In response to --JW's Response.

So as if the crazy ass thuder storm about to go off outside isn't symbol to leave well enough alone I feel compelled to continue on this religion track.

First of all, to all that found time to comment on my recent Blog. I sincerely appreciate it. I really do, it helps to see other's views and misgivings when you feel that you are the only with them.

This blog though is a respose to JW's response to my original three blogs on religion. You can find his response here.
As this blog will largely be a response to what he said there I advise you read it and the comments that follow. Which will provide the proper context for what I am about to write. It is a long read but, I feel if you read it in its entirety you will find a nugget or two in its depths. I have read it multiple times and found a lot of wisdom there. In the meantime I am about to apporach this blog with as much honesty and careful consideration I can muster. I hope to maybe step on a toe or two but, in the process hopefully not break any.

I read JW's blog last night and I was shocked and amazed by it. There was a definition there for faith in the context of the Chrisitian religion that I had never seen or maybe just lost sight of somewhere along the way. (I am going to interepert what he said a bit and hope he corrects me if I do so misleadingly.) He defined his faith in the context of a relationship to God and the human aspect (i.e. religion and scripture) as tools to develop and strengthen that relationship. His faith was not solely dependant on these tools. A line that stuck out to me was this "...that God has revealed himself to me in mysterious, personal ways both minute and miraculous and that those revelations cannot be explained by the faiths of other religions." To me this is the most logical view for faith within the confines of a specific religion I've heard. That personal experience is the basis of faith and if that was found through Christianity it makes sense.

I too know of faith through my experiences and my personal relationship with God. This has all been tempered through a few distasteful experiences through the church. I realize that and admit freely. When I left and was finally forced to discover my true self and beliefs and on the precipice of losing my faith entirely. I discovered simply I need God. I can't explain it any better than that. I gave up on the religion of my childhood and instead began focusing on that relationship.

In reply to the anonymous post left after Justin's blog. I know his words weren't meant for me but for a brother in Christ. The tone and timber of those words immediatly made me remeber the pain and mistrust I felt when I realized the church of my youth was anything but, what they attempted to mold me into. ( I for the record would recommend changing the tone if conversion of "unbelievers" was ever the goal of the anonymous poster.) Simply claiming the Bible is inerrant and logiacal when Occam's Razor sits in the corner politely disagreeing is not at all convincing. The proofs again are neither present for nor against. In my opinion if faith is too be based on human constructs I demand impeccable proof of its claims to overcome the obvious shortcoming of our own human nature. Is it not better to leave things such as faith in there proper place within the context of a relationship with God.

Either way. I am not here to belittle any viewpoint and I am actually pleasently suprised by the debate that has spawned from a night of innocent philosophical ramblings. I am fully intentioned to now put this debate to the side before it gets out of control. I suppose if substantial interest is again generated and response are again required I'll do so.

But, again a sincere thanks go out to all my readers and everyone who posted comments. Even Benjamin who, (in an attempt to way lay Morgan's fears) knows that if I am to go to hell we will meet there in glorious reunion.