as the deer

religion is beautiful. that was my discovery for the day.

and by religion, i mean ALL religion. or should i say, faith.

yes, faith.
religion is a human interpretation of faith that too often turns ugly and rigid, and gives nothing but bad reputations and judgement. attracts more negative attention than positive. does more harm than good. but faith is beautiful. perhaps i should explain myself. over the last two weeks in my sociology lectures at university, we have been watching a documentary that looks at the way in which a variety of different faith groups have responded to the global environmental crisis.

despite the differences of these faiths - from christians to muslims, buddhists to jews - they share the same intrinsic values and beliefs, and a relatively common goal, that creation is sacred and should therefore be treated with respect and dignity. all of these faiths believe in creation, and believe that it is our duty as humans to take care of it. the way in which these different faith groups came together as a community to care for the environment and attempt to do their part to restore some of the damage that has been done to the earth is simply inspiring to see. what also struck me about these people of faith was the peace and contentedness they appeared to have, with themselves, one another and with the world.
they clearly get this inner peace from their faith, which is all the more reason the believe that it is real. i do not believe that mere human emotion, which is erratic and more often than not negative, can give one such peace, such happiness, and such compassion. ditto for human intelligence, which is too often overestimated. no, this peace, this happiness, this compassion, they have to come from something greater than us. i believe that these come from faith, from God.

on another note, what also stood out to me about these people was their acceptance of others, no matter their beliefs or their background. this particlar acceptance and diversity struck a chord with me because on my own personal faith journey at present, i have been drifting, and also questioning. not all of this is good, especially the drifting, but i am continually holding onto my original beliefs, those of christianity, but what is growing stronger is the respect i have held for most of my life, a respect for anyone of any faith, especially in our 'ultramodern' society, where secularisation is taking over, and 'religion', as those of non-faith like to call it, is becoming less the norm. i think that a strong belief in something is what keeps us going in tough times, what comforts us. faith is the source of compassion, love, peace and respect for others and for the world around us. humans are inherently selfish, but faith keeps us in check of our selfishness. not to say that those of non-faith, the unsure or the believers in science and logic (not to say that faith and logic cannot co-exist!) are selfish or lacking in peace, compassion etc. i just think that with faith, we have something to hold onto. humans all have what i (as a christian) like to call 'the God-shaped hole' inside.

that void in all of us that keeps us searching for something more, some meaning to life, some sort of longing. we seek it out in every aspect of our lives, in affection, in other people, in consumer products, in experiences, in education, wealth, occupations, the list goes on. and while all these things have their place in our lives, i believe, and i am sure others can identify with this, that this particular void can only be truly filled with faith. while many critique those of faith, calling us 'naive' or 'deluded', i fail to see why. what's wrong with having a little faith, something to believe in? and furthermore, what's wrong in wanting to share this faith with others, to attempt to point the ones we love in the direction that will fill that void in their lives? is it not natural to want our friends and family to be happy as we are? and so i challenge all of you, whatever your personal beliefs may be, wherever you are searching. take a leap of faith.