Ramblings on Faith/Free Will not a poem and long

lobb152

The more I think the less I feel that faith is something spiritual. It is a defense mechanism. In times of tragedy and suffering being able to find meaning or sense of purpose allows the individual to cope with the stress. Repression is an unconscious process. Faith then would probably be the most powerful conscious defense mechanism available to individuals. It is like a super rationalization/denial of sorts. It is so powerful. It doesn’t matter what happens to the individual: loss of loved ones, natural disasters, war, terminal illness, loss of body functioning, etc, because it is God’s will, way, plan they accept it. They just simply accept. You know people everything doesn’t have to have some special purpose. Shit statistically speaking happens. In this way I think some people are just born with it and some are not. Perhaps I am the one in denial refusing to see it, I don’t know. But I don’t feel it. Ok so let me humor you for a second. Lets say your absolutely right, all of it. God is all-powerful, Jesus, angels, heaven, hell, God’s will etc, etc, etc. I was watching for lack of anything else to watch (I don’t have cable) one day Oprah. You can give me shit for that if you want but anyway she had a bunch of people who had survived their own suicide attempt. One girl, depressed, angry, sad laid herself across some train tracks by her house. How she survived is a miracle, she must not have laid her torso across the tracks, but she lost her legs. Now she tells her story about how she was even more depressed about losing her legs but felt so much better when she found God. God had a plan for her and that was to appreciate life. Now if God wanted her to appreciate life in those dark times he could have made a rainbow appear, a bird land on her shoulder or something not lay yourself out on some railroad tracks. What kind of plan is that? A gentle loving God would not allow such a thing. A neutral God would not have made her do that and would have just shrugged, oh well. Now an evil God would have done something like that to teach a lesson and would have laughed as she comes running back to him/her/it. Humans are like puppies, no matter how many times you slap them they come back ready for more. Just a side note unconsciousness presents a huge problem for an all encompassing absolute free will. Unconscious processes can precede and maybe direct conscious actions. We think we are moving are arms and legs and thinking our thoughts voluntarily but that might not be the case. How free can we be when there is someone else on the inside; hidden, possibly directing from the shadows? Read Benjamin Libet if you want to know more about that. Libet does say we always have the choice of no. I can’t remember the quote directly but it is the one that goes “I don’t think we are humans having a spiritual experience but are spiritual beings having a human experience.” I think it should go we are unconscious beings having a conscious experience.

justam

I think it is not unlikely that the kind of faith you are thinking of is a kind of protective mechanism for people. Perhaps it's a way to avoid emotional collapse and fear of the random nature of events that may happen? A mechanism to help people survive when it's not reasonable to have an ounce of hope.

twin1

That was an interesting read. There are alot of ways you can look at things. I have on more than one occassion been told it was my crutch regarding my belief in God and Jesus and my faith. I don't analyze everything. I do "feel it" and I can't tell you if some people get that and some don't but I am truly open to it too so that may make a difference. There are too many small things that have happened to me over the course of time which help me believe. I do view it though regarding punishment and trials as if you sin, you get punished and trials help you get stronger. As a mom, I can tell you my kids get punished if they are bad, what kind of mom would I be if I did not care enough to teach them right from wrong and enforce it. I am not talking about beating the tar out of them, but they do get punished. I do know that the trials I have gone through have affected me and made me alot more thankful for what I do have. They have also helped me encourage others who I encounter who are going through something similar. I don't see it as bad to teach unselfishness, love, understanding, and having morals. The majority of the people I know are not believers and I don't judge them, that is not my place. I do think if you get "saved" it is at the time you are meant to.