Faith

Indeed – what should we believe?

Some time ago I read an interview in a Danish newspaper, Berlingske, in which author and doctor Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen said: I don’t think religion belongs in schools, and I don’t think we should have a Church of Denmark. Religion consists of stories, not facts. Yet people in our time are believing in virgin births or ghosts. The other night, I was invited at a dinner party and sat next to a man who was a shamanic drummer. I immediately had the thought that it was going to be a long night.

Instead of religion, Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen finds credibility and power in natural science.

How do you feel when you read these words?

I think: How sad! Imagine having such a limited viewpoint that everything that falls outside what we think we can weigh and measure is humbug and sham.

Religions can be used in the service of good or evil. Some skepticism – or, let’s say, caution – is therefore required. However, the act of believing is deeply rooted in man, as it is our belief system that makes life meaningful  – whether you profess a traditional religion, or you are a shaman, atheist, mystic…. Faith basically comes from the desire to find the place within ourselves that gives us authenticity and backbone…. and which connects us to the Whole.

In a modern society, it is a wise strategy to have a clear idea of ​​the values ​​that are important to you and your society while also having an insight into what others believe.

However, people who are more practically inclined – let us say pragmatic – often have a strongly negative attitude to “faith” and completely shut down any non-measurable approach to understanding life. Their Truth is clearly of greater value – also socially – than, for example mine, they think.

What they don’t understand is that the approach to my faith through intuition and surrender feels as true to me as the rock-solid scientific formulas on which they base their faith. And there is a logical and simple explanation for this: If you want to listen to classical music at the radio, it is smart to tune it to the right channel.

There are by the way lots of programs and we cannot hear them all at the same time. But sometimes we can listen to something that is foreign to us and think: Hm, that’s interesting. If we do, we can sit down with anyone and feel that they can tell us something exciting and relevant. It expands our horizons and positions us in relation to others. For it requires both knowledge and wisdom to operate with confidence among other people.

Religions are an attempt to understand and explain the relationship between soul, spirit and body. However, faith cannot be learned through dogmas and rituals, but must be experienced in the heart. Therefore, surrender is crucial. You simply have to jump into  deep water, where you can’t bottom to truly understand and protect the wisdom of the heart*:

Why do we need it? The answer is actually very simple. If we experience no deeper purpose for existence, it loses its beauty. Having a vision is crucial to whether you love life or not – whether you are truly alive. The worst thing you can do to a person experiencing crisis is to confirm her or him that yes, this is indeed the whole Truth about their situation. Which of course is nonsense. We are so much bigger than our circumstances, and our opportunities are so many more than we can imagine in our wildest imagination.

What, then, should we believe? The smartest thing is to believe in something that nourishes us from within and that affirms us that we always have the opportunity to reach out for a rebirth. If your faith is genuine and in accordance with the cosmic laws, it will show you the truth about yourself: That you are loved and that your place in the whole is important. When you take the step of being set free by faith, you set others free. You become inclusive and can embrace others’ different standpoints from you – when they do not violate your rights and your freedom.

If, on the other hand, your view (of God) is associated with oppression, fear, manipulation, powerlessness or anger, then you are astray and your belief is associated with (dis-) illusion. There are many illusions in our society. Illusions are endless: You will always “starve”, always “be thirsty”, always run after this, or strive for that. Illusion is associated with comparison: Where and how do you compare yourself to others?

For me, faith is tied to a basic sense of Being. In surrender, the narrow perspective expands to cosmic dimensions.

This is God shining His blessing upon you. When we invite (Holy) Spirit inside our temple, we are filled with joy. Hopelessness is replaced by hope, powerlessness by strength, desperation by trust, fear by love…. The gift of faith is that glow of beauty that makes us alive.

Once in a while we lose our radiance and go hiding. It is a human condition that we cannot always be on top. It is in such times that faith stands its test. Believing is not a static state but an eternal process. I just re-read the Book of Psalms and the Book of Ecclesiastes, two wonderful books of the Bible, attributed among others to the two Jewish kings David and Solomon. So wise words, so full of thoughtfulness and reflection. Joy and sorrow emanate from the words that flow beautifully off like streams into the great ocean. Wave valley and wave peak are followed along. Have you ever heard the valley complain about its condition? Both the valley and the peak are embraced by the great sea.

When we experience a valley, faith is the most beautiful companion on the journey. Through faith, you open up to everything that is – apparently – beyond your reach; all the help you cannot see but which can be manifested when you stop wanting to rely solely on your own decisions. You simply cannot find all the solutions yourself, because as a human being you have a limited outlook. Therefore, let go – and in faith leave the overall perspective of your destiny to God, our Creator, the awful and all-embracing power of love, that connects everything and everyone.

It is not an expression of weakness, but of respect for your place in the great whole. Neither is it an expression of passivity, but of purposeful behavior in accordance with cosmic laws. Whether that behavior means retreat for a while or creactive action.

* Proverbs 4:20-22 explain that this wisdom consists of the words of God kept safely in the heart as they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.