A Conversation on Faith

A friend and I recently had a conversation that left me deep in thought for many days thereafter. It was a conversation on "faith" and what it means to individuals. This friend of mine is one in which I have great respect and admiration. He is very intelligent and, in my observation, looks at life way beyond its superficialities. He and I do not share the same religious background, but with respect for one anothers' beliefs we ventured into this conversation open minded and without any sort of agenda.

I've always considered myself a person that has a faith based life, which faith dictates many paths and decisions I have taken and will take. This, I learned, was common ground for the two of us. Based on the faiths of our parents, we were taught in our childhood. These teachings encompassed freedom to decide for ourselves if what was taught was to be accepted and lived by. Understanding that he too had convictions and a set of beliefs that served as a guide through his life, he posed to me a few questions that made significant imprints on my mind. Considering all the different religions throughout the world and through time he asked me and I paraphrase, "What difference does it really make? None among us knows how things actually are after this life and therefore faith should not be shared among each other unless one is seeking it. It's possible that what you believe it true, it's possible that what I believe is true, and it's possible that none of it's true or that all of it's true. It's possible that there are no absolute truths." These "possibilities" I found hard to argue, because if I did know then it would not be faith, it would be knowledge.

He went on to say that he certainly hoped that was more to life than just living and that he and others would be held accountable for there actions, but that was his personal belief. I give great respect to his points and found much validity in them. It is here that I found much upon which to contemplate. I agree with him that faith is extremely personal. My belief, whether it's "correct" or not, should not dictate the beliefs of others. Religion throughout time has brought both good and bad to the world and its people. It draws lines, and where there are lines there are sides which can lead to great controversies. I do however believe that personal faith is more than just something good to believe in that gets you through the day, if this was the case then I suppose it wouldn't matter what we believe as long as it gave you the hope you were looking for.

I believe there are eternal, absolute truths no matter if you believe them or not. I believe in a God that loves all of his children and has a plan for each of them no matter what they believe. I am firm in my faith and am willing to share with whomever make seek it, but I also believe in having tolerance for others not of my faith. This dichotomy leads me to wonder, how is it possible for one to have firm convictions in his belief and yet be open minded? This seems to be sound in theory, but practicing it is not a easy as it ought to be.