One: Exhortation

originally posted 6/2/2010

Lots of folks who live here don’t like this town.  I’ve heard it said many times that Colorado Springs is so backwards, particularly due to its high number of Christian organizations, and the supposed homophobics that go with them.

I’m sure it’s hard for the sophisticated and enlightened to deal with Christians and their confounded irrational beliefs; heck, even ol’ Springs Hayseed Christian Me has to admit that, gosh dern it, it ain’t easy to have faith and believe in God…or anything else for that matter.

Christians aren’t the only ones who believe in the divine, ya know; there are just some differences in numbers and semantics.  Jews, Christians and Muslims believe in one God, while Hindus, animists and pagans believe in many; atheists believe in NoGod, and skeptics just aren’t sure.  Socialists are secular humanists; they believe and have faith in only one thing -- themselves.  Masters of their own destinies, rulers of their own universes; they are the universe...and the universe is them. 

But does gratification with self satisfy the hunger of one's soul?  Can it? 

There is only one thing that can fill the empty place in a person’s soul, and that is to have faith in a Master of the universe.

It is my personal belief that everyone on the planet wishes they had faith of any kind in something -- anything -- ah, but if only they had proof!  Of course, the proof is all around us; the intricacies of stone and water and air, of snowflakes and fingerprints and spider webs – how could it possibly all be just a random accident?

It makes me think of Maury Povich and his lie detector test episodes:  "I Need to Know If  You’re Cheating!"  People, all upset and convinced their lover's been lying...giving voice to each fear and unleashing all doubt to a rabid, slavering audience -- and when the test reveals "he was telling the truth," everyone’s practically disappointed…when in actuality they ought rejoice in fidelity's evidence.

It is the faithless for whom I feel the most compassion.

I was once an atheist, steadfast in my belief of NoGod; I was once a pagan…a believer in magic, and reader of runes and tarot; I was once a skeptic, wishing for proof…and a mocker, heckling for proof. But in the year 2000, I heckled for proof, and got it...and it changed my life forever.  I’m about to share my proof with you; but before I do, let me ask you doubters: 

What do you stand to lose from believing? 
Really, if God is real, you have everything to gain…
and if God isn’t real, well then heck -- no harm, no foul, right?

This is the first of three posts.