Faith: The Basics and The Life

It is simple: people are getting away from religion and searching for spirituality. Why? Because people with awareness, those who read the news everyday and look at least a little farther than that, can realize that religion (or the abuse of it) is the reason behind several wars which are taking place around the world, even in our days. One can definitely argue that it is not religion, but people who are using religion as a cover up for their selfish greed or ambition. and I cannot agree more. Still, I can't deny that several religious beliefs and dogma have been the driving force behind violence led by the naive, thinking that by killing others who differ from them, in their religious background, or even race or color, they are doing a favor to "God". At least religious beliefs have left space for such violence and inhuman behaviors, if not promoted it firsthand. Therefore, and since people have been searching anywhere other than the traditional religions, we see a tr...

“You can tell what they are by what they do" (Matthew 7:15 CEV). With these words Jesus explained to his listeners how they can differentiate between true and false prophets. For a long time, I heard this verse being explained to reflect the opposite of what Jesus said. Religious guys out there have been using the above verse to judge all others by any mere mistake or “SIN” done by those “others”. But they missed that the mentioned verse comes in a context were Jesus said just a few minutes before “Don’t condemn others, and God won’t condemn you” (Matthew 7: 1 CEV). But what did Jesus want us to do, saying these words?!!! For me, I believe that Jesus wants us to go through our whole “system of Beliefs”, our “prophet” and check the outcome of such “prophet”. Every bad that comes out of our “system of Beliefs” is a proof that there is something wrong with our system that need to change. For this reason, I believe that behavior is the result of our way of thinking. If ther...

Around three years ago I become a Universalist, believing that all people, by God's utmost Grace, will end up reconciled with God in a Heaven-symbolized situation after the Judgement day. Gehenna, originally a literal place in the suburbs of Jerusalem, is a symbol of a persons situation outside the circle of God's love. But every person who did not experience death with Christ, who passed through hell on the Cross for us, will go through the judgement day, in which he/she will stand before God's "White" throne, to experience the purification through Christ at the Throne of God. Then we all, good and evil, will end up in unity with the God of the Universe, in the heavenly wedding between God and Men. Now some people still ask me, and does not your Universalism indicate that all ways will lead to heaven? Does it mean that all religions are equally good, and all roads lead to Rome? How can you reconcile your Universalism with the concept of evangelism, the testimo...

Evidently, with all the failures of religion to reflect the true nature of God, it has actually failed the most in explaining good and evil, halal and haram, sin and virtue. Clergy has depicted God as a being who is impacted by human sin. They say that God is angry with Sin, "God hates sin, but loves the Sinner". The wrath of God is against sin... All these terms are found in a way or another in the Bible, and they reflect a 2000 year old belief which is rooted in Christian churches as well as in other religions. But really?!  Is God really impacted by sin? The belief that God is impacted by sin is contradictory to one of the major principles of theology which states that God is unchangable, " without body, parts, or passions,  immutable..." (per the Presbyterian Creed)  and has no emotional changes since he is independent and does not need humans to be Him. How can God hate sin if its existence or lack of it will not impact him in whatever case...