Do you feel, forgiveness should be mandatory regardless of the how horrible the maltreatment imposed on you by others? Would the world be better off if we all sought vengeance?
To answer your first, question, what would it take me to gain faith, I think the answer is simple enough: solid evidence. Or rather, I don’t think that I could have faith, per se, but rather I require something more firm. Like a visit from the big guy. Otherwise, to me, he is a cosmic teapot, which should be explained. This is also a quick plug for my book, which takes its name from Russell’s allegory.
Bertrand Russell wrote an allegory explaining to us that there is a little teapot that floats between Earth and Mars. No one can see it. Even the best instruments that man can make cannot detect the teapot. He goes on to say, that even though the teapot can’t be seen, he knows that it’s there. The purpose, of course, is to show us that making a claim requires proof. That’s exactly how I feel about God.
On to your second question about forgiveness, I guess the short answer is that yes, of course we should forgive others. Now, that gets more difficult, depending on the atrocities committed. For example, if someone speaks bad of another person, that would be easy to forgive. A serial rapist, on the other hand, not so much. Context is important in this case.
I had an interesting conversation with someone on Facebook, which was quite out of the blue. He asked me if a person can be good and not believe in God. I’d like to ask you that same question. Do you think that a person be good and not believe in God?
Aww………I appreciate your feedback. Now – In answer to your question……Yes, I believe a person can be good and yet not believe in God. Before I became a Christian, I was a morally good person. But, I knew there was something missing in my life and that if I died without knowing Christ I would not inherit eternal life. And my choice to adhere to what was just and pure isn’t because I’m a Christina, it’s because of the manner in which my parents and grandmother raised me. They instilled core values in me which being a Christin only reinforces that what is righteous.
You see – It comes down to what morals and values an individual has. This reflects the home environment in which such a person has been exposed to or how one has been raised. What I consider moral in my culture and upbringing may not be what someone else agree with. However; regardless of what a person may choose to believe, God’s standards for morality is firm, uncomplicated and unchanging. Surely there is both good and evil in this world. And there is a right way of doing things as well as the wrong way of doing things. Now, there must also be accountability and responsibility for the choices we make. The question is; am I mature enough to take responsibility for my actions or will I make excuses and affix blame?
