I’m a man of faith.
But only in that I believe that we must all believe in something. If there is an objective truth – and there may not be – I don’t know that any of us can see it. But either way, we need to anchor ourselves to a set of beliefs to guide our actions.
Do I believe in God?
Yes, but I don’t give it much energy. My God is generally benevolent, but my God doesn’t intervene in my life. I believe in my free will, I believe I choose my actions, and no amount of pleading for divine intervention will alter my life’s course. I do see serendipity, and I will acknowledge my angels when something goes surprisingly well, but I believe I’m responsible for what happens to me.
My set of beliefs align with most religious tenets. I think that’s because people through the years, including those religious leaders, have recognized that generosity, kindness, humility, forgiveness, community are the healthiest and most constructive paths to happiness and harmony. I identify with Christianity, but I think that’s more of a cultural decision than an acknowledgement of Christianity’s superiority to other faiths. If I’d been raised in China, I would probably identify with Buddhism or if I’d grown up in Thailand I’d be Muslim. While I won’t say religions are the same, they do seem to generally prescribe the same types of behaviors for their followers.
My beliefs are my truth. I fully believe them to be the best way for people to behave, and I will follow them or hold myself accountable when I fail to do so.
My beliefs are my truth. Mine. Not necessarily yours. They are my guide to my personal behavior, and though I believe them to be the best way for you to behave too, I don’t believe I can impose them on you. Because there’s nothing objective that says my beliefs are superior to yours. I could be doing you a tremendous disservice by insisting you adopt my beliefs, and I might be doing myself an equal disservice by not giving more consideration to your beliefs.
Faith must guide our personal choices, but when we come together in community with others, we need a more objective approach to govern our interactions. The genius of the founders of the American democracy is that they saw that no person had the answer to existential questions, no person’s faith was superior to any other’s faith, and so they wrote a Constitution to guide our communal interactions that expressly excluded faith – I can practice my beliefs, you can practice yours, but we cannot impose them on each other. Genius, that.
And very much in keeping with my beliefs. Faith is personal. But secular agreements like the Constitution are what governs us communally. And any leader who would impose faith on others is taking us away from this standard that has worked since our founding.