The devil is real... part 2

So, whether the Devil is an actual being or not, we still have to do the same battle with him. I’m sure that there is a life after this one, in some way. But maybe we should focus on what we can do in this life, instead of worrying about punishments or rewards in the next. Maybe heaven and hell is a trap, that makes us more focused on what we can get our of the afterlife, instead of how we can improve and help others in this one.

Ask yourself this: if you know that there is a God and an afterlife, that God loves you and is infinitely wiser than you are, do you really need the promise of rewards and punishments to want to do his will? With the question posed this way, I think the answer is pretty simple.

The Devil is real... part 1

…at least in some way. Is the Devil is an actual entity or not? I don’t know. But he definitely lives inside of us in the form of the ego. He is the one that rather has us accuse others, than look at ourselves. The one that has us boasting about our accomplishments, instead of humbly thanking God for giving us strength and guidance. He is the one that makes us angry and frustrated about all the things that we don’t have, instead of being thankful for the things that we do have. And he is the one that makes us doubt that there is more to life than the brief time that we spend here on earth and therefore makes us believe that we need to take as much as possible before we die. 

What God has joined together

Of course I have thought of divorce as an easy way out when things get tough and don’t go as planned. But - and I’m only speaking for myself here - for me, if I’ve looked carefully at my motifs, they amount to just that (setting aside all details): An easy way out of problems that can be handled. Because I don’t value those close to me properly. Because I’m ungrateful for what I’ve got. I want to be more grateful. Gratitude is one of the best feelings there are.

Right and wrong? Part 2

So, there is this idea out there, that whatever we think is true, becomes true. That nothing has any inherent meaning. Is it so? This is not a rhetorical question. I want to seriously explore this idea. Because I’ve come to see how I can convince myself of totally opposite views within the scope of about an hour. This will be a long series with many short parts, because I wish to explore this concept some. I want to gain some clarity. Because I believe that it’s a difficult subject.

Right and wrong? Part 1

Is there such a thing as “right and wrong” in an ultimate sense? I don’t know. It seems as if there is. And if there is, I’d rather try to be right than wrong, rather than to ignore the questions altogether.

Called to Christ? Part 1

I’m a confused person. But I embrace my confusion. I think more people should embrace their confusion. Because there are loads of things to be confused about. 

On the one hand, I feel called to follow Christ. On the other, there are so many weird things with a spiritual nature happening in my life, that don’t fall in line with a normal Christian life. Some fall in line more with what, for the lack of a better word, might be categorised as New Age.

At the same time, I do not believe in Liberal Theology. I don’t think that we basically just have to be nice to each other and everything will be okay. This partially has to do with me recognising that in order for us to be truly nice, we need to have character. And character is not built simply by being nice.

The truth is in our hearts part 1

There seems to, when I look inside and really feel how things feel, that there is a moral order that is not strictly related to what we do for others and the world. 

For example, all a person’s good deeds get soiled, if he or she is prideful about them, or even uses them to shame others for not being as good as he or she is. But it doesn’t seem to even have to result in actions or speech. Our mere thoughts seem able to soil a good deed. 

Why is this so? Can we explain this logically? I don’t think so. It seems as if we, on an intuitive level, can sense what is right and wrong. 

I wish to interject, that this post is not about a metaphysical discussion of right and wrong. But I think that it all comes down to how this or that affects our character. Does my thoughts, words and actions help me to get closer to become the person that I know in my heart that I want to be? Because, if we think and feel a bit about it, we know that there is such a person inside ourselves, don’t we?

Right and wrong?

Is there such a thing as “right and wrong” in an ultimate sense? I don’t know. It seems as if there might be. And if there is, I’d rather try to be right than wrong, rather than to ignore the questions altogether. In an as humble and openminded way as possible, of course.