In 1902, James Allen wrote a book called, "As a Man Thinketh" (influenced by a verse in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7). And as I read this book (Allen's book - not the Bible), it has me… thinking!
The premise of this book is basically, you are what is in your heart. If you possess good and kindness within, you are in essence a good person. Evil thoughts and sin means you’re a bad person (with most religions having you doomed to burn for eternity and the whole gnashing of teeth thing). Simple enough.
The topic of religion comes up quite frequently in my day. How? Maybe it’s me or maybe it’s the people I interact with, but nevertheless, I find myself quite often defending a position of logic and reality against one that is “suspended in air by the threads of faith”.
I am not an atheist; nor am I an agnostic. In fact, I was brought up in a very strict religion, went to a private Christian school, and read my bible daily. I am – in every sense of the word – a believer. There is something bigger than us out there; but with age comes wisdom.
A colleague of mind recently sent me a quote that I found to be extremely profound.
“The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.”
Now it’s not that I don’t care, I just don’t think my afterlife is dependent on the rules set by man. And let’s face it, these religious group are all just doctrines created by man. I equate them to the rules and policies outlined by a company in order to obtain gainful employment within their organization. Doesn’t mean their rules are wrong – but it doesn’t mean their company is the only way to get spending cash either.
Now don’t get me wrong, the core foundation of almost every religion out there is based on the idea of living a good life; being kind to one another, treat people with respect, and do the right thing. But to suggest that the Creator will cast His own creation into a lake of fire for all eternity because they choose the wrong religion (if any), is just small-minded.
The next time your child chooses to do something wrong, ask yourself this: Would you destroy that child for their actions? No matter how bad it gets, could you ever destroy your very own creation? Man to God is like child to parent. We may get tired of repeating “No”, but the idea of casting them from of our lives forever is far worse than anything they could ever do (notwithstanding pure evil of course).
What it comes down to, for me at least, is to live a life based on what I know in my heart to be the right thing. Man may set boundaries for social interaction but those boundaries are designed to guide people when they lack self-discipline.
“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he, not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.” – James Allen 1902