Existential Questions

*** post #2 for today... don't forget to check out the previous one.



With all the village visits we do, and as a result, all the services we observe, I can’t help but reflect more on matters of faith. I have gained a deep appreciation for my faith and how it developed. I have come to the conclusion that a person’s faith is rooted in they way they were raised/came into faith. I believe that many people who have found their own meaning in faith, rather than blindly following the faith they were raised in, tend to have a stronger faith that is based in their own experiences and worldviews. Others follow the faith that has been drilled into their heads since they were baptized without question. I love that the people here whom we have met who are members of the Christian faith are so committed to their faith and I believe that it is the result of knowing what it means to struggle and choosing to enter the faith community and then letting faith develop through life experiences – both good and bad.
Part of faith comes from doubt or question. Lately I have been reminded of this, once again. Being in a place like this, a country that is so very impoverished and rampant with nutrition/health issues makes me wonder if there is a higher power. No one ever deserves to suffer so faith becomes tough to resolve when you are faced with suffering and pain. (Although people in places like this may be poor economically, they are rich in culture, compassion, and joy). I guess my struggle comes more from the violence that often goes hand in hand with poverty (and just all violence in general – go ahead, call me a hippie). How can a loving God possibly allow so many innocent people to suffer at the hands of power-mongers? Many people believe in the power of prayer to solve problems, but isn’t prayer just a passive way to pretend that you are helping, when in reality you are basically idly sitting on your hands? People of faith have prayed for the end of suffering and the end of wars every single day for hundreds of years but we have never once had peace in the world.
I suppose I am torn between faith and skepticism at times. There is so much hurt and pain in the world but at the same time, I can see here (and in El Salvador as well) how much hope and joy faith gives people. Is it just an ‘opiate of the masses’? Or is faith the means by which we face struggles trying our best to emulate examples of action set forward by our prophets and the Messiah?
I have realized that part of faith is applying it. It is one thing to be able to rattle off any Bible verse but if you don’t live out the message of Jesus then what good is your faith actually doing? I think that is where faith becomes the ‘opiate of the masses.’ This is where I think the hippies had it dead on (until the drug culture destroyed them) – they lived lives of peace and love for all. Anyone was welcome into the ‘family.’
In one conversation I had with my mom shortly after I got here she reminded me that I have always been more about living the Gospel than memorizing it. It is true, I would love to see people going out and being peace-makers, lovers of humanity, and people who have a genuine concern for all people of the world rather than sitting all pious and rattling off the scriptures but then turning around and contributing to the pain and suffering that exists.
So I will pray for peace and justice, but take action to help my prayers along – I suggest you do the same… sometimes even God needs a little boost; after all, taking care of all of the people of the world is quite a hefty job.
Peace.