I'm a big believer in The Golden Rule. It seems to be the basic tenet of most major religions, at least down at the very root of them. For years, I wasn't sure what religion I wanted to espouse. Frankly, it's still a mystery. I've joined a number of churches as well as some other places of gathering/worship during the course of my life. One of my favorite exchanges in the movie "Harold and Maude" just about sums it up for me:
Harold: "Do you pray?"
Maude: "Pray? No...I communicate."
Harold: "With God?"
Maude: "With life!"
There's a difference between Atheism and Agnosticism. My belief system is amorphous in that I do not believe I know enough of the world to define a god. However, I have absolutely no interest in this belief being right for anyone but me.
Another favorite quote (from an acquaintance of my mother, back in the eighties):
"I don't know if there is a Heaven or Hell. I do know that we can make Heaven or Hell for ourselves here on Earth."
My great grandfather on my mother's side wrote a book about the function of religion. I studied some of the religions of the world during my Undergraduate program, as well as during my Graduate program (religion being one of the very first forms of government).
Religion has so many benefits, and it enables groups to do some excellent works for the public good. It also requires faith in specific principles, precepts and histories. It is this requirement that I cannot keep. No religion seems to fit the bill.
So, the earth is my cathedral. I do pray/communicate, but generally not indoors. In the words of a yogi that I met in Albany in 1998, "Love is all there is." No one need share one's viewpoint of the world.
Be well, fellow Introverts.
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