Number 14 Prayer

I've done a lot of praying throughout my now 64 years and some prayers seem to have been answered but many, many more have not seemed to have been answered, or at least not to date.

Theologians and preachers and people learned in the bible all seem to give vague answers such as 'God works in mysterious ways' or 'He knows whats best for us and will provide for us according to His plan'. They will affirm that God is a just God, a loving God and a merciful God, a merciful father. This sounds fabulous and gives us a sense of security as long as everything is going good, but when troubles come and we are being devastated by financial loss, failing health and pain and suffering to ourselves or our loved ones we look to Him for in our prayers and ask for relief of all our problems and all of our suffering.

I realize, because I've been through many trying times and circumstances and so far I have weathered the storms, but I have known many people that have suffered and suffered and suffered, and lost so very much that it seemed unconscionable that a loving God, a merciful God that created us and the entire universe, and has the power over life and death and pain and suffering could allow this to afflict those that He loved.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This sounds easy enough, but does this command apply to God? If I found God in these circumstances should I, if I had the power, ease His burdens and His pain and suffering? Does it cost God much to heal one of His children, or does He have too many children to care for that it might bankrupt Him?

I know that the questions I ask, preachers would say that I am blasphemous, that I am in danger of hell fire and damnation and that I must repent and pray for forgiveness, but, I don't believe that our creator, or the creative power that is responsible for life and all sorts of tangible and intangible realities would create a literal eternal burning hell fire. I don't believe He would create evil, and I don't believe He is about punishment.

Some of us live to be a ripe old age without experiencing much pain and suffering, and even when we die with little or no suffering we leave a wealthy inheritance to our loved ones or to charity. Some of us struggle throughout our lives and seem not to be able to dodge any of the painful experiences of life, and then there are the tragedies that afflict the sweet little innocent children, the diseases, the accidents, natural disasters, and then the horrifying brutal acts of child abuse. All of this, I admit that I cannot comprehend a reason other than the fact that this planet earth can only support so much life. Without a ' cycle of life system' this planet would have self destructed long, long ago.

I do believe that there is much more to life than what we experience here in this lifetime, and I believe that that which is to come will be much more exciting and fascinating than we can imagine.

I know just how fragile life is, and I believe that there must be some guiding force that is responsible for the existence of everything that is so very fascinating to me that I cannot deny the force, and I believe also that I will always pray and talk to this force which I still choose to call God. I have even asked, many times, for this force that I call God to sit with me and have a cup of coffee while He answers many of my puzzling questions. Unlike many preachers that claim that God has spoken to them I'm not going to start that lie. God has not had coffee with me nor has He spoken to me. Why, I suppose because He doesn't have to? I know and accept this, and I realize that it is not paramount to His plan that He answer my questions, or that I ever understand His plan, but I will never believe that God is at the helm of the pain and suffering of all of life.

I also will refuse to buy in to what religion calls a jealous, wrathful,and punishing god, a god that created evil and an eternal burning hell fire that many will experience.

I believe that religion is all about the fears of man and the unknown, so they set up rules and ways of life, that if we follow these rules and ways of life, they promise that we will surely sit in heaven with God and Jesus and the good angels for eternity. They also insist that the creator needs in some way some of the fruits of your labor, this being one of the rules you must follow or you may fall out of favor with the creator.

The things I share with you are not intended to get you to follow my way of thinking, and believe in my beliefs, but I hope that you will read about my thoughts. I hope that you will get to know me, and not rely on the opinions of someone else.

It is very important for you to be at peace with your beliefs about our creation, the creator, the purpose of your life, and where we go or not go after this life on this fabulous planet.

We do have the capacity to search for truth, and some of us 'think' we have found it and some of us live in fear that we will die before we find the truth. This fear is pounded into our heads from the pulpits of churches all over the world, but I firmly believe that you should cast out your fears of the afterlife because I believe that whatever the creative force is 'it is all good'.

If we return to dust that will be good and if we live another life then that too will be good. I do hope for the latter because I love living. I think I could enjoy living for ever and ever and ever.

Finton




Finton