***A couple months ago an article entitled, “Why I raise my children without God” went viral. Of course there was opposing views to such a controversial topic, but overall people thought the author had made some good points.
You can read her article here… http://ireport.cnn.com/
I wanted to write a response to this article, not to the author herself but to all the fence-sitters out there who occasionally question the existence of God. Because hey…we all do at some point.
“Why I Raise my Children with God”
1-God is the Perfect Parent.
Why would God, the Almighty, all-knowing Father of the Universe, allow such horrific tragedies to fall upon the innocent people of the world? This is the age-old question that has troubled humanity since its’ beginning. Our logic seems to think that any responsible parent would intervene if their children were not playing nice on the playground of life. Or is it possible that a loving parent might teach their children about choices and consequences, and not force them to obey the rules.
To date, The Holy Bible has been printed and published more than any other book throughout history… and God is very specific about the laws and the consequences. No…his mighty arm will not magically appear out of the heavens and remove the villain from the scene of the crime, but justice will be served in time. Just as Karma seems to come full-circle to any individual who chooses to lie, cheat, steal, murder etc. We are free to make our own choices and suffer the consequences. Because lets be honest, our mistakes, misfortunes, and broken hearts have the potential to become our defining moments, they help us learn and improve and build our character…why would God want to remove the bumps and bruises of life when they refine and teach us so perfectly?
2-God is a Good Role Model.
I understand that religion is not popular today, and the current cultural feeling is that religion ties you down, inhibits “free thinking” and is outdated, but claiming that God is a bad role model has scratching me head? I guess what people value as a good role model might be up for debate but Jesus Christ, God’s son, set a pretty excellent standard for us to follow. He taught us about unconditional love, peace, honesty, integrity, forgiveness, kindness, patience, compassion, and non-judgement, to turn the other cheek and to go the second mile. He also taught us to feed the hungry, help the poor, the sick and the downtrodden, to have faith, hope and charity.
Religious or not… most people would agree that these characteristics are something to be sought after.
Yes, rulers and tyrants have used “religion” throughout history to manipulate the masses, murder, steal and plunder but let’s NOT assume they were actually doing God’s will.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them:
I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Well said.
3- God is Logical.
We have been taught in school that if something cannot be proved through scientific method it is NOT a “fact”. According to this logic God must be fraud, a fable, a hoax or something we make up in our minds to help us “feel better”. But it is interesting that the majority of great minds actually believed otherwise. God was central to their belief system and credited for their genius in science, music, art and writing. Here is a short list of believers who thought the existence of God was very “logical”
Albert Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Davinci, Shakespeare, Goethe, Tolstoy, Bronte, Kepler, Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Michalangelo, Rembrandt, Columbus, Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Florence Nightingale, Helen Keller, Emerson, Thoreau, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkein, to name a few.
Scientists today are continually astounded by the size and scope of the universe and further research has only solidified their belief that there is indeed a higher power. Fred Hoyle, an astronomer said,
“The probability that random chance created life is roughly the same as the probability that a hurricane could blow through a junkyard and create a Boeing 707”.
And Albert Einstein said, “Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe, a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble”.
3-God is Fair.
Some people claim that God is not fair. He allows “Luck” to rule the game of life. This might seem true to the casual observer but there is no “Chance” when it comes to God because he rules by law. Eternal laws are unchanging and consistent as physical laws such as gravity. Every great spiritual leader has understood this eternal truth. Call it Karma, the boomerang effect, the Golden rule, the law of the harvest… but the LAW EXISTS. You reap what you sow. God does not sit upon his throne waiting to unleash hell-fire and damnation to any random person that gets in his way. You are the creator of your life. When you learn and apply universal laws, success is sure to follow. Just simply read any of the great success books Think and Grow Rich, The Richest Man in Babylon, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, and authors like Og Mandino, Paulo Coehlo, Wayne Dyer etc. They all share an underlying theme that includes God, faith and universal laws. Which leads us to believe that there must be some “cause and effect” relationship between obeying eternal laws and reaping the blessings of success and happiness in this life.
4-God is Freedom
Remember those crazy, religious fanatics who fled their country and came to a new land in order to have religious freedom? They based their new government on the Ten Commandments and sought to align their laws with the natural laws of the universe? These same people felt so passionate about their right to worship God that they went to war against the biggest army in the world! By all accounts these farmers and countrymen should have been obliterated… but by some miracle they actually won? After declaring their independence, and stating that their rights came from God (not government) they went on to set up the most FREE and prosperous country in the WORLD!
It is also an interesting side note that the most destructive tyrants throughout history consistently removed God from their political platforms (ie. Hitler, Mao Se Tung, Stalin to name a few). If communist leaders could convince the people that they were simply a “cog” in the machine, they could easily move forward with mass murders, convincing the people of its necessity, while disposing of the weak and vulnerable people of the world.
When you remove God from the school and learning environment this idea about “God” becomes cloudy and confusing and has many parents and children convinced that a “God-less” society is just what we need (because we are more educated now). But I would highly suggest actually
r e a d i n g God’s word before jumping to such conclusions. History shows us that civilization after Civilization fell into the same trap, and just F.Y.I. forgetting about God never seemed to work out in their favor.
Just sayin.
5-God is Present.
Have you ever looked at a budding flower and wondered about its beauty and perfection? Every year tulips spring out of the ground, seeds produce life and the process continues on and on. Have you ever heard of the golden rectangle or the golden ratio? The golden ratio is a mathematical anomaly found in nature on every level. It is found in the atoms of the human body and the greatness of the galaxies in the universe. It is also found in plants, crystals, flowers, seashells, animals and life forms of every kind. Makes you wonder if creation is a little more purposeful and consistent than a random explosion in the universe.
“All things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual, things which are in the heavens above and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath, all things bear record of me” -
Maybe we should look in the mirror, and look around us, look at the sky, look at the earth. God is present.
There is one way to truly feel the presence of God. Simply look into the eyes of a small child who is hungry… and feed him. Notice the shivering, homeless man sleeping on a park bench and offer him your coat. Pay attention to the waitress who works late nights to support her children, and leave her a generous tip. Visit the elderly man next door who is lonely and sad because he can’t leave his house, put your arms around someone who is suffering. There is a feeling of love that accompanies these acts of kindneess, unlike anything you have ever experienced, a certain peace that only can be felt with your heart and soul. The reason is, and God tells us…
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”.
6- Serendipity
Once you discover the reality of God you will likely begin to see that there are no accidents in this life. The people you meet, the experiences you have, the books you read, the opportunities, the failures, and successes. God wants us to improve, uplift, share our talents, build character and refine our lives. Once you realize this great truth you will notice the serendipity being played out in your life like a beautiful piece of music.
Just like it is no accident that you are reading this essay. God always connects the dots… you just have to take the first step.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.”- Steve Jobs
Good luck finding your path.
I tell my kids…
I don’t know much,
But three things I do.
There is a God.
His word is true.
Stay close to him,
He’ll see you through
Ali is the owner and dreamer behind Lemon Poppy Inc., check out her website and latest project “Humble Pie” at www.lemonpoppyinc.com or
Comments
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Thank you for sharing this. I agree completely! Beautifully written!