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WORKING WITH YOUR UNCERTAINTIES
10-5-08
I am sure most
"believers" are agnostics about some doctrines and ideas that are very
basic to large groups of believers.
I have observed that few people agree with all the teachings of the
churches they belong to and attend. They are agnostics to that extent.
Let us remember that "agnostic" simply means "don't know."
As dear as the teaching of "once saved always saved" is to the Calvinist
wing of the church, some do not accept it. They are agnostic about it.
As dear as the teaching is to pentecostals that speaking in unknown
tongues is proof of the baptism by the Holy Ghost, most Christians are
agnostic about it. Millions of Protestants are agnostic about the Pope
speaking for God. Probably a majority reject the inerrancy of the Bible.
Need I list a hundred more?
After I began a spiritual practice, an agnostic friend had a heart
attack. His wife was a Baptist and when I went to the hospital she said,
"Thank God you have come! If anyone can lead him to the Lord, it would
be you."
I said, "He is my friend and I know how he believes and I must respect
his beliefs."
She did not agree with me and maybe you won't. But religious intolerance
is one of the great enemies of humankind today and one aspect of
tolerance is accepting those people who wish to be free of religion.
I subscribed to the newspaper of the Freedom From Religion Foundation
for several years to support the principle that people have a right to
choose to be free of all religions. I quit subscribing because I became
weary of their repetitious railings and making fun of people who do
choose to have a spiritual practice. There was an attitude of
superiority there that turned me off.
One thing I dearly love about America is freedom of religion which
includes the right to be free of it it. I shudder to think of what would
happen to our great land if the Robertsons and Ankerburgs and other
theological purists had the powers of government to enforce their
views. We might see a return to stake burnings, the thumb screw and
witch hunts.
Those who want a theocracy might want to move to Iran for a while to see
how it works. They may come back with a few fingers and toes missing and
some rock bumps on their heads but they will kiss the soil here when
they return.
Despite our areas of agnosticism, we can develop a personally fulfilling
spiritual practice. In my life, nothing is more important to me. It has
slowly but surely made me aware of an ever-present reality that I feel
to be God. It responds to me in both direct and mysterious ways and this
interaction between us becomes more meaningful and special to me each
day that I live.
Most people who consider themselves to be agnostics or atheists love to
argue but sometimes one will ask how I came to accept this dimension of
reality and all I know to say is I opened the door and asked it to
manifest in my experience. It did. At a time of great challenge I
experienced some things I simply could not deny.
It's as real as "falling in love" - an unprovable thing most people feel
to be quite real. It was even more real than that to me because it arose
and grew like a long dawning.
If the Bible is your guide, notice how many times it says, "Try me ...
test the spirits to see if they be of God … open the door.'' Jesus said,
"Come unto me...learn of me... and you shall find rest." All God needs
is a door to come through. Just openness to the experience.
There will still be many things you are agnostic about but you may
become certain of others for possibly the first time in your life.
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