the subject.

To me, faith is a way for me to connect with the God of my understanding. Yes, you read that right... the God of my understanding. I always had a little difficulty putting stock in the more rigid religious interpretations of who or what God may be and how he may govern the universe. I find that I am much more able to communicate with an ideal of a higher power that I have created, imbued with characteristics and traits that I find to more in line with how I interpret the world.

Blasphemy, you say? Creating my own personal Jesus so that I may be holy in my own mind? Not quite. I believe that God is more personal to each of us than religion allows. I think that whatever higher spirit exists out there, be it a benevolent deity, a grand unifying force, or simply reverse entropy, is a force that allows us to be more than we are. I find that my beliefs in God allow me to escape the constraints of my own mind and body, to become more connected to my friends, family, and community than my individual self would normally be. I do not feel as isolated as I used to... and I am never really alone.

So what does that mean when it comes to faith? I believe that faith becomes a two-way street when the ideas are developed enough. I have come to believe in that power above and beyond myself, and have the sense that God believes in me. Sound corny or sophomoric? Perhaps, but I have the devout belief that God will never put more in front of me than he (so I'm masculine in my interpretations of God... sue me) knows I can handle. Good or bad. Feast or famine. Joy or despair. He has merely given me the power to follow whatever path is in his will for me.
My faith in him. His faith in me. They do not need to depend on each other, but they tend to reinforce each other. The more I have faith in him, the more strongly I feel his faith in me.
(just checked my iPod... got a while to go)

It is that feeling of open communication that has become more important to me than the exact formation or vision of God that I may have. True, I believe in a caring, understanding God who is benevolent and forgiving. But one who is there for those who look for him. He is not the all-powerful, all-engaging deity who personally handles each event in the universe... I think he's more of a hands-off mediator.

But I digress...

Those avenues of connection with God give me strength. I'm sure that the methods and practices of faith for different individuals have similar power, for whether one believes in Jesus, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, or what-have-you, it is the nature of the belief that has more effect on the believer's life than the concrete imagery of that deity itself. Does a vengeful God force them to guide their actions based on credible fear of holy retribution, or do they base them upon their perceptions of approval/disapproval of their divine entity... as a child does seeking parental approval? Does one fear a spanking more than disappointment? I guess that's a question that is much more personal in nature than I can truly fathom, but I know how I stand on the issue.

And now you do, too.