A MATTER OF FAITH
"I refuse to prove I exist," said God, "for proof denies faith and without faith, I am nothing."
excerpt from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
If I seem a bit disjointed today, it's because I am. Originally this column appeared on Dragonsclaw and after seven successful issues it moved to Exodus. This was fine by me, since I love Exodus and think the world of Jon Hodges, our illustrious editor. The fact that he likes my writing has nothing to do with it... at least not much.
So I moved to Exodus and after my second issue was posted, I find out that Exodus has adopted a baby sister. The name of the 'zine to be' is An Eclipsing and it is precisely the sort of 'zine that Exodus is not. At least that's the theory. Since I have yet to see an issue, it's all just scuttlebutt.
Exodus is an electronic speculative fiction 'zine that publishes stories of a dark nature. This is possibly why Jon likes my work. I have never been accused of pulling a punch (nor am I about to start now).
An Eclipsing is also an electronic speculative fiction 'zine. However our new baby sister, much like a houseplant, tends to lean toward the light. Together the two form a new 'zine called Conflicting Spectrums in which our wonderful and dedicated readers can enjoy the best of both worlds. Conflicting Spectrums is the Yin-Yang of on-line fiction. Fortunately, you will still find me lurking on the dark side.
This change was enough to unbalance me, before I found out that the Conflicting Spectrums will also have a theme for each issue. That is, the stories and articles in each issue revolve around a specific philosophical treatise. To be fair, Jon told me that I didn't have to change Parapet. He told me that I could keep it as a forum for my own ideas, regardless of what the rest of the magazine was doing.
I thought about it for a bit and decided that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. For one thing, I can't conceive of a topic on which I have no thoughts. I am one opinionated man! Therefore, Parapet is now a forum to discuss the month's topic and I am positively dizzy. I suppose this proves the old maxim, the only thing that's constant, is change.
Actually, very little has changed. I'm still the same sensitive, caring, blatantly honest individual you've come to expect. I still write the column with the same panache. And, of course, I'm still making friends wherever I go. Or had been, until I found out that the topic for this first issue is Faith. I fear I am about to lose what friends I have.
Before I go further, let me give you my definition of the word. Faith is a deeply held belief, for which there exists no proof. The nature of the belief could be religious, it could be personal or even material, but it must be deeply held. If you have a good, logical reason for your belief, then we are not talking faith.
For example, if I have a friend that consistently does stupid things, I would continue to expect him to do stupid things. It would be folly for me to believe he was suddenly going to turn around and stun me with his newfound brilliance. Never bet on a loser, because you think his luck is going to change.
This isn't to say that my friend can't change. I just wouldn't take it on faith. The entire situation is altered, when a new element is introduced. For example, if my friend starts seeing a woman who will not put up with his stupidity and he really loves her, he may change. Of course, I now have a reason for my belief and therefore it has nothing to do with faith.
If you've ever had the misfortune of knowing someone who is in an abusive relationship that they refuse to leave, you have experienced another form of faith. Each time an abused woman returns to her significant other, it's always because she has faith that he will change. It almost never happens, but that doesn't stop her from believing time after time. Which isn't to say that an abusive man can't change. However, without agreeing to get some kind of professional help, it isn't likely.
The same can apply to religion. This is where I start making enemies. People are born into religions. Jews are born into Jewish households, Catholics are born into Catholic households and I suppose people who worship the great god Fimlywhip are firmly indoctrinated into that belief system from birth as well. We are what we're taught.
Now as we grow older, we have certain freedoms. Among them is the freedom to choose what we believe. The real question is, how many people bother to rethink things that they've been taught since childhood?
I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a Christian. I won't specifically name his religion, because it makes no difference. This conversation could be about any belief system. Tom is not what you'd call a devout worshipper, but he does believe in the religion to which he was born. He believes it because his parents believe it, his neighbors believe it and even his priest believes it. Now there's an endorsement.
I pointed out to him that if he were born in a different household, say to Jewish parents, he'd just as likely believe in Judaism. It is extremely unlikely that he would convert to the religion he currently believes. If that's the case, then which is the true religion?
He pointed out to me that faith serves a useful purpose. It keeps people in line. "Could you imagine," he asked, "what the world would be like, if nobody had faith?"
I smiled, because he had played right into my hands. If I recall correctly, religions and religious differences have caused more and bloodier wars that almost anything else (reference the Crusades). Hey look, those people don't believe the way we do, let's kill them.
The fact is, I don't have any problem at all with people believing what they want. I do have a problem when people try to force their faith on me. I have my own beliefs that I have spent years developing. My beliefs are based on what I've experienced in my life. I don't take anything on faith. I need to see some kind of proof. Nor do I believe things just because other people believe it. I have a mind of my own. I look for evidence. If a thing is true, I'm smart enough to see it. If I can't, then leave me alone. I don't want to be converted.
Of course, this doesn't just apply to religion. It applies to selling Amway. It applies to going on certain diets. It applies to advice that I receive from my doctor. If I choose to believe something, I will. If you show me data, expect me to question it. Statistics can be made to lie. Ask anyone in advertising. If there's no evidence for a thing, it doesn't mean it can't be true. It does mean that I'm not going to believe it.
In fact, I'm almost amazed at the amount of negative feedback my opinion on this topic has received, just from the people I know. In an otherwise rational country, where no one believes anything, people are still willing to accept an all knowing, all powerful being, who creates faulty humans and then blames them for his mistakes. Maybe I'm crazy.
I'm sure that you're all familiar with the adage "don't believe everything you read". Unless, of course, you're reading a religious doctrine that's a couple of thousand years old, which has been translated twenty or thirty times. Those you should take at face value.
I suppose the point, now that I've gotten to it, is this. Believe what you want, but don't expect others to follow you, unless you have proof. If you are among the faithful, be happy with your decision, but don't try to shove it down the throats of others.
Or, if you really want to get the word out, become a writer like me. Then you can speak your mind and people will read it, if and when they choose.
Just don't expect to expand your circle of friends.
Webpage & Graphics by Samandi Adams
Copyright (c) 2003-2004 ~ All Rights Reserved
"I refuse to prove I exist," said God, "for proof denies faith and without faith, I am nothing."
A MATTER OF FAITH
excerpt from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
If I seem a bit disjointed today, it's because I am. Originally this column appeared on Dragonsclaw and after seven successful issues it moved to Exodus. This was fine by me, since I love Exodus and think the world of Jon Hodges, our illustrious editor. The fact that he likes my writing has nothing to do with it... at least not much.
So I moved to Exodus and after my second issue was posted, I find out that Exodus has adopted a baby sister. The name of the 'zine to be' is An Eclipsing and it is precisely the sort of 'zine that Exodus is not. At least that's the theory. Since I have yet to see an issue, it's all just scuttlebutt.
Exodus is an electronic speculative fiction 'zine that publishes stories of a dark nature. This is possibly why Jon likes my work. I have never been accused of pulling a punch (nor am I about to start now).
An Eclipsing is also an electronic speculative fiction 'zine. However our new baby sister, much like a houseplant, tends to lean toward the light. Together the two form a new 'zine called Conflicting Spectrums in which our wonderful and dedicated readers can enjoy the best of both worlds. Conflicting Spectrums is the Yin-Yang of on-line fiction. Fortunately, you will still find me lurking on the dark side.
This change was enough to unbalance me, before I found out that the Conflicting Spectrums will also have a theme for each issue. That is, the stories and articles in each issue revolve around a specific philosophical treatise. To be fair, Jon told me that I didn't have to change Parapet. He told me that I could keep it as a forum for my own ideas, regardless of what the rest of the magazine was doing.
I thought about it for a bit and decided that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. For one thing, I can't conceive of a topic on which I have no thoughts. I am one opinionated man! Therefore, Parapet is now a forum to discuss the month's topic and I am positively dizzy. I suppose this proves the old maxim, the only thing that's constant, is change.
Actually, very little has changed. I'm still the same sensitive, caring, blatantly honest individual you've come to expect. I still write the column with the same panache. And, of course, I'm still making friends wherever I go. Or had been, until I found out that the topic for this first issue is Faith. I fear I am about to lose what friends I have.
Before I go further, let me give you my definition of the word. Faith is a deeply held belief, for which there exists no proof. The nature of the belief could be religious, it could be personal or even material, but it must be deeply held. If you have a good, logical reason for your belief, then we are not talking faith.
For example, if I have a friend that consistently does stupid things, I would continue to expect him to do stupid things. It would be folly for me to believe he was suddenly going to turn around and stun me with his newfound brilliance. Never bet on a loser, because you think his luck is going to change.
This isn't to say that my friend can't change. I just wouldn't take it on faith. The entire situation is altered, when a new element is introduced. For example, if my friend starts seeing a woman who will not put up with his stupidity and he really loves her, he may change. Of course, I now have a reason for my belief and therefore it has nothing to do with faith.
If you've ever had the misfortune of knowing someone who is in an abusive relationship that they refuse to leave, you have experienced another form of faith. Each time an abused woman returns to her significant other, it's always because she has faith that he will change. It almost never happens, but that doesn't stop her from believing time after time. Which isn't to say that an abusive man can't change. However, without agreeing to get some kind of professional help, it isn't likely.
The same can apply to religion. This is where I start making enemies. People are born into religions. Jews are born into Jewish households, Catholics are born into Catholic households and I suppose people who worship the great god Fimlywhip are firmly indoctrinated into that belief system from birth as well. We are what we're taught.
Now as we grow older, we have certain freedoms. Among them is the freedom to choose what we believe. The real question is, how many people bother to rethink things that they've been taught since childhood?
I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a Christian. I won't specifically name his religion, because it makes no difference. This conversation could be about any belief system. Tom is not what you'd call a devout worshipper, but he does believe in the religion to which he was born. He believes it because his parents believe it, his neighbors believe it and even his priest believes it. Now there's an endorsement.
I pointed out to him that if he were born in a different household, say to Jewish parents, he'd just as likely believe in Judaism. It is extremely unlikely that he would convert to the religion he currently believes. If that's the case, then which is the true religion?
He pointed out to me that faith serves a useful purpose. It keeps people in line. "Could you imagine," he asked, "what the world would be like, if nobody had faith?"
I smiled, because he had played right into my hands. If I recall correctly, religions and religious differences have caused more and bloodier wars that almost anything else (reference the Crusades). Hey look, those people don't believe the way we do, let's kill them.
The fact is, I don't have any problem at all with people believing what they want. I do have a problem when people try to force their faith on me. I have my own beliefs that I have spent years developing. My beliefs are based on what I've experienced in my life. I don't take anything on faith. I need to see some kind of proof. Nor do I believe things just because other people believe it. I have a mind of my own. I look for evidence. If a thing is true, I'm smart enough to see it. If I can't, then leave me alone. I don't want to be converted.
Of course, this doesn't just apply to religion. It applies to selling Amway. It applies to going on certain diets. It applies to advice that I receive from my doctor. If I choose to believe something, I will. If you show me data, expect me to question it. Statistics can be made to lie. Ask anyone in advertising. If there's no evidence for a thing, it doesn't mean it can't be true. It does mean that I'm not going to believe it.
In fact, I'm almost amazed at the amount of negative feedback my opinion on this topic has received, just from the people I know. In an otherwise rational country, where no one believes anything, people are still willing to accept an all knowing, all powerful being, who creates faulty humans and then blames them for his mistakes. Maybe I'm crazy.
I'm sure that you're all familiar with the adage "don't believe everything you read". Unless, of course, you're reading a religious doctrine that's a couple of thousand years old, which has been translated twenty or thirty times. Those you should take at face value.
I suppose the point, now that I've gotten to it, is this. Believe what you want, but don't expect others to follow you, unless you have proof. If you are among the faithful, be happy with your decision, but don't try to shove it down the throats of others.
Or, if you really want to get the word out, become a writer like me. Then you can speak your mind and people will read it, if and when they choose.
Just don't expect to expand your circle of friends.
Webpage & Graphics by Samandi Adams
Copyright (c) 2003-2004 ~ All Rights Reserved