Issue 365 Belief June 25, 2014

What is belief?  Is it spiritual, mental or something else?  Is it a product of faith, or a construct of thought?  So what is belief to me?

My definition:  Belief to me is something that transcends faith.  My belief in God comes from an understanding that I am a small aspect of the universe trying to leave my mark.  It gives me strength and perseverance.  So to me, belief is the understanding that something greater than one self exists, and that it has the potential to influence all of us.  In this case that belief is in God.  

My thought process:  Why do I believe?  The reason is because I have reached an understanding.  I understand that me as a human being is but a small part of this universe.  That something created us and at times sees fit to try and guide us down the right path.  God allows for questions that in my case has deepened my faith further.  Each time I come to a conclusion I feel like in some way God is there aiding me.  While my values do not always match with my peers, I understand that as we are all the creations of God.  That we were all made to be a little different so as to achieve a better understanding that we are all individuals, not just clones of God created in his image.   As such I embrace individuality, and God's message through man is that we desire cooperation and that we fight over faith and the small things like ideology because we as human beings are imperfect.  It is those imperfections where we as human beings compensate for each other’s weaknesses that allows us to deepen ourselves and our experiences as we pass on our knowledge to the next generation.  

Conclusion:  I am Catholic, but I am my own variety of Catholic.  I freely admit that I question the pope and his authority over the Catholic Church.  I also do not believe that only one faith is right while the others are wrong.  This is because they may also be right.  We have our core tenets in the Ten Commandments and actions of Jesus Christ.  So I will continue to believe, question and deepen my faith in my own way.  I hope that you too can do the same.