To each his own

Submitted by Laura (United States), Jul 3, 2006 at 12:42

Celina,

I always hesitate to get into serious religious discussions and debates with individuals whose beliefs differ from mine, because it usually leads to a dead-end. I think that we've reached that dead-end in our discussion. You are entrenched in what you believe, and I am rooted in my beliefs. And so our conversation goes around in circles, with each of us repeating the same thing over and over. Well, at least now we know where the other person stands. It is interesting that you said that the church you attend is not evangelical. Yet as soon as you found out I am not a Christian, you immediately tried to help me find Jesus. I understand that, because you believe that is what you should be doing--helping people accept Christ into their hearts. But the more you try to convince me that what you believe in is God's message and that I should believe it, too, the more I remain unconvinced. So let's agree to disagree.

I am very familiar with the meaning of "Inshallah". When I worked at a school with a mostly Muslim population, I heard it non-stop. Happily, my husband almost never says it except for the most critical issues. In fact, he only really says it occasionally when he's talking with his Tunisian family or friends. It is one of the little things about him that make me feel so comfortable with him, despite the fact that he was raised as a Muslim. Also, I agree wholeheartedly with you, Celina, that devout Muslims believe in a master plan from God. I have no doubt about that. But having faith in something and believing in something with your whole heart does not necessarily make it true. People routinely convince themselves of things that are just not true--I know I've done that before myself, and I will probably do it again. But I am on a continual search for what is true and that is what guides me in life. I gather information from many different sources, analyze it as best I can, and then go from there. And, of course, there are many things, such as the issue of God, that I cannot make an absolute decision about. You have every right to believe what you want, Celina, and if your religious beliefs help you through life, then more power to you. I do what works for me, and keeping my mind open to new information and not making a hard-and-fast commitment to believe literally in the words of the Bible (or Koran) is how I choose to get through each day. And I am honestly happy to live that way. And I am glad to meet people with a different viewpoint from mine because I know there are always things I can learn from those people. So thank you for the opportunity you've given me to read about your thoughts and to share my beliefs with you.

Best wishes to you,

Laura

P.S. I have to tell you, Celina, that I do know people who consider themselves to be Christians, one of whom is my own mother, but they view the stories of the Bible much more symbolically than literally. They are a minority, I suppose, but they are out there. My mom attends an Episcopal church every Sunday and even goes to a Bible study class, as well as other church-related activities. (She began going to church again when I was in my early twenties, after not attending for about thirty years.) But she interprets the Bible in her own way. You may disagree with her and think she is not a Christian, but I am sure she would respectfully disagree right back. She has read A LOT about Christianity and religion. Really, I enjoy the variety of people we can find on this Earth.

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