The Fat Man

So there I was. I now had no God. I was prepared to tell anyone who made the assumption that I did. I was hanging on to one major branch of thought: I am still capable of being a good person. I did not need the fear of God to scare me into being mindful and right. I did not need to cling on to a hope of heaven or the punishment of hell to keep me in line. Regardless of my spiritual beliefs, I still had morals. For morals do not stem only from religion. They grow from cultures, societies, families, friends, and from consequences from our very own actions.

Still I felt disconnected. I was no longer a part of something. I was no longer a part of the group of loving people who accepted me and loved me. After growing up with the notion that I must devote my life to something other than myself, I began my search.  I had no idea what I was looking for in form. All I knew was that I was searching for something to belong to. After all, who wants to be called agnostic or atheist? Some in ignorance even proclaim these labels signify the worship of the devil. Of course I don't believe in the devil either.

My search revolved around a disbelief in any higher being. I am not revolting against Christ in particular. I am merely too grounded by the justification of reality to think that there is a higher power in charge of my life. I am in charge of my life. But I do think it is important to keep Christianity alive and well. There are over two billion Christians in this world. Traditions have formed around our religions. Humans cling to hope and it keeps them well and happy. Therefore we need religion, and I resolve to never attempt to disprove or refute the concept of anyone's religion.

In my quest for affiliation, I came across Buddhism. But that couldn't be it. Buddhism is the Eastern religion of rubbing the belly of a little fat man right? As a matter of fact, most schools of Buddhism do not believe in gods. The main point of Buddhism is to teach us to be in control of our own actions. In fact, Buddhism is not a religion. Buddhism is a system of education, here to teach us the path to enlightenment. Buddhism can be adopted by every person in this world. You can still be a devout Christian and practice the concepts of Buddhism. Further posts will explain the concept of Buddhism and also explore the reality of ignorance regarding its real meaning.