Wednesday, February 27, 2013

You need God to have true morals

Recently, I was on the topic of evolution, the age of the Earth, and all that good stuff that come with opening proclaiming a belief in God. Before I get into the actual point of this post, I'd like to clarify a couple things regarding my thoughts on creation, evolution, etc.

I do not turn a blind eye to science. I have never said forms of evolution haven't taken place. I've never said the Bible doesn't have contradictions, translation misconceptions, and probably even some lies. But, disproving parts of the Bible does not disprove the existence of God.  People tend to spend too much time trying to disprove the Bible and bashing my Christianity that they lose sight of the main reason I believe in God: intelligent design makes a lot more sense than the Big Bang. Even if the Earth is older than the Bible says, even if man did evolve and the creation story in Genesis isn't true, this doesn't make God any less or more real to me.

Throw everything else out the window, and consider intelligent design and the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang boiled down says basically that something (the universe) came from nothing. Science has been unable to explain its origin, or why it happened. Everything has a beginning and end. To think a random cosmic blast produced micro-organisms that over millions of years somehow became man from an organic puddle is much more far-fetched than creation. Creation has an origin and explanation. The universe is perfect. Earth is perfect for our existence. It REALLY looks like an intelligent designer put everything where it is. Now people don't like to acknowledge this concept if they don't believe in God, because they'd have to proclaim some belief that intelligent design is more than possible. I believe it to be the truth and origin of the universe. 

Now, let's talk about God and morals. One of my good friends told me "you don't need a 'god' to have morals." I think this is wrong for several reasons. First being that without God, this means man is God. This means there is no standard of living or authority to answer to. No expectations to live up to regarding morality. You need a standard to have morals and carry them out. This standard is set by what Jesus taught on Earth.

To say you don't need God to have morals is like saying you don't need a playbook to score touchdowns on a football field. I believe most of humanity is naturally on the side of evil even if they don't realize it. Think about it, you can be a good person but if you could steal a million dollars with no consequences, most people would. Having morals isn't a pick and choose thing, even though we all struggle because we are human. If you don't follow Jesus as a standard of living, you're setting your own standard. That means you're free to change your moral view anytime you want depending on the situation. That, my friends, is not having morals. It's a cop-out to justify the sinful things you do. But with belief in God and a standard set by Jesus, these sins are already washed away and you don't have to feel guilty for making poor moral choices.

There's always been a problem with authority. Whether it's man making himself God and setting his own standards or a rebellious teenager disobeying his parents. Everyone seems to be in the "I do what I want" mindset, not wanting anyone or anything telling them what to do. I am not saying don't be an individual and do things to find yourself. But sorry, disrespecting your parents and having low morality is no longer rebellious, because everyone is doing it. 

Adhering to the authority of God as your moral guide is the truth. Selfish desires often overcome people who may WANT to have good morals, because the only standard they've set is their own. If you only have to live up to your expectations, where will that get you? Not far, believe me, been there done that. I was quite unfulfilled. It is not conforming, or giving away your "rebellious" nature if you adhere to the moral standards of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the way the world is today, I believe following Jesus is the only true rebellion left.















Wednesday, February 20, 2013

What determines YOUR self-worth?

Something is going on in today's society. All you have to do is scroll down your Facebook timeline to see people fishing for compliments, sympathy, and attention using a variety of superficial reasons. Why is this so?

I will tell you why. Because in today's society, God (even the idea of God) is being slowly weeded out. In his place we see money, power, possessions, status, sex. It's a horrifying thought to think these physically tangible things, that will all fade away at some point, are the determining factors in how a person sees his worth. If you have a  lot of money and beautiful women worshiping at your altar (like many celebrities do), society  adores your success. If you're a person of power, people look up to you. If you have a big house and big cars, people envy that. It is precisely for those reasons that self-worth is no longer determined by your spiritual fruit or your actions.

First, I'd like to say that you should be free from the judgments, hypocrisies, and standards of others. Know what you stand for and what you live for, and just because you don't have a million dollars or a new car, others don't determine your self worth anyway. Should I care if Joe Schmo up the street doesn't think much of me because I don't have girls all over me, or should I care that the money I donated at the grocery store is going to help a kid read? We've completely lost sight as a society of what self worth is, what creates it, and who determines it.

Many people are insecure, and cover up the fact that their souls and spirits are empty by using the superficial, physical things I mentioned above. Now I am not saying don't strive for happiness, success, and a comfortable life. But when these things no longer matter in 40 years and you're out of the limelight, what will you have left?

 I will get into what I personally believe in my faith in future posts, but for right now let's just say I truly think God has very little bearing on the physical world. The highest point a person's soul can reach is total fulfillment, which after physical death I believe to be Heaven. Without being religious, or even believing what I believe, you have a spirit whether you like it or not. Your life should be a journey of fulfilling this spirit by following the examples Jesus set of kindness, compassion, love, patience, and humility. Do good deeds, help others, read, pray, see nature, learn an instrument, take a class. Any rewarding activity that can build you spirit up. It is when your spirit starts to manifest that you truly see your self worth, and nobody can take it away from you.

On the other side, if you ignore the longings of your spirit and only use tangible things for temporary happiness, you will never find the fulfillment you are longing for deep down. All the money in the world won't satisfy your soul. So you may seem like a "god" to society because of what you have, these things will not and cannot last. Your self worth should not be determined by such things. Like I said, you don't have to believe what I believe, but I am sure you have all had that longing for something more deep down at one time or another. 

This is your soul crying out for food.

Feed it.

A full soul is all the self worth you need, regardless of what anyone thinks.