The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

When it comes to religion, I don't pretend to have all the answers. However, regardless if the answers are impossible to fully deduce while alive on this earth, I find it fascinating to ponder about such matters, because I'm a creative nerd whose mind likes to constantly be in overdrive. I grew up in a Christian household, have studied multiple religions throughout my life out of pure curiosity, and would today label myself as a humanist and/or an agnostic. While I believe many of these sacred texts provide interesting story material, which can help teach us many of life's important lessons, I'm hard-pressed to take them all literally, and have reached a point where I feel that, while I can't fully disprove the presence of a higher power, I can't fully prove it either. Due to this, I simply try to stand by the Golden Rule, acknowledge my mistakes and flaws, and continually try to improve upon them to better myself as a person, regardless of the potential reward ...

I know people mean well when they can't think of anything else to say other than an old cliche they've heard since the time they were a fetus and their mother was listening to a radio show called, Dr. Coach: The Wisdom From An Ex-Football Coach That Became A Shrink . However, as I've mentioned in posts prior, when people tell me, "Everything happens for a reason" or "God has a plan," I then become at a loss for words. I kind of slowly nod my head, as I bite my tongue, and think to myself, "Really? Want to inform me about the reason for the Holocaust, child abuse, poverty? How was it all part of 'God's' plan?" I know people mean well when they say such things, but the phrases still irritate me, because when I hear such comments, to me it comes across as though the person wasn't actually listening to my specific story, that they don't truly know me, and that they didn't genuinely think about what they said before they said...

I've been hearing a lot about "karma" recently. It's usually been used in the following manner - "Karma came back to bite him" or "Karma is a b**ch. Just wait and he'll get what he deserves." Now, I refer to myself as agnostic. While I don't believe there's enough evidence to state there is a higher power we call God, I also don't believe there's enough evidence to deny this being's possible existence either. As for karma, though, I think I have an even harder time believing it than the existence of a higher power. First off, let's look at the definition of the term: "karma [kahr-muh] noun 1. action, seen as bringing oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation. 2. the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person's deeds in the previous incarnation. 3. fate; destiny. 4. the good or bad ema...

Today, I just saw a post made on Facebook of a sign which said the following - "As long as you know that God is for you, it doesn't matter who is against you." So, how do we know God is "for" us exactly? Is there a mailer that comes out every four years which tells us our status in God's eyes and if he is for or against us (or perhaps neutral)? Should we just automatically know? Does this take place when looking at the whole of a person or just individual components? Are we simply delusional and when times get tough, just say to ourselves, "Well, God is for us, so we've got that going for us, which is nice"? I'm sure Hitler and others like him probably thought that God was "for" them, yet that doesn't make it so. I could say my invisible friend Bucktooth Brutus is for me and will be getting laid tonight by a virgin named Leticia the Mannequin, but again, that doesn't make it so.  The thing about it is I can't ...

Inner Conflict of the Unknown As I look up, I’m unable to see his presence, Nowhere to be seen near or far, Being physically absent, I cannot hear his voice, Even in the still of the night, As the crickets chirp, I listen for a sign, Children being abused, Families in poverty, Wars being waged, How could he let this be? His benevolence can be questioned, Omniscience too, Omnipotence appears unlikely, Yet I wish it were true, An angel looking down upon me, Making certain I’m alright, There to reward me after I pass, Welcoming me into the next life, Yet doubt lingers over me, As I walk the streets at night, People lying in them passed out, Having given up on this life, Unable to prove he exists, Unable to prove he’s absent, Doubting with all my mind, Hoping with all my heart.

I, at one time, believed in God, as I was raised by two Christian parents and taken to church on Sundays fairly regularly. Over the years, I've developed more doubt in the existence of a higher power and in organized religion, in general. I now classify myself as an agnostic, because I have a difficult time believing there will ever be 100% proof provided in either direction, toward the existence of a higher power or toward there not being one present. I recently read an article via The Huffington Post and the title of the piece was very misleading, as it said there's now evidence that belief in God is a reasonable argument. [1] What was this evidence? The writer spent 90% of his time talking about scientists and atheists being unable to fully prove God doesn't exist. He then concluded because of this, the belief in God is a reasonable argument. How does that work? Just because person A can't fully prove X, that means it's reasonable for person B to belie...