This I Believe...
A collection of views from UU church members
A collection of views from UU church members
This I Believe...
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Sagan M. - February 2009
This I Believe...
By Sagan M.
February 2009
The beliefs that I currently have were formed from a combination of many years of study
of religion, history and science, and a variety of experiences. Some of those experiences
come from my time in various religions and a few are from what I can only describe as
mystical events. It has taken me years to process all these things and there are some that I
am only now beginning to comprehend.
I believe in only one thing. God. God is the only thing that exists and all that we see exists
within God. The Apostle Paul quotes the Greek Mystics in Acts 17:28 'For in him we live
and move and have our being.'
There are two implications that I wish to speak about:
Firstly, I believe that because all of us exist within God we cannot be separated from God.
But that, just as we can be in a room surrounded by people who care about us and still feel
alone, we can also feel separated from God. As we cannot be separated from God, there is
no need for salvation or redemption.
Secondly, the moral implication of this belief is that because we are part of God we are all
connected, thus hurting ourselves hurts God. An illustration of this is that if I hurt my
finger, I can say both that my finger hurts and that I am hurting. Also, hurting others is
hurting ourselves. How this works is not so easily illustrated.
For me personally, there is great personal comfort in these beliefs. I do not need to worry
about whether I am good enough or whether I am saved. I do not have an arbitrary list of
sins to avoid or rules to follow, but just have the drive to enjoy life and become a better and
more compassionate person.
By Sagan M.
February 2009
The beliefs that I currently have were formed from a combination of many years of study
of religion, history and science, and a variety of experiences. Some of those experiences
come from my time in various religions and a few are from what I can only describe as
mystical events. It has taken me years to process all these things and there are some that I
am only now beginning to comprehend.
I believe in only one thing. God. God is the only thing that exists and all that we see exists
within God. The Apostle Paul quotes the Greek Mystics in Acts 17:28 'For in him we live
and move and have our being.'
There are two implications that I wish to speak about:
Firstly, I believe that because all of us exist within God we cannot be separated from God.
But that, just as we can be in a room surrounded by people who care about us and still feel
alone, we can also feel separated from God. As we cannot be separated from God, there is
no need for salvation or redemption.
Secondly, the moral implication of this belief is that because we are part of God we are all
connected, thus hurting ourselves hurts God. An illustration of this is that if I hurt my
finger, I can say both that my finger hurts and that I am hurting. Also, hurting others is
hurting ourselves. How this works is not so easily illustrated.
For me personally, there is great personal comfort in these beliefs. I do not need to worry
about whether I am good enough or whether I am saved. I do not have an arbitrary list of
sins to avoid or rules to follow, but just have the drive to enjoy life and become a better and
more compassionate person.
