Thursday, January 23, 1997
RELIGION:
Strong belief in God can exist without church, group
affiliationBy Kim L. Rodgers
I concur with many of Chieh Chieng’s statements ("Questioning
Religious Devotion, Jan. 16) and would like to bring up a viewpoint
of faith that is separate from religion.
It is a faith in God that doesn’t require one to go to church,
join a group, or follow man-made rules. I have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ who is my best friend. I see this as
an "in-this-life assurance" policy rather than an afterlife
insurance policy. I am assured that whatever takes place in my
life, including darkest moments, such as someone’ s death, I can
tell my best friend how I’m feeling and attain a peace that
surpasses any human’s understanding. I do not have to "go to a
monastery" to meditate nor "grope for it … in times of
desperation and tribulation." I can work at my desk, drive on the
freeway, cook, whatever, and have a conversation with God.
How many of our friends are available like this? He shares my
joy and pain, and everything in between. I agree with Chieng that
there is no one alive who can prove to me what will happen after I
die, but I have chosen to believe that God has promised me eternal
life in heaven which is a better alternative than nothing at all.
Something’s going to happen to us after we die, and I’d rather
spend my life with this belief. It is true when Chieng says that
"human beings cannot achieve faith through any effort on [their
parts]." For my faith is based on the highest price that can ever
be paid for any insurance policy.
Jesus died on a cross, took the sins of the whole human race
upon himself and washed them away with his blood, which now allows
me to experience forgiveness of my sins.
To me this is love, a love that’s hard for me to resist. I’m
telling you my personal experience. There are others out there who
have theirs. Chieng ended by saying that "given the option [he]
would love to sit on a remote island and devote [himself] to
spiritual matters." This would be nice, except God has called us to
love one another and to serve each other.
And, by the way, I do not feel that I have compromised my
religious devotion in order to have societal sensibilities.