Hitler was clearly a genocidal nutcase but his purpose of war was Lebensraum in Eastern Europe for the German people.
A human desire to have dominion over others.
Are you sure Ricky said that? Especially the bit about Africa. Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in Africa.
Pretty sure.....he was making the point that depending on where you live you are most likely to have the beliefs that the majority of people in that area have......which I find to be true. There are 2.3% of the population in India that consider themselves Christian, 79.8% Hindu.
) I do not carry around in my head and quote chapter and verse out of it - but I do try and live my faith daily.
I’m not religious myself, but I do massively respect the good parts of religion. Thanks for taking the time to write what you did.Thought about whether or not to add my tuppence to this - hmm - not sure it’s the best thing for me to do but why I have done so will hopefully become clear.
I have a faith in a spiritual deity that is not me…and as that spirituality is religion-based I happy to call that deity ‘God’. That said, I am not much of a theologian and though I read the Bible (or have read to me usually once a week on Sundays
What do I do? Simple - I use my faith to get me out of self, to provide me with direction, strength and guidance on how to live my life as best I can for those closest to me and those less so…and that often means not doing what I want or what is best for me when there are alternatives less attractive but which can be the ‘right thing to do’. That’s not simple; it’s not easy, it can be difficult and painful, and it carries risks for me.
And fundamental to that for me is forgiveness and prayer. I can and will forgive others of any harm or upset they cause me - and that can be very significant. Such forgiveness is not a forgiveness of excusing, exonerating or ‘letting off’ the perpetrator of the harm or upset - rather it is about handing that harm back to the perpetrator so that I do not carry it around in my head as anger or resentment - for such things are damaging to my well-being and peace of mind. Alongside forgiveness I will pray for the perpetrator of the ill in the hope that they might see the light - the error of their ways - for they too can carry around guilt and that guilt can lead to no good whatsoever. Forgiveness can be very difficult and painful, but forgive I must.
The exemplar of faith of my sort that I keep in mind is that of Gordon Wilson, he of the Enniskillen bombing who was holding the hand of his daughter Marie as they lay trapped under the rubble of the explosion - and as she spoke her last words to him, holding his hand…and then died. In interviews afterwards he spoke of how he had forgiven and prayed for the IRA bombers, and pleaded the Protestant paramilitary groups to refrain from retribution. That his pleas in the aftermath of the bombing were not heeded he worked tirelessly for the peace in NI that was eventually achieved. He was a Methodist and had a strong Christian faith in forgiveness and prayer.
And in reflecting on Gordon Wilson I can compare how he lived his life after the bombing with the families of others who have suffered terrible loss and harm by others and have been unable to forgive - and often their lives have been devastated and ripped apart by the anger and resentment that they carry around.
As said at the start of this my faith just so happens to be grounded in belief of a religious God - and despite all the bad and misfortune that happens in the world to people and by people to others, I hold to a God of love and caring. I feel no need to try and describe or justify this God to others other than perhaps to suggest that, though much if not most can be explained by science and knowledge - there is no 100% proof that such a deity does not exist.
I know that for some, if not most, the above will read as a load of tripe…but that’s my faith for you and I rather expect that - such is as it is.
So on the wider point of faith for any who might wish to think on it. Though my faith is of a similar feeling, it’s not really like being in an airplane and having faith that it will not fall out of the air…that is pretty certain - terrible accidents notwithstanding. The faith I have is of the sort I read described some years ago by the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks as follows…
Without faith we could not risk the vulnerability of love.
It is also possible to be nice and live right by other people just because you can, without the faith and the praying.Thought about whether or not to add my tuppence to this - hmm - not sure it’s the best thing for me to do but why I have done so will hopefully become clear.
I have a faith in a spiritual deity that is not me…and as that spirituality is religion-based I happy to call that deity ‘God’. That said, I am not much of a theologian and though I read the Bible (or have read to me usually once a week on Sundays
What do I do? Simple - I use my faith to get me out of self, to provide me with direction, strength and guidance on how to live my life as best I can for those closest to me and those less so…and that often means not doing what I want or what is best for me when there are alternatives less attractive but which can be the ‘right thing to do’. That’s not simple; it’s not easy, it can be difficult and painful, and it carries risks for me.
And fundamental to that for me is honesty and recognising when I am wrong and making amends as required, plus forgiveness and prayer. I can and will forgive others of any harm or upset they cause me - and that can be very significant. Such forgiveness is not a forgiveness of excusing, exonerating or ‘letting off’ the perpetrator of the harm or upset - rather it is about handing that harm back to the perpetrator so that I do not carry it around in my head as anger or resentment - for such things are damaging to my well-being and peace of mind. Alongside forgiveness I will pray for the perpetrator of the ill in the hope that they might see the light - the error of their ways - and repent or at least change their ways, for they too can carry around guilt and that guilt can lead to no good whatsoever. Forgiveness can be very difficult and painful, but forgive I must, for as I have been forgiven so must I forgive.
The exemplar of faith of my sort that I keep in mind is that of Gordon Wilson, he of the Enniskillen bombing who was holding the hand of his daughter Marie as they lay trapped under the rubble of the explosion as she spoke her last words to him, holding his hand…and then died. In interviews afterwards he spoke of how he had forgiven and prayed for the IRA bombers, and pleaded with the Protestant paramilitary groups to refrain from retribution. Though his pleas in the aftermath of the bombing were not heeded he worked tirelessly for the peace in NI that was eventually achieved. He was a Methodist and had a strong Christian faith in forgiveness and prayer.
And in reflecting on Gordon Wilson I can compare how he lived his life after the bombing with that of families who have suffered terrible loss and harm by others and have been unable to forgive - and often their lives have been devastated and ripped apart by the anger and resentment that they carry around.
As said at the start of this my faith just so happens to be grounded in belief of a religious God - and despite all the bad and misfortune that happens in the world to people and by people to others, I hold to a God of love and caring. I feel no need to try and describe or justify this God to others other than perhaps to suggest that, though much if not most can be explained by science and knowledge - there is no 100% proof that such a deity does not exist.
I know that for some, if not most, the above will read as a load of tripe…but that’s my faith for you and I rather expect that - such is as it is.
So on the wider point of faith for any who might wish to think on it. Though my faith is of a similar feeling, it’s not really like being in an airplane and having faith that it will not fall out of the air…that is pretty certain - terrible accidents notwithstanding. The faith I have is of the sort I read described some years ago by the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks as follows…
Without faith we could not risk the vulnerability of love.
you are of course right - it's generally easy enough to be nice to others - I don't need my faith for that.
Yeah, fair comment. I glossed over that aspect of it. Anyone deliberately causes harm to me, those I love or even a stranger who can't defend themself and I'll do what I can to even the score.
There’s perhaps a pointer to the difference in the way I’d try and deal with such a personal harm - the way exemplified by Gordon Wilson.
) what else will be discovered in the years to come, well beyond my lifetime.
