God? Faith?

[BigV]

Originally Posted by jaguar

labrat - lookout is right, you can teach 'christian' values without adding all the crappy christianity stuff on top, hell you can teach the 10 commandments without pointing out some people think they was written on rock by god 2000 odd years ago.

yep. Lookout is right. The values can be taught without the context of christianity. They're important enough to convey in any way possible, hey, that's why they're called v-a-l-u-e-s.

Originally Posted by jaguar

The important thing is the values, not the source.

nope. The source IS important. While I was able to comprehend only the usefulness of these values, no more was important. As my ability to understand more grew, so did the importance of knowing more about the reasons behind the values.

Don't you remember when Mama told you "No!" and that was the end of the conversation? Then the answer became "Because I said so." and that sufficed for a while. Eventually, the yearning to know why was no longer satisfied with such an answer.

As my knowledge of the range of the sphere of influence my actions increased, as I began to be able to realize the longer term consequences of my actions, just relying on "Because it's a good idea" as the foundation to my values became less and less reliable. Sometimes there was conflict. Conflict that demanded that one of the sides must change. Was the behavior wrong or was it not a "good idea"? That's when blind or limited understanding became insufficient. I needed a larger frame of reference. Where were these ideas coming from? The answer to that question necessarily lies beyond the values themselves, and once asked in earnest, can never be unasked.

Where that path leads will vary from person to person, and for me, it led to God. It was not a short, easy or direct journey. Nor is it anywhere near over. But I do understand more than I did before. I'm more able than I used to be, and still questions and challenges lie before me. Thankfully, I have more tools to help me deal with these new obstacles.