Religion: A Conversation on Faith

True Believer

A Conversation of Faith

A gentleman holding a bible enters a mid suburban coffee shop and seats himself at a table. As he sips his coffee he places a small yellow card on the table. He gets up for a refill and on his way he drops more of the small yellow cards on each table he passes by. The card he places on each table reads, "Are you saved?" and includes an addressed invitation to his church. The gentleman has been to three public places before coming here and has left the yellow cards on every table at each location. This is the information phase of indoctrination. He sees another gentleman seated on the outside patio of the crowded coffee shop and approaches him. The contact phase begins. "Excuse me, but are you saved, Sir?" the gentleman asks?

The other gentleman seated outside looks up at the other gentleman and then looks to the bible. He motions with his had inviting the gentleman to join him at his table. He stares at the bible as he replies, "I guess, saved would be a relative term, as I have seen no one upon this earth saved from anything."

The gentleman takes a seat across from the other and thinks for a moment. His people at the church had prepared him for such encounters. He was well versed in the teachings of the bible and alone had increased the numbers of the congregation by hundreds. As he started to speak the other gentleman raised his hand to stop him.

"Be careful, Sir. Because I assume you are about to introduce yourself as a representative of God." The gentleman spoke in a calm voice that made the other a bit uneasy. "If you do speak for God, and your book holds his words then be prepared to prove it."

The gentleman realized he was gripping his bible now. He still felt relatively confident with his well rehearsed lines. This conversation was leading toward a subject of faith. Faith is the fallback to proof and since it can neither be proven nor disproved, it always serves its purpose. "Sir, we can only have faith in God's word which has been left for us as a guide to teach others and lead them to his flock."

The other gentleman sat up in his seat a bit now. He now took his gaze from the other's bible and stared him deeply into the eyes. His voice had a chill to it now. Yet still calm, he seemed to be biting his words off. "I am faithful to my God and diligently await a sign, but even I have never seen the face of God nor heard a word spoken from the lips of God as I speak to you now."

The gentleman was very uncomfortable now. He had not ever encountered a person such as this. He counted himself a talented salesman and this talent had until now served him well in his role for the church. He responded, "I can only attest, Sir, that these words here in this bible, the King James, version is the true and correct word of God."

The light around the other gentleman seemed to get dimmer and shadows grew darker around him. The warm air was now colder. He sat for a moment then replied, "You mentioned faith, Sir. Can you have faith you are speaking to a man seated across from you?" His skin now appeared pale in the decreasing light of the sun. "Does your faith, tell you I am a man?"

The gentleman was now keenly aware there was no one else seated near them and he was out here alone with the gentleman. He peered around nervously. He then realized that he had never before had to think about God in a very real sense. He, himself, had been indoctrinated to believe as those around him believed. He spoke again but his voice was trembling and unsure. "I have faith in God, Sir."

"I do not question your faith… I doubt your sincerity." The other gentleman responded raising his cup to his lips. The man's eyes were darkening in an unnatural way. It could have simply been a trick of the failing light as the sun passed behind the clouds now. But the gentleman's eyes were off in a way that was quite unsettling.

As he spoke again the shadowy gentleman's voice carried a tone of sincerity. Anyone that heard him speak these words could have faith he meant them. "If you speak for God… be well prepared to prove it... for the sentence of the sin of blasphemy is death. And I judge every man that claims to knowGod."

Previously Posted on FullofKnwledge.com
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Leap of Faith

Prepared to leave, I open the door and I see a tiny, sharp-dressed fellow about to knock at my door. We are momentarily surprised to see the other standing there. He notices my bag and car keys in my hand and pulls out a pamphlet. "I'm sorry to have caught you at a bad time. But I'm knocking on doors to let people know about our savior."

I placed my bags down beside me and made a mental assessment of the fellow. I can typically spot a zealot a mile away. He was prim and proper with a clean cut and donning a fine gray vest. His eyes were wide and he had a genuine smile that was comforting. I knew my neighbors well. If he had made it to my door he already had at least 10 slammed in his face already. I returned his smile and invited him inside.

The seasons were changing and the weather was quite brisk outside. I had already made a pot of coffee but took this fellow for an Earl Gray sort. I offered him a cup of hot tea and his eyes lit up. So far I was very impressed with this fellow. Sitting with our hot tea, I ask the fellow, "Are you a learned man, Sir?"

As he thought about for a moment I knew he understood the question. I had not asked if he was an educated man to suggest he had attended college and retained the subject matter he had been taught. My inquiry was if he were a learned man, suggesting he possessed the rare quality to process the subject matter and formulate his own views. "I would hope I was a learned man. Although to call myself learned is to admit continued study beyond my time at Auburn."

I wanted to cheer. Finally, I was in the presence of an intelligent individual who did not naïvely think everything around him a mere product of chance. His eyes dropped to his tea. I was not aware I had been staring at him in silent admiration. He spoke up again and politely suggested he would be brief. He stated his reason for visiting was to speak with me about our creator and what his plans were in my life. I smiled and replied, "Sir, neither you nor I are qualified to have such a discussion. Being learned men, we can forego the reasons all religions are flawed. I propose we continue our discussion at a more advanced level."

The fellow sat his book on my table beside his chair. He knew he would have no need of it. I began by reaffirming the inherent difficulty with religion is the effort of fitting a square peg into a round hole. No religion feels right. There is an awkwardness to it that doesn't feel natural to the spirit. One must study a lifetime to understand its teachings. Religion will teach 100 things that would seem divine then toss in one concept that is wrong. My next statement was blunt and said with conviction. "No divine creator would advocate the killing of another creature for any reason other than sustenance or in defense of life and limb."

The fellow became a bit nervous now and his hand went back to his book. I assured him we were alone and only one divine creature was eavesdropping on our conversation. As I continued, I confided in him my credentials. I had read his book and every similar book written by men since its first creation as a Sumerian poem in the 18th century BC. That subject had been well covered. Educated prophets and scholars have been rewriting that text in the blood of their fellow man for thousands of years. The discussion today would be on our plan as divine creations in the paradise we seem hell bent on destroying.

The fellow's brow narrowed as he gave the matter thought. I felt somewhat sorry for him teetering so close to the edge of blasphemy. I stood out before him over the deep end pointing to something he could not see from the safety of the ledge. He would have to come to me to witness this for himself. It was a defining moment. I had been on that ledge myself long ago. The fellow would pick up his book and politely thank me for my time or he would step off the ledge. He took a deep breath and stated, "I agree, as a learned man I can not accept a divine creator would advocate murder or war in any form."

The tiny fellow's eyes dropped again to his tea which had now gotten cold. It was a giant leap for him and one not so easily made. To admit that man is your god and deny him, then take a leap of faith toward a universal truth takes courage. He asked me what I believed. His eyes were piercing. It was not a rhetorical question as many preachers and prophets would intend it. I shrugged. "I don't know, I have never seen the face of the creator or heard a spoken word from the cosmos. I would question my state of mind if I ever did and that of anyone who claims to have."

I explained that I possessed this innate pull within me leading me away from ignorance and directing me toward a universal truth. This truth does not defy logic but is constantly reinforced by it. This truth does not advocate murder or war but promises a future of limitless knowledge and understanding once all people come together. This truth does not require me to fear death or damnation. This truth tells me I am immortal. And logic agrees that energy is neither created nor destroyed but simply changes form.

The fellow then stared blankly over my shoulder. His eyes widened as if he was seeing a vision. His lips parted and his breath quickened. He appeared as if he were captivated by something wondrous and could not look away. My daughter stepped from behind me and refreshed his cup. He nearly dropped it. I smiled as be gazed at her. "Be Careful, Sir. You'll drop your tea."

I introduced the tiny fellow to my daughter. He informed me somewhat in a daze he had seen her only once before at college. By the time he had gotten the nerve to speak to her she had transferred. My daughter smiled and acknowledged she had finished her studies at our local college state branch to be closer to home.

I could see both were captivated by each other. I was terribly late for my previous engagement now and had to end this compelling discussion. I told him I had greatly enjoyed our talk and hoped he would stop by again. He never took his eyes off my daughter as she smiled shyly back at him. He assured me he would very much like to return.

Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com

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