Christian Faith Based On Fantasy Versus Objectivity

Fundamentalist Christian dogma is fantasy faith because it demands you imagine things that are impossible then accept them as truth. The only explanation given is that this imagined reality has to be  “accepted on faith, alone.”   Just think about what that means. It’s the same as saying,  “If your spiritual beliefs are rational, then they can’t be real.”  My personal response to that is, "You must be kidding."

Christian fundamentalism is passed from generation to generation via unrelenting indoctrination and close personal scrutiny, all under the imaginary but constant threat of eternal damnation. If the wrong words are uttered or the wrong actions observed corrective measures are taken. 

        You are not only told what the questions are, but you are also told what to think and how to answer the questions. It is a total package, preassembled through generations of religious tradition. Fundamentalism requires that you turn your spiritual decision-making over to an organized church family and you are to celebrate that, or else.

Contrasting with that, objective faith is faith based on the results of spiritual teachings when applied to the events of one’s own life and rationalized in the light of what is known about our world and universe. Objective faith must be acquired within the span of a person’s lifetime. It cannot be directly passed on to following generations. 

        Objective faith requires personal commitment, observation, inquiry, learning, practice, and demonstration. All of these elements develop uniquely within each person, individually, during your life. Suggestions and general guidelines can be taught, but spiritual conclusions are reached by a person’s own insight gained from your own knowledge and experiences.

Each of us seems to have within a natural desire to develop some type of faith, either objective or fantasy. Many people appear to opt for fantasy. Perhaps it is just easier to accept and become dogmatic about what someone else says they have already figured out.  Unfortunately this leads to disappointments, disagreements, and all too often, civil conflicts and outright war. 

        It is amazing to me that such large numbers of people around the world confidently hold on to faith systems that are so irrational that they are openly willing to commit atrocities against each other.

Perhaps the first step towards objective faith requires a personal decision to look beyond tradition and that may be too much to ask for some. The good news is, the moment you make that decision you start moving toward a life centered on love, inclusion, and acceptance and away from a life demanding fear, separation, and condemnation. As long as what you believe depends upon what others believe (tradition) you have not yet started your journey of personal, objective faith.

It is also true that many religions actively support fantasy Christian faith because it helps perpetuate their worldly existence. The more complicated and magical the dogma, and the more difficult the membership requirements of a religion, the more dedicated and protective its adherents tend to be. They've given up too much through their commitments to allow their dogma to appear false.

Unfortunately, those who cling to traditions of fundamentalism appear to be the most serious threats to the survival of humanity, because irrational beliefs lead to irrational acts towards others.   How can you reason with those who believe it is God’s or Allah’s command that everyone must be a Christian or a Muslim, respectively? You cannot. Many other fundamentalist groups make their own claims that they are in sole possession of ultimate truth. 

      Until all religions take responsibility for their own thinking and teachings and humble themselves, their demands for strict allegiance to only their own traditions keeps the world in peril. Ultimate truth is clearly something greater than Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism or any other religious or nonreligious organization.

I have met many individuals who have taken personal responsibility for their own thinking and developed deep and abiding objective faith. Many of these individuals grew up in families that attended different houses of worship, or none at all. Still, their personal searches led them to writings and experiences of many faith communities, which they took into consideration.

Through study, prayer, and meditation they searched for answers that made sense to them and that fit with the realities we all experience. Despite considerably different religious backgrounds from which each of us has emerged, our expressions of objective faith as adults are surprisingly similar and compatible. Some are still members of the religions of their youth, but their personal faiths are based on their own experiences and clear rational thinking.

It is interesting that the search for objective faith tends to lead toward agreement with each other on many matters of faith. It is as if a personal search for meaning within the center of one’s own being reveals truly universal truths and understandings. The very knowledge fundamentalists tend to claim that they possess, but really can’t seem to grasp without irrelevant dogma.

Fantasy faith requires a commitment to participating in systematic indoctrination because it cannot be rationally presented or acquired, otherwise.  Objective faith requires personal involvement, insight, honesty, and a commitment to objective inquiry.  Which approach to defining faith you select is totally up to you.  

On which foundation have you built your faith?