The Arsenal of Spirituality

The Arsenal of Spirituality
And why I don't like to write about Religion.

God. It's a word, title, or - if you believe enough - name that just about everyone equates something to, and it doesn't matter who they are, or what walk of life they come from at all. It doesn't mean the same thing to everybody, and it hardly ever talks about the same feeling or person. To some, it's an omnipotent entity on high; a great creator of everything and anything, and, to others, it's simply an idea; a teaching of thought that serves as a model guideline for how to live ones life. This, generally, applies to all facets of spirituality and faith as well, everything from modern Christianity and Judaism, to the Neo-Pagans and Satanists. It doesn't matter what you follow, or even why in a lot of cases, it's all - effectively - the same thing.

So why don't I like to write about it? I get asked this question a lot. It's not because religion; like politics, seems to be a war ground for fervent arguments and self righteous proclamations - if not outright violence. I write about things like this all the time, both in literal and social contexts. I can handle the heat, and the flames, that come with those kind of arguments. They're nothing new and, I'd probably welcome them. The reason I don't like to write about the myriad of spirituality, is that I don't see there to be a need for it in these times. It's something a lot of people prescribe to, that I see as good. It becomes, at one point or another, all about Faith - and who I am to start questioning that?

Do people need Faith? Absolutely they do. It doesn't matter if it's in God, Tomorrow, Chocolate Bunnies, Cthulhu, or a Time Traveler who floats around the cosmos in a blue Police box; everybody needs something to believe it. Should it be questioned? Absolutely. Asking why you believe what you believe is one of the most essential parts of having any kind of Faith. Do I think I should be the one to sit here and question it, or write some harsh critique of its practitioners? No, I don't, not even for a minute. Faith is a personal topic. It's not just the tenants of faith either, but it's application that I feel I have no business slinging all over the internet - even if I do it with the best of intentions.

There are many weapons in the arsenal of Faith that I could, and in private do, talk about. I do not find a lot of applications of practical beliefs to be really adherent to this "higher moral code" many Faiths seem to - attempt - to teach. That, though, does not undermine the real value of Faith. Faith, no matter what it's in, carries with it the impossible, the plausible, and the real belief in something.It's just that kind of thing that, I see, more and more people losing sight of in these modern days.

Spirituality, faith, beliefs, and what have you, are one of the most vital tools in how we define ourselves. It doesn't matter if it's on principles of religion, of life views, of how to treat our fellow man even, it all falls under the same banner. Some find these teachings in churches, some find them in temples, some find them in self-made tribes of people who personify what we find to be right, and true, in the world. All of these people are, inherently, right. Why? Because Faith is Personal. It's all about what we believe, why we believe it, and what that belief empowers us to do. It's not my place to sit here, or anywhere, and devalue that measure of dedication - hell, it's just that kind of value I'm likely to praise.

Faith is what separates the hopeful dreamer from the rest of the disillusioned world. It's what drives the starving beast onward through the dark forests in search of food. It's never a bad thing - but it ultimately comes down to what you do with it. There's a whole world of madmen; those who are drunk on faith and brandish its flag in the name of inhuman behavior on an almost daily basis, but does that mean that Faith, in principle, should be judged for how it's wielded? I don't think it's any more responsible to blame faith for its use, then it is to blame the emotions of a human being, on the actions of someone else. It all comes down to accountability; the belief of what is right, but having the respect and knowledge to apply it in a format that is not abusive to the liberties of life we all have the right to enjoy.

The issue though becomes, when people begin to wield a weaponized sense of faith as a sword of truth, to which all other weapons are inferior. Nobody can tell anybody that the world is right or wrong in what it believes. Actions? Those can be morally offensive, they can be viewed as wrong by many. It's those actions, specifically the ones driven by an absolute conviction to the Faith of what is 'right' that can be truly dangerous. To say "I am right because I have Faith that I am" is an argument to which there is no position of opposition. It's under that banner that massacres of morality and compassion have been, and always will be, vomited onto the landscape of our social world.

It's why, by in large, I opt not to prescribe to any one system of beliefs and or values. I see the base core of Spirituality as being a guideline for how to behave among the world; "Do right by your fellow man, be honest, be forthcoming, be genuine in your action and loving in your application." Then I see all of that potential squandered under the way it's taken, smelted down by interpretation, and forged into some instrument of blasphemous dictation under which all actions can be justified.

It's at this point that I become disinterested in writing much about it, in specific. It's all been done, under some other banner, under some other flag, for countless millions of reasons. I have no interest in calling out the things I view as wrong, held under the banner of Faith, to the general public. It serves no purpose, there is no position to which I can argue, that cannot be countered by a slew of "It's what I believe" statements - and it's not worth it to me to tempt the pitchfork mobs for my disclosure either. We're all, expertly, capable of some, seriously unreasonable, responses when Faith gets involved. So all I will say is this:

Have Faith, have it absolutely. Believe in what you will, but be mindful of how you use it. Your Faith will not be for everyone, no matter how right you feel you are in your conviction. It is not a get out of jail free card for a lifetime of immoral behavior. It is not a soapbox that you have any right to make anyone else stand on or get in line behind. Faith will provide you with a better quality of life, but without your positive actions on behalf of it, it will never answer questions or open doors for you. It is a tool, a guidebook for existence, and it should be challenged regularly. Be aware of what you believe, be ready to defend and debate it, but don't take the job of conversion of yourself. Life can only be lived by those who live it, as they choose to do so...and the minute you bless your shotgun shells, anything you believe becomes as hollow as the spent casing you're about to fire.