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jawnbcI am a person of faith.
I am not an adherent to any religion or other organization, though much of who I am has been informed by Roman Catholicism and several (previous) years of active membership in Alcoholics Anonymous. In many respects these affiliations have informed how I approach life; however they are as likely to have taught me what not to do. Add equal parts volunteerism/activism, education, and paid work, and that’s how I got to be me.
In its most boiled down form, my ethos reduces to this: it is equally imperative for me to utlize the gifts I have, as it is for me to continuously go outside myself. I have never been able to pray myself out of a jam. I have rarely been able to think my way out of one either. Very often, however, the combination of faith and reason--and action--have saved my bacon.
My faith is very much with people, with their humanity. And faith in the Creator, though I’ve no concept of it/she/he/they beyond Something in Which I Believe.
I do not possess blind faith nor do I engage in relentless critique of things. Having faith isn’t absolving myself of using my brain, my senses, my memory. Having faith doesn’t mean being a doormat or a patsy.
I do not pity anyone based on their lack of faith. I do, nonetheless, tend to keep folks who are more often agitated and cranky at arm’s length. Being ornery isn’t evidence of intelligence...it’s just ornery.
I do not gravitate towards anyone based on their being a person of faith. All too many such persons are willfully blind to the realities of the world, simply because it suits them. That strikes me as cold, callous, heartless. I do not associate such terms with faith.
My career necessitates having relatively advanced intellectual skills, which I have developed over time. But were it not for faith I’d have never had a chance of developing them.
My faith has never told me that I’m better than--or less than--anyone. Including the Creator. In fact, being a person of faith has taught me that we are of equal worth.
I am a person of faith. I am not an eejit.
I am not an adherent to any religion or other organization, though much of who I am has been informed by Roman Catholicism and several (previous) years of active membership in Alcoholics Anonymous. In many respects these affiliations have informed how I approach life; however they are as likely to have taught me what not to do. Add equal parts volunteerism/activism, education, and paid work, and that’s how I got to be me.
In its most boiled down form, my ethos reduces to this: it is equally imperative for me to utlize the gifts I have, as it is for me to continuously go outside myself. I have never been able to pray myself out of a jam. I have rarely been able to think my way out of one either. Very often, however, the combination of faith and reason--and action--have saved my bacon.
My faith is very much with people, with their humanity. And faith in the Creator, though I’ve no concept of it/she/he/they beyond Something in Which I Believe.
I do not possess blind faith nor do I engage in relentless critique of things. Having faith isn’t absolving myself of using my brain, my senses, my memory. Having faith doesn’t mean being a doormat or a patsy.
I do not pity anyone based on their lack of faith. I do, nonetheless, tend to keep folks who are more often agitated and cranky at arm’s length. Being ornery isn’t evidence of intelligence...it’s just ornery.
I do not gravitate towards anyone based on their being a person of faith. All too many such persons are willfully blind to the realities of the world, simply because it suits them. That strikes me as cold, callous, heartless. I do not associate such terms with faith.
My career necessitates having relatively advanced intellectual skills, which I have developed over time. But were it not for faith I’d have never had a chance of developing them.
My faith has never told me that I’m better than--or less than--anyone. Including the Creator. In fact, being a person of faith has taught me that we are of equal worth.
I am a person of faith. I am not an eejit.
