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My Convictions (Part 1): God, Good and Evil
02/18/2009
Location: in my bedroom
Listening to: "Everything" by Lifehouse
Feeling: Thoughtful
This series of journal entries will be more serious than my other ones. With everything that's been happening to me lately (my mother's cancer, my coming transition to a bigger school, etc.), I feel the need to take inventory of myself, do an honest soul evaluation to see what I really believe in.
Let me add this so I can clarify my purpose here: While I'm sure plenty of people will read this (I kind of hope they do), really I'm doing this because I want to have before my own eyes a clearly written list of what I believe in, a set of guidelines to go back to if I ever find my life running off course. Speaking in technical terms this means I'm going to try to assess my moral and metaphysical (referring to what I believe is reality) beliefs.
Another disclaimer: a lot of what I'm going to say may or may not make sense, and hopefully I don't upset the balance of my friend list. Oh well...
Not sure where to start...hm, okay here, let's start with the basics.
I am a Christian. As a Christian, I really believe that there is a God who created the universe. I believe that this God exists in three distinct Persons known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, I believe that humanity is basically evil. That statement deserves some consideration, because at first it sounds very cynical and mean. Really, I just say it as a matter of fact: there is in all of us a tendency toward depravity. We're prone to be selfish, hateful, ignorant, prejudiced, impatient, foolish, rebellious, disrespectful and irreverent. If we weren't, it wouldn't be so easy to do wrong in the first place. You would think we'd have a much easier time doing what's right.
Granted there are some people who do not exercise as much evil in their lives as others. But according to God's standards, NO ONE is good enough on their own to count as a "good person". I believe that EVERYONE needs a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ in order to live a good life. It is that completed circle of Creator and creation that enables the doing of a good deed powered by a good motive to produce a good outcome.
Now, while we are basically, evil, that doesn't imply that we're incapable of doing good deeds. we're capable of quite a lot on our own, I think. We can sacrifice, lead, improve, strengthen, love and heal in many ways. I know this is true because, for example, I have seen many non-Christian families that are much happier and more stable than many Christian families I have seen.
However, I know this is not a self-evident proof that Christianity is not the one true faith. God's laws of good and evil are universal. They must work, regardless of where they are practiced. That is why even secular and pagan people who live by rules like the Ten Commandments (Honor your Father and Mother, Do Not Murder, Do Not Commit Adultery, etc.), or by the Beatitudes, (Blessed are the Merciful for they will be shown Mercy, Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God), can have very good lives. They reap the benefits of God's laws; they just don't abide by the most important rule of all, the one that ties everything together: Credit the Lawmaker by following Him, trust in His Son to redeem them from their own evil natures.
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