I offer these commentaries as my own as I wrote them. If I offend anyone I am truly sorry and certainly will endorse hearty commentary of your own personal views. You and I do not have to agree; we can agree to disagree
Recently a debate happened touting the increased lack of faith of the American people. There are less people at churches and other places of worship. There is increased distrust of religion and it's role in society and politics. First some definitions. faith: belief in a Higher Being of some kind that oversees our lives. Religion: organized and unorganized groups of people meeting to discuss their faith within the confines of a organized group. Ex Methodists, Catholics, Moslems, Jewish etc. Catholic: the church based in Vatican. catholic: belief in Father son and holy ghost. There within the Protestant religion two major schools of thought which tend to govern their beliefs. One those who believe Man is inherently bad and must be saved to become good. Two that Man was born good and through life experiences turned sinful. There are less of these. Episcopal is one of them. The numbers that are church goers in the US would tend to support the first category. They tend also to support political parties the most. They are also the ones to dispute science. These are generalizations based on my personal observations. This may not be your personal experience. The so called Bible belt with a Church on every corner isn't getting filled in 2009.The policies of fear and hate are eroding. Even the progressive Churches are not filling. Religion has lost it's way. But my point is faith has not. The Churches are not IMHO changing with the times and that is why their numbers are eroding. The days of the Holy Rollers are leaving the citizens with a poor taste in their mouth. So can be said for the days of the Love and Peace generation of the 60's but is being replaced with a generation of alternative beliefs. These include what I would call witchcraft and extreme beliefs in fire, earth, water etc. For my generation this is unacceptable faith. Astronauts are in a unique position to view this planet away from the confines of earth and water. They see it as ordered and it strengthens their faith in a Higher Power. This is why they can while precluding science also find it strengthens their faith. One can looks at the observations of Astro_Mike on twitter and see how impressed he has been with his trip. He took time to comment while repairing a scientific instrument The Hubble, to log his feelings. Now General Charles Bolden also has commented extensively to groups the same. Yet both men and other space travelers tend to express their faith more after a trip than many did before. Each may manifest it in their own way. Some became evangelists, some artists, some who were scientists remained so, some as helping others in managerial jobs in military and other professions. Meanwhile back at the ranch many persons of Religion went into politics and pursued their ambitions to inflict their beliefs on the masses. They believed and continue to believe that it's their way or the highway. Fear, Guilt, and those qualities became their stock and trade. The American people have suffered their philosophy and turned away from Big Church in the last election. They still I believe desire to want to have faith determine their destiny rather than the latter. They desired change and they got it. Change has a hard row to hoe because Big Religion does not want to give up it's grip on Power. But truth and actions far out weigh mistrust and inaction. A man of faith can be President. A man of faith can be head of a scientific institution A man of faith can be the head of a major corporation. Also can a man of little faith can also be a good servant to humanity. Just as long as his Religion doesn't get into his way. There are rules we learn to live by. That comes with faith or no religion but from our parents and fellow humans. They don't have to be written in any book or carried by Charleton Heston down from the mountain in a movie set. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Be good to your fellow human. We are all people equal under the rule of law. These beliefs are catholic (little c) universal in understanding. And yes we do acknowledge many gov't deny these truths: again due to their politics. go to part two~ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WebTV Dawgs/Dittos" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/WebTV-Pals -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
