Obedience, Control and Free Will

Disclaimer:  As is customary, my parents raised me according to their own belief system.  My own choices as an adult are not in alignment with the way they brought me up as a child. I respect those who sincerely practice their personal faith - an entirely different matter from the hypocrites whose actions reveal their true hearts, or the zealots who think sharing the 'good news' means enforcing their will upon others.

I am no longer a Bible-believing Christian and have not professed to be for several years.  I prefer the integrity of not wearing a label with the passive insincerity of hypocrisy.  Anticipating the typical believer's reaction - this is not about finding the 'right church or pastor', nor a lack of 'intercessory prayer' on the part of those concerned for my eternal soul.  I can assure you, those points have been well-covered.

Allow me to share an exaggerated analogy that effectively demonstrates my perspective:

As a small child, I was fed a controlled diet of one singular vegetable - for simplicity's sake, let's call it a carrot.  Since carrots had magical properties, I lived in a protected bubble where everything either smelled like, looked like, or was made from, carrots.  Every other kind of nourishment, including other vegetables, was avoided and considered a source of deadly contamination. The conversation also revolved around the history, necessity and value of carrots; they were the single influential factor when it came to making healthy decisions.  As I got older, I noticed others outside of the bubble eating from a banquet of many different bright and colorful foods. Many of these people were productive, ethical members of society, not deathly ill or of questionable moral character - as I had been taught to believe.  Upon voicing questions about this discrepancy, the response was "If you have doubts, you must be sick and are in danger of dying.  Quickly! Bury yourself in carrots so you can recover!"

Controlled obedience results in conditioned behavior.  Compliance is often mistaken for agreement.

As a free-thinking adult who discovered new information, I simply stopped eating carrots.  That doesn't mean I ate every single food available on the banquet table.  Instead, after careful consideration and personal experience, I learned how to differentiate between what makes me sick or improves my health.  For instance, the occasional glass of red wine is beneficial to my heart, but overindulgence is irresponsible and makes you feel sick.  Variety and moderation are important factors in balancing the required nutrients one needs to function at top performance.

Learning about these things helps me grow strong and healthy, and keeps me connected to the realities of what goes on around me.  Research, science and technology rapidly bring changes to our modern world.  Reviewing this information, asking questions and forming decisions based on facts rather than on a single hypothesis with no basis for comparison - makes sense.  I am no longer restricted to the oldest book in the library as my sole guidebook. A book compiled amid dispute on which parts were legitimate or false.  Whose writings include those adopted from other cultures by the rulers of that time period, to further their political agenda.  A book in which the first half had entire sections intentionally removed by a religious reformer, in order to match an entirely different belief system.  The many translations and versions of this book have been the cause of many heated debates over which one is 'correct'.  Deciphering the meaning of the content has resulted in division and strife among the religious community.  Questionable at best.

The prerogative to regard this controversial book as the ultimate authority upon which to base and defend morals, behaviors and beliefs, must be left up to the individual.  For myself, having learned to evaluate the world through a more rational filter, I've effected practical and proven methods to handle real-life issues.  My perspectives and behaviors are a direct result of independent thinking and strength of character, not based upon fear and the interpretations of men with worldly agendas.  

It's really what our parents intended for us, and what we wish for our own children.

Or... is it?

Rika

Welcome to this World

                                                              

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." - Alvin Toffler