The term GOD means different things to several hundreds of cultures. Some of those cultures believe in more than one god, and have persevered for thousands of years, in spite of many so-called Christian Organizations that have tried to convert every other culture into believing in the Catholic or the evangelical translations of Christianity.
I don't think of God as a being who sits behind pearly gates in a city with streets of gold with a host of angels walking/flying about, singing hymns, in some place out in the Universe, waiting for each one of us to die so our Souls can be brought up to St. Peter to be judged.
I believe in a consummate Creator - a Life Force that created every living thing in the worlds we can see, as well as the ones we can't. I don't think the Creator listens to prayers or answers prayers. I don't think the Creator causes accidents, illnesses, plagues. I don't think the Creator does anything but "create" life, and once life has been born - whether it's in the sea, on land, or out in the Universe or some other dimension - it's up to Life, whatever form it is, to be responsible for its own well being.
The Christian Bible teaches that mankind has been given the "freedom of choice" as to how to live. Some choose to live peacefully, while others do not. Some are meat eaters, some are not. It's up to whatever life form we happen to be, to work together with all other life forms to make Earth a paradise.
It doesn't really matter how smart or well-educated we are, at any given age, because we should never stop learning... Often what we believed at a younger age, we choose to change as we grow older, and have more life experiences that alter our points of view on many things.
The most important part of living and growing is to remember that the Creator must have had a reason for all the different forms of life which was created in the beginning. And just because humans or aliens have altered the ways in which life forms have changed over the millions of years, doesn't mean that all life isn't important, once it's born. Mankind and beings from other places may have decided to try to improve some forms of life, and if that's the case, one thing never changes... All life is living, and should be respected by all other life forms.
I don't worship anything in particular. I simply value all life, once it's become a reality in our world. As long as I treat others as I can only hope they will treat me, I figure I'm in good standing with the positiveness of the Universe.
If someone doesn't believe in God, that's really none of my business. It's not up to me to force what I think on anyone else. The forcing of people to believe a certain way is a disrespectful action. Most religions try to change everyone into thinking that their way of believing is the only way to believe. I think that's a blatant disregard for freedom of choice, because each one of us who has a conscience has the right to learn as we grow, and make our own choices.
_________________ Some days are DIAMONDS; some days are STONES!
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