Everyone believes in something. To say they don't is just plain ignorant. If you don't believe in a god, then you have to believe the earth got here somehow. Thus you believe something. It may not be traditional or widely excepted, but you have a belief. Beyond religious beliefs everyone has other life beliefs. You may believe in being frugal or you may believe in spending everything while you are alive enough to enjoy it. Regardless you have beliefs.
My question today is: How far do you go to defend those beliefs?
We were watching a show about extreme couponing. For the record I applaud those people. But on one portion of it a couple was going through their couponing ritual. The wife was having the time of her life doing something she really believed in, but the husband... well he wasn't happy. This woman was sacrificing whole rooms of her house, huge chunks of her time, and her spouses happiness for what she believed in. That being never paying more than 5% retail for groceries, but is there a point when it is too much?
We read stories of martyrs who died for their faith, or people who gave up love, family, and friends for their faith. Is there a point when the price gets too high and you just have to sit back and quietly believe?
Every decision you make as a free human being is based at least in part on a belief system. If you believe you need to lose weight you choose a salad at lunch instead of the bacon surprise. If you are gluten intolerant like me and you don't believe in getting sick. You don't eat the birthday cake. So we all have beliefs that we use as our guide on a daily basis. Religious or not.
And here is a question. What if two of your beliefs start to contradict each other? Then what? For example: You believe in family first. You put your families needs above everyone else's, you love your family unconditionally, family is important to you. But then one of your family members announces that they are no longer Baptist they are Buddhist. Clearly that is a major belief difference, but you also believe in family. What then?
I know some of you are probably thinking this blog has a gay acceptance subtext, but it really doesn't. I already know all I need to about that so for the purposes of this blog I'm not interested. What I am interested in is how far would you go to defend what you believe in? Whether it is religious or everyday mundane. I hope very much that this post gets some very lively response. Please don't disappoint me or be disrespectful of other's beliefs. I believe everyone deserves respect regardless of their beliefs and I will go a LONG way to defend that belief. So don't be shy. Tell us what you think about defending your beliefs and you have my word that this will remain civil.
I would like to say one more time. This post is NOT about religion or who's god is bigger. Nor do I want to know what you believe. I want to know one thing. Is it possible to say "I'll die for what I believe in" or is it more complicated than that?
A non religious example would be: There is a very historical building in town that has served as a teaching tool for years is set to be torn down. You personally believe that keeping historical landmarks like this one open is important to preserving our past. Your brother whom you are very close to believes it should be torn down. Do you speak out and try to save it, or sit back and let things go?
That is the train of thought I'd like to pursue.
Well Ladies, Gentlemen, and those in between; sorry this has been a heavier than normal topic, but it was on my mind. Until next time... BUBBLES!!!
Well I guess Christopher, you will have to have shame on me, I don't remember where the phrase "BUBBLES" comes from... help me remember. Now about the subject. The statistics say that 95% of the human population believes in a higher power or a God of some sort. I do believe in my God. His name is Jesus and I believe in the Holy Bible written by the hand of God using good saints, I believe in its every word, tittle, jot, and doodle. It says: "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt. 28:18 and I believe it. Why, you ask? Because He's proven it to me time after time. No One, can separate us from the love of God. NO ONE can change my Mind!, therefore, to answer your question, I will go all the way to the grave to protect my beliefs, I will go to prison, I will jump off a bridge if it means I have to protect my faith. God help me I never have to, but I would. I know that from the very core of my being that all that I believe in is real and is pure and is mercy and is grace and is forgiveness. Having said all of that, I may be one of the few "Christians" left standing today that do not judge my fellow man, you of all people know that..(love you buddy) which does not mean I am on here saying I am perfect, Lord knows Himself that is the furthest thing from the truth. Nor does it mean I agree with everyone’s life’s decisions or beliefs, I call ‘em like I see ‘em, but who am I to judge? Not my Job! I just want people to know there are a few of us out here that believe fully and literally in the Holy Scriptures and it says God is Love and the we as people, being flawed, cannot and should not judge others for what they believe in. For instance those folks from that so called church standing in protest at our soldier’s funerals should be so ashamed of themselves, I can’t stand the way they act, it is VIAL!, however I don’t have a right to tell them what to believe, but I don’t have to listen to it either, that is my right! The Bible they hold up while chanting foul things, preaches LOVE and FORGIVENESS, not the dung they spew! They have the right to believe what they want, but if they don't like the USA they should just leave. There is half a world that would love to listen to the vial spewing out of their mouths about how bad our nation is and how bad our soldiers are, it's called the Middle East and they don't like our US soldiers either. But there is another group who believes in this nation so much that they put their lives on the line every day, literally, and they give up their lives every day for the nation they believe in, he’s called the U S Soldier. I hope this is what you are looking for. I think people should let people believe what they want unless it harms someone else, themselves, or infringes on the rights of others, that means all those Militant Muslims that think we should all be killed should let us believe what we want, and we will let them believe what they want as long as they don't keep trying to kill us for what we believe in. Thanks and I hope God blessed everyone who reads this with the truth that is in their hearts, put their before they were even born!
ReplyDeleteYou say you will do anything to defend your faith, yet you also say that people should leave other people who believe differently alone. Is that not a contradiction? What if you find yourself in a situation that requires you to interfer with someone else lives in order to defend your beliefs. You brought up the church that is picketing. They are defending their faith. Going to extreme as you said you would if needed. But you said they should not go to those extremes and should let the rest of the world live in peace. So I ask again. Is there a line that signifies that you have reached your limit on defending and should instead sit quietly by believing to yourself?
ReplyDeleteI would also like to point out that this post is only in part about religious beliefs. As mentioned there are other beliefs that have nothing to do with religion that people defend as well.
ReplyDelete"If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live." - Martin Luther King
ReplyDelete@suesims1 could you be more specific? In your comment, as Yuri stated, you say " I will go all the way to the grave to protect my beliefs, I will go to prison, I will jump off a bridge if it means I have to protect my faith. God help me I never have to, but I would. I know that from the very core of my being that all that I believe in is real and is pure and is mercy and is grace and is forgiveness. Having said all of that, I may be one of the few "Christians" left standing today that do not judge my fellow man" you then go on to say " I don’t have a right to tell them what to believe, but I don’t have to listen to it either, that is my right! The Bible they hold up while chanting foul things, preaches LOVE and FORGIVENESS, not the dung they spew!"..Do Muslims get the same privilege? The reason I ask is because later you say "There is half a world that would love to listen to the vial spewing out of their mouths about how bad our nation is and how bad our soldiers are, it's called the Middle East and they don't like our US soldiers either." That is a geographical region, so do you believe all the countries therein feel this way? You seem to insinuate that their religion is the reason they "hate America", do you think it has anything to do with Politics? Do you believe all Muslims are Militant? Do you believe that the Muslims that are American are necessarily militant as well? When you say " all those Militant Muslims that think we should all be killed should let us believe what we want, and we will let them believe what they want as long as they don't keep trying to kill us for what we believe in." You think that Americas Wars in the Middle East are religious based? So does that make America a Christian army? If so then doesn't that validate what binladin says about this being a holy war on our part? Thank you for your clarification.
ReplyDelete@RPW I see your asking for clarification and I'm all for that, but I wonder what lengths you feel you would go to defend your beliefs? Care to share?
ReplyDeleteHere we go... and I'll break it up into paragraphs...
ReplyDeleteWhat I believe is no person's business. How far will I go to defend my beliefs? I probably won't defend them. They are mine. Why should I defend them from me?
I do want to ask about the your first paragraph, Yuri. It seems that you are confusing beliefs with ways of living. If I am frugal that is a way of life. It is not necessarily a belief.
The defending of beliefs are one of the main contributing factors to war. The crusades were based on it, for instance.
When you get into discussions like this, it can quickly devolve into a "my god is bigger than your god," discussion. I'm afraid this is what is going to happen on here, so I will bow out.
Love, peace, and hair grease!
@Paulie. I agree with you. Discussions like this do tend to go that direction, but as this is my blog I personally will ensure it does not. I am very interested in what people will do to defend what they believe in. And that doesn't have as much to do with religion as people try to make it out.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question. To you or I perhaps being frugal is a way of life, but to some paying retail for anything is as bad to them as running over a bunny with my car is to me. Thus to them it is a belief not just a way of life.
I would like to say one more time. This post is NOT about religion or as paulie put it who's god is bigger. Nor do I want to know what you believe. I want to know one thing. Is it possible to say "I'll die for what I believe in" or is it more complicated than that?
A non religious example would be: There is a very historical building in town that has served as a teaching tool for years is set to be torn down. You personally believe that keeping historical landmarks like this one open is important to preserving our past. Your brother whom you are very close to believes it should be torn down. Do you speak out and try to save it, or sit back and let things go?
That is the train of thought I'd like to pursue.