I BELIEVE

And really, that says it all, very neatly.

A great deal of organized religion these days seems to run on the ideals of-
-believe in this story, all others are evil
-do as I say or be condemned to eternal agonies
-give us your money so we can spread the good word
-push my word to the unwashed masses so that they will know me

Just to fill in some questions before you ask

I believe that there is an existence beyond what we can physically see, touch, hear or measure. Call this existence God, or The Force, The Great Spirit, Allah, Buddah........ or what ever you wish.

I believe that this existence, who I choose to call God, is a part of us all. We are all a part of God, and as we are as humans, we have chosen to be here to learn something new. The best evidence of this, to me, is the last trip I made to Hawaii when I was still in the Royal Canadian Navy. The ship went through the roughest storm the western Pacific had scene  in 50 years and my ship sailed right through the middle of it. We sailed through 11 meter (33 foot) seas for 6 days. Now I know that 11 meters isn't the worse that anyone has ever done but for me it was.

I was terrified for 6 days.

For 6 days the ship bounced back and forth, doing 20 degree heels to port and starboard.
The upper decks had been placed out of bounds making all of us enclosed in this 100 meter steel tube. For six days I learned that I could be terrified but would still have the strength to carry on and do that job at hand. During that six days I was part of the bridge team, part of the medical team, part of the janitorial staff, part of the galley staff. I did it all because it needed to be done. I learned that I could do all of this while being terrified.

On the seventh day, the sun came out from behind the clouds, the seas flattened out and I knew I had learned something important about myself.

This is what I believe we are all here to do. To learn something, so that the sum total knowledge and experience of us all can be added together for the betterment of us all

Omnipresent? Omnipotent?
I don't think so. There is always something else to learn, there is always some place new to see.

This is what I believe.

My beliefs are the correct ones, for me. If you want to know more about how I believe, ask and I will answer. If I want to know more about what you believe, I will ask and hope you will answer me. I will not come up to you and tell you that what you believe is wrong and I will not listen to you doing the same to me.

If you wish to believe that someone born 2000 years ago died to save you from sins that you did not commit, so be it. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a real live person who was conceived and born as we all have been and will be. I believe he lived his life the best he could, helping those who he could help. Did he cure blind people? I believe he could have. We have doctors today who are giving sight to those who can not see. Did he raise Lazerous from the dead? I am sure he could have, I did once. There was sailor on the ground in front of me who was not breathing and had no pulse - Dead by all knowledge that existed way back then. I and two of my mates brought her back to life.

My beliefs, I have them, they are mine. Your beliefs, you have them, they are yours. Keep yours to yourself and I will not push mine on you.

As a parting thought, I friends who have very strong beliefs in several different religions. These people I count as people as friends, not because of what they believe or don't believe, because of the actions they take towards others. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Athetiest. We are all capable of improving the world around us just as easily as we are able to ruin.