something to reflect on...

dahil maundy thursday ngayon, naisip kong i-post itong religious creed na pinagawa sa amin sa sociology 125 (sociology of religion). masaya ako sa subject na ito. hehe. magaling na prof at magagaling na kaklase! ang saya di ba? eto na siya.

---------------------------------

My Religious Creed

I believe that there is God. But my concept of God is private. And so my faith. My God is a loving God. He never fails to support me even if I forget to talk to Him. He trusts me. He believes that I am a free individual and accountable to every decision that I will make. He respects my concept of happiness. He does not intervene to my affairs. Most of the time, he lets me realize my mistake but never leaves me. He is always there for me.

I believe that religion must exist to ensure the welfare of the people. It must be there to address all the problems of the people. It must not divide people.

I believe that religion must help people to grow and realize their potentials. If this will happen, I will probably enter into religion again. For me, religions around the planet today require a lot from its followers. But the requirements limit them to discover themselves. They are just becoming neurotic, as what Freud said. This should be stopped. If God gives us free will, religion must exercise it to its fullest form.

I believe that religion should welcome all kinds of love whether it is homosexual love. The power of love is unpredictable and encompassing. It recognizes every class, race and gender. Religion must understand this. Love makes the world go round.

I believe in the Liberation Theology. Religions must recognize the need for liberation from any kind of oppression- political, economic, social, sexual, racial and religious. If the system cannot address this, religion must find way to do its part. Given the power of religion, it can easily mobilize people to fight for their rights in the society. It should not be concentrated on the four walls of the church. It should be always expanding. The sufferings can be found outside of the church. Religion must extend its arms to reach it. Moreover, religion must be within the realm of sufferings to give hope to the people.

I believe in the Kingdom of God. Like the Marxist analysis that it can be found here on Earth. But I also believe in its metaphysical form. There must be the Kingdom of God to give hope to the people. That somewhere over there is a place that is fair and just. No more sufferings and hatred. No more discriminations and poverty. Only love, happiness and peace. But the metaphysical concept of Kingdom of God should not limit us to live our life to its fullest. For the living condition here is different from there.

Finally, I believe that religion does not give us everything we need. We should not be totally dependent on it. As humans, we are always in control of our actions. We should not underestimate our potential to make a difference. Religions are only guide to live a worthy life but it is not necessarily the right one. We should not be afraid to take risks for in only this action that we will realize our potential. The world is changing fast. We should not be left behind.

Serving the people is the best religion.