Musings on Faith: Entry 1

I'll be meeting up with a friend today to discuss the performance of a work by Mahler. I'm very excited about this prospect! If it all pans out, I'll be singing with a small orchestra! :)

Then, tonight, I get to meet a girl who lives down the street and seems to have a lot in common with me. Yay!

Lastly, I am thinking about looking at working at a private school as a tutor for music. If it doesn't conflict with my classes and I am provided a pianist, I think it may be a great opportunity! We shall see.

I've been thinking a lot lately (surprise!). Mainly, about faith. What is faith? Now, when I looked up the word "faith" as a noun in Webster's Dictionary, I discovered the following:

1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions

2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b(1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

How interesting that the first entry is more of an action -- allegiance to duty or a person. Faith is an action. The second entry is more of what I was expecting -- firm belief in something for which there is no proof. That is more like blind faith, to me. Faith is trust. The final entry -- something believed with strong conviction. Faith changes your views.

Now, of course, I cannot let my reflections remain without spiritual input, as this is a spiritual subject. I do not have time to look at all the religions I've pondered on as of yet, but I'll continue them in another entry. For now, I'll start with a religion that I found quite interesting growing up, as I was on the search towards "self discovery". I believe many who follow this religion love it because of just that...it is a journey towards enlightenment, placed only in the hands of the individual and his/her ability to make it through. My questions begin at the...well, the beginning. To follow anything, as we've stated above, you must believe in it. Duh.

When I looked up "what do Buddhists believe about faith", I site-hopped and landed on the following page: "Faith, Doubt and Buddhism". I weaved through the article and came across the following quote by one the Zen masters,

"Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth."

Yet, just a few paragraphs below, I see some conflicting statements. For one, the writer states that Buddhism does not teach absolute truths. Okay, that goes along with the ambiguity that I sense from this religion (like so many others). According to the writer, the teachings of Buddhism are merely guides along one's dark path, as they leap towards the light.

But, if there is no absolute truth, then what is this light one is attempting to reach? One should not be bound by any doctrine, theory or ideology correct? Isn't the idea of a "better place than where you are now" an ideology or theory in itself? The belief that something could be better? If there is no absolute truth, then how does one know what the goal is? To attain... uncertainty? The belief that you know nothing except that you know nothing?

I scratched my head for a while and tried to see it from the perspective of a Buddhist. The journey. It's all about the journey. But I couldn't get it out of my head that I'm not supposed to have a true concept of any ideology...so where does the sense of right and wrong come from? The Eightfold Path of Buddhism has eight terms that one goes through on their journey through life. Amazingly, they are:

1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Hmm...there's a "right" way and a "wrong" way, yet there is no absolute truth. That doesn't make any sense to me. Who decided there was a right view? Or a right speech?

Finally, at the bottom of this article, I find this statement:

"I think the dogmatic approach to religion, the one that demands unquestioning loyalty to an absolute belief system, is a faithless one. This approach causes people to cling to dogmas rather than follow a path. When taken to extremes, the dogmatist can be lost within the fantasy edifice of fanaticism."

As a Christian, a faith which proclaims Jesus is the one Way, one Truth and one Life, I can't help but pick this apart.

First of all, the wording of this statement...."demands unquestioning loyalty". Man! That sounds so harsh! But wait a second...unquestioning? Let's look at the Word...

Countless of instances, Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees, strangers, and especially, His disciples!

And these weren't just "what do you want to eat" questions, either. They were aimed right at God!

John 9:2 "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Matt. 17:19 "Why then could we not drive it [a demon] out?"

Matt. 18:1 "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Matt. 19:25 "Who then can be saved?"

Those are just his disciples. All throughout the Old Testament are questions from God's followers directed to Him as well. Christianity has never been a "shutup and believe it or go to Hell" faith. If that is what you've experienced, you've gotten the wrong gospel.

Secondly, the writer states that believing in something with your whole heart is a faithless act. Huh? I won't even go into that.

Thirdly, it is stated that if you believe just one thing, you are not following a path. I am definitely following a path...one that leads to Christ! "I am the Way..." Jesus states. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path..." states the Psalmist. In fact, Proverbs 4:26 encourages us to "Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure."

Now, the last statement, I must agree with. One can become so legalistic and blinded by their own attempts to be God that they act in the most un-Christian ways possible. These are the poor souls who allow themselves to be consumed by tradition and/or one statement in the Word. Take for example "not sinning". 1 John states that anyone who follows Christ does not sin. It also states that if anyone says he has not sinned, he is a liar. How does that make sense, you ask? Some may say, "Aha! See, the Bible has contradictions everywhere." But you have to look deeper. It's not saying that once you're a Christian, you stop sinning altogether. It means continually sinning. Like, if I were an alcoholic that became a Christian. Boy, would it be hard to quit once and for all. Now, if I faltered and got drunk but thought, "It's okay, I'm a Christian" and continued, I would be living in sin. If I faltered but repented and made every effort not to do so again, the Word says God is faithful and just to forgive me of my sin. Period.

To wrap things up, I must point you towards this passage found in Mark 9. In it, a man asks Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief. Help me have faith in You. When I first became a Christian, I thought faith was up to me. I thought, "Man, I'm doubting! I'm such a bad Christian". Even faith comes from Christ. That is the mystery of Christianity. And I can say without hesitation that my faith comes from Him. What amazes me about nonbelievers is that they either think they have to do all the work, or that God does all the work for them. Neither is true. Nor the idea that being a Christian is becoming a chauvinistic holier-than-thou ideology. Jesus made that clear with the Pharisees. Have you ever asked God for faith in Him? Have you ever made the attempt? Faith is an action... take the leap.