I also believe that when dinner is cooking on the stove that touching the cooking surface would be incredibly stupid, and painful. And so, I behave accordingly. I do not touch the stove top when it is in use.
What I believe, however, others may not. Probably not in the case of gravity, or in the case of hot stove-top surfaces. But probably in the area of religious faith...even just specifically in the case of the Christian faith...what I believe, others may not. Probably there are many who do not. I can, for example, produce Biblical material to support my particular set of beliefs. Others have Biblical material to support their particular set of beliefs. And our beliefs will be at odds with each other!
Like FB friend, Mark Sandlin says, "The Bible is wrong. Lots of times. The Bible is right. Lots of times." Bingo, Mark. Bingo.
Truth is that there are bunches of folks who have never heard of my beliefs, my God, or my Jesus.
And yet, most religious folks...heck, most folks in general...want to do the right thing quite often. They want to treat people well. They try to do no harm, and do all the good they can. Really.
Good behavior is not complicated. It may not always be easy, but its not complicated. And you know it when you see it. And you know it when you do it. And me, too.
"What you do makes a difference, you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make," writes Jane Goodall. What I DO. Doesn't matter much what I do or do not believe...but what I DO (and that could be based on a set of beliefs I hold) matters much.
John Steinbeck wrote, "The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it." It suggests to me that how I love, how I act, how I behave will make me the better person I wish to become...belief may be important, but in this case it is beside the point.
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