She no longer subscribes specifically to the Catholic faith but instead to a more general god. Much of her continuing belief is based on many personal supernatural experiences that she has had throughout her life. The significance of the experiences ranges but the best one involves physical occurrences with witnesses. To me, I see no reason for her and her friends to lie. They aren't crazy people who pretend to speak in tongues and claim it's god; they're basically normal people.
I on the other hand don't believe in anything. I have heard her stories time and time again and can't explain them, but ultimately I wasn't there so I just can't get myself to take them at face value. I've had no such experiences and have seen no reason to believe in some greater power.
Our viewpoints differ greatly and for good reason. She would argue that she (as well as various friends) has seen a greater power in action. There is no way one could convince her otherwise. The opposite could be said of me. I have not seen any reason to believe in anything beyond the physical world. Although our viewpoints differ, I think we could both look at each other and understand where we're coming from.
I think the argument between believers and non-believers often comes down to a matter of personal experience. This experience can vary widely, but is the ultimate reason why the two sides will never reach an agreement. Believers often say that they can just "feel it" when it comes to god and that's all the proof they need. A non-believer may argue "yeah, we have feelings too, that doesn't mean anything." Ultimately the two sides will likely forever be in conflict. However, like my mother and I, I think the two sides can understand each other for their own personal experiences and accept that we may have different ideas.
I find your proposal most intriguing! I find that this issue can be seen through the American culture and the "divide" between the two can sometimes lead to violence. But you bring a good point that the personal experience makes the "believer" so-to-say, and in that the individual makes the culture. The divide may be separating the believer's from the non-believer's but belief or not, both sides play crucial roles in shaping our bodies, minds, and society.
ReplyDeleteReligion should never be forced upon people, because like you said sometimes people can just feel it and know that there is something higher out there, while others just don't. I think it's important that both sides are willing to accept the other's viewpoints, because when people can agree to disagree, that is when the bridge can be built and people can more deeply understand each other.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a lot like the way I was raised. My dad grew up Catholic but really takes issue with the way the Catholic church is run (mostly their prejudice) and and hasn't been to church in years, but he still definitely believes in the christian God. As a kid we only went to church a few times, mostly on Christmas. I, on the other hand, am a pretty staunch atheist. I have just never felt any need for religion in my life. Like you and your mom, we get along just fine despite our fundamental difference in belief systems. In my mind, difference of religion is not a problem unless you make it one.
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