No Person Is Completely Right or Completely Wrong

So, my best friend and I began a discussion on an extremely controversial subject: The Universe: Is There a God?


She is an atheist, and I am a Christian.


So here is her view of the subject, which I must say, is impressive. I respect it in all ways possible.


Physics is a beautifully complicated and we will never begin to understand all of it. I think it's more rational (and exciting) to think that there will always be more to learn about our universe, our planet, and ourselves. Humans fear the unknown and want to feel like they are in control of their lives.. they design their own destiny by creating religions, dogmas, theories.... they try to fill in the void of the unknown by claiming their notions are truth. We are all searching for answers, for the same thing. Whether you call it God, the Universe, Consciousness, or anything else.. we know it's bigger than us, more powerful than us.. so my question is why do christians believe that someone who is just like us (GOD) could create something so complex such as the universe, and plant his children in it? It makes no sense to me.


I claim to know little. I'm much younger than the universe, we all are very young, so I'm not going to pretend like I know what in actuality I don't, and I'm not going to pretend like other humans know what they can't possibly know. I'm not going to fear the unknown and pretend like there is a way to live forever. The world and the sky is natural, it's beautiful, and I am alive to witness it. That's enough for me.


With faith (self-persuading) you can believe almost anything... You can't let organized religion control your thoughts though! You have to be able to think for yourself and become "spiritual" in the knowledge that there IS something greater, but we can't possibly comprehend the entirety of it. To me, spirituality is in nature, physics, and truth. (they're all the same thing.)




Now this is MY point of view: (and just because it's longer doesn't mean it's the better argument. It only depends on what you believe in.)




I love the idea of physics and how things work. I believe in a God. I believe God created this universe. Yes, I belong to an organized religion. But when I look at the world and see how the universe works, it leaves me at a loss for words. The physics and mathematics behind the universe is so complex, the human mind can't even comprehend it. The way every little thing seems to have a purpose and how everyone is given a life, a choice,  and a soul... I find it impossible to believe that we merely evolved through millions of years -I do believe we evolved, by water, to single cell organisms, etc. to human beings- but what I'm saying is that we evolved from, basically, "space dust," to who we are today. Our minds work in such incredible ways and our emotions are so powerful. How can we deny the existence of a higher power? How can we live a life so full of miracles and purpose and have nothing after death? I've felt the presence of those who have passed on around me. Of course, not everyone has those experiences. But I do know that souls exist, even after death. The energy of a person lasts beyond their human life and continues to grow with time. 


 Now I respect what others believe. Everyone has their own way of viewing the universe and the purpose of life. Some believe we just are, and what we are is gone forever after death. Some believe in a higher power, some believe our souls reincarnate and live another life on earth as another human, animal, insect, or plant. Whatever others believe, I respect and love to allow myself to look openly into what they believe in. But I've never been able to bring myself to deny that there is a God... I've had so many experiences in my life that I cannot deny what I feel about a higher power existing. 


True, it could be my conscience trying to explain how things happen and why it happens. It's simply human nature, to question and to come up with an answer. Maybe I am simply finding comfort in believing there is a God... a more simple explanation of why we are and where we are going. But it's my faith... it's how I believe the universe works and about the purpose of life. I'm not going to try to make others believe it or act "holier than thou." If they're interested in my God and my faith, they are more than welcome to believe with me. But if they look at my faith and decide it's not a good match for the way they see things, then that's ok. No one should be pestered or forced to believe in something they don't want to believe in. We have the power to choose.


I believe that souls live long after we are dead. I believe that we are here for a purpose, to grow and expand our minds, and to live a mortal experience. With this experience, we become stronger with every hardship. We have free choice. We decide who we will become and how strong we will be, no matter what kind of life we were given. If we live a good life, with good intentions, then there is a reward at the end. A reward of no more sadness or loneliness, no more hate or war. It's a reward filled with love and peace to be with our family and friends forever. It doesnt matter what kind of religion they had or if they even had a religion at all. Everyone gets some sort of heaven judged on how they chose to live their life. In certain circumstances, if they had no control over how they could live their life, say, a person was born with serious mental and emotional issues that could not be helped and they ended up killing someone. After they die, that illness that took over them as a trial for their mortal life will be gone, and they will be judged on the intentions of their soul. If they had tried hard to be good and to control themselves but simply made a human mistake, and continued trying even after failing, seeking forgiveness for their misdeeds, then they wont be punished. But if they succumbed to their illness without a fight, without even trying, then they chose to give in to bad intentions and they will have to suffer the consequences for their choice. I don't know if I believe in the word, "HELL;" often stereotyped as a place full of fire and brimstone and monsters that all the "bad" souls go. But, I do believe there is a lesser place that those souls would go; where they wouldn't receive the  joy that was promised them if they had endured their trials in good intention. A place where they would live in hardship and sadness; to never feel hope or peace for all eternity. 


If it so happens that we just came to be, with no God, no true purpose in life... and we die with our souls,  disappearing completely out of existence, then at least I'd have lived a life of hope. A life of trying to be the best person I can, to bring a little bit of good in the world we live in. A life of love, family, and knowing how to feel happiness through hard times. Choosing to work for hope of a reward after my death. Of no more suffering or sadness; to feel forever peace. To be with my God and my beloved family for all eternity. 


But, I can tell you this: In such arguments, no person is completely right or completely wrong.  

Solo

I know it's been a while since my last blog post. Well, let me tell you, it's been quite a trip since then!

Where to start... things kind of went downhill after getting back from Wengen. Not all good things can last forever! ;) I got sick with this nasty flu thing... it started out with a sinus infection, then a sore throat, then a cough, then a stomach bug, and all that played out for a week and a half.

So I'll be frank about this. I'm coming home early! Well, I'll be coming home December 23, as planned, but not going back to Switzerland in January. The thing is, the family and I just didn't get along that great. Now, don't get me wrong... it's not like we fight and all that stuff. Our personalities just don't match up and it causes some tension. I was pretty disappointed cause I tried to adapt to the parent's expectations and rules but it still ended up not being good enough.

Even when things didn't work out as planned, I'm pretty excited to come home and finish up school. Plus I'm applying to study abroad in Italy in the summer, so I'll get another chance to come back to Europe. I only have about three more semesters left then I get my Bachelor's degree. So I figure, I start school in the spring, continue in the summer, and then fall semester, I'll finish up and start working on my Master's. I actually feel pretty great about it.

Well let me tell you the last month really hasn't been easy for me. Homesickness finally hit, especially from being alone so much. I've made some pretty good friends here, but they work when I'm not working, or they're here on internships then leave before we get a chance to really become close friends. I go to the LDS Institute when I can and hang out with people every now and then which helps me get by. I kind of miss the closeness of my family and the comfort of being able to just be myself with them. Now, I knew this loneliness would be a price I would have to pay if I was going to travel the world. Friends are only fleeting, here one moment, gone the next. I have to depend on myself and work hard to not get sucked up in loneliness. Some days are good, some not so good. I'm thankful for technology like Skype to help me stay in touch with my family... I'd probably go insane without it!

Is the negative side of traveling the world solo worth it? I'd say it's hard, but it's worth it. In my mind, we all get one life to live. How can we say we lived without experiencing difficult things in order to reach parts of the world we never imagined existed? And by experiencing these things we learn more about ourselves and expand our mental capacities to achieve bigger and better things.

Well, I'm just looking forward to more exciting things. I think while Amélie is in school and on the days I don't have French classes, I'll try to go more around Geneva and maybe just across the border into France. Keep things interesting. Thanks for all of your support! I'll update when something awesome happens!