Ask Me Anything: Hope and Faith

Here’s a question from Chris R.: “How do you hold on to hope or faith when the whole world and our country in particular seems to be falling apart?”

I suspect about twenty million or so other folks are asking the same question.

As a faith-based Follower, let me start with my faith, which I call an Easter faith (Easter as a metaphor, not a historical event). My faith has taught me how to change my negative experiences (my Good Fridays) into positives, or Easters. All my Easters have been transforming, which also means my life changes direction continually.

My faith demands a positive approach and attitude. I have no interest in the concept of Original Sin, which is a negative teaching. The lyrics in the song “Amazing Grace” call us “wretches.” I dislike that word. I don’t know any wretches, but I know people who do wretched things. The idea of Original Sin and all the sin talk is a real downer!

I’m into the “Original Goodness” of all humanity, but I understand that, at times, we miss the mark. (The word sin derives from a Hebrew word used in archery, “missing the mark.”) My faith has also taught me how to deal with missing the mark positively.

I absolutely refuse to allow the institutional church’s negative theology (for example, purgatory, hell, judgment, Book of Revelation) to even be considered, so I guess my first answer results in a question. (Jesus taught me how to do this: it’s called the maieutic method.) Is your faith negative or positive? (Everyone has a faith. Some folks’ faith is about having no faith.)

I believe that with a positive faith or attitude, one can see life in a different light. I have hope that the Israelis will eventually see that as long as they treat the Palestinians the way they do, they are committing genocide, and Hamas will go away only when they start to treat Palestinians on an equal basis. I have hope that soon there will be new leadership. But the protesting can’t stop until that happens.

I have great hope that the Republicans are not going to be allowed to change our democracy into a dictatorship. But that is going to happen only when my positive faith reminds me that I have to work like I never have before in this election because I love this country and want our grandchildren and their children to enjoy all the opportunities that I have been privileged to have in my life.

Back to maieutics: are you willing to do the same?

In my lifetime, I have lived through the Great Depression, WWII, lots of dumb smaller wars, and I’ve been fired from my jobs three times, had a child with multiple disabilities, moved thirteen times, been broadsided by a fire engine on my motorcycle, and a lot more. Even though each of these experiences is considered negative, my faith and positive hope have transformed them into positive learning experiences. Even at ninety-two years of age, I keep getting these curve balls. It’s life!

PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness

Bil

 

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P.S. People often ask me provocative questions about current events, both religious and secular. I have found that some of these questions are being asked universally, so I am trying a new approach. One week, I’ll present articles like the one above. Then, the next week, I’ll share one of those questions and my answer. I invite you to send me your question(s) to bilaulenbach@yahoo.com.

 

Photo by Simone Secci on Unsplash