Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
--Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
--Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
4 comments:
Well, I'm not nearly smart enough to put it in those words, but that is exactly how I feel. If a God does exist, then you can't tell me that (s)he isn't going to understand someone who questions and lives thoughtfully. I refuse to believe that if a God exists who created all things, (s)he would be the type who would want only simple brainless minions following. So God creates everything, all of this, only to want mindless robots to populate it? I don't think so.
I try to live a good life, what some would call a "Christian" life, and I do that not because I fear that I will burn in hellfire but because I've thought about it, questioned everything, and decided that being kind and good and giving is what life is about. And some would tell me that my life and how I live it, then, is less valid to a God because I question? That God prefers people who live "good" lives because they fear hellfire and damnation. So they basically have no choice but to live a "good" life whereas I daily make a choice to live in a "good" way -- without the fear of eternal damnation driving my decisions.
Phew. I'm done. See? I just took 3 millions words to say poorly what Thomas Jefferson said so eloquently in like 30 words.
In response to Kerri, I will exercise word economy and say merely: ditto.
Add a third to that kerri--would that be tritto?
Spokened by one of my most admired founding father. I can imagine him as a child always asking why?
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