Have you ever wondered why some teachings in your religion seem so mysterious and hard to understand? Do you sometimes have trouble reconciling certain things in your sacred scriptures? Does it seem like your life is very different than what you read and hear in church?
These are very good and realistic questions that also have very good and realistic answers. I used to ask those same things.
It isn't right that anyone accept as truth, something that doesn't make sense. Especially when we have so much information available to us through both the printed word and the internet. We do not live in the dark ages. We need not be intimidated by superstition nor those who peddle fear and guilt disguised as revelation.
If we truly have open minds, then our God-given reason will indeed "lead you into all truth" (and it will set you free). In fact, the truth of the matter is that it is way too easy to sit back and allow dishonest teachers to feed us the lies that have imprisoned countless souls for ages. God does not want his creation to be shrouded in mystery and ignorance. You do not have to accept "because God says so" as an explanation for things too difficult to understand.
When these questions and/or doubts come into your mind, take a moment to think about the reasons why you have them. Question even the idea that God would waste his time "revealing" things that are obviously repulsive to our senses and incompatible with our enlightened modern lives. We firmly and rightly reject many of the ancient and barbaric teachings of (among many books) the Bible because we know that they are not moral or good.
The only mystery is that there are still many today who believe and propagate these oppressive theologies. Your mind cannot fully accept what you are taught because God gave you a conscience and equipped you to discern what is wholesome and valuable. God would not, for example, ask you to sacrifice your child even as a test of your faith. God also would not command that you kill every inhabitant of a city for some perceived lack of fealty to him. God would be above such pettiness and cruelty.
The teachings of your religion do not make sense and you should not feel guilty that you believe God is something other than what you have been told. You might even allow yourself to feel some righteous indignation for the darkness that has been put on you by men. You are not simply a backslider or one weak in the faith; you are on the verge of a breakthrough. As you continue to use the one gift you know came from God, you will discover that there is less and less need for the crutch of revealed religion. You will begin to experience the freedom that comes from the knowledge that your faith and your reason can be united under the understanding of who God really is.
When you stand in this knowledge of God, the confusion of religious dogma no longer grips your spirit. You no longer find any room in your soul for fear, for God is truly now your friend. You are a Deist, because you see the order of nature as pointing to a God who doesn't need the weapons of fear and guilt, nor the senseless and useless priests and scriptures that cloud the very reason that God gifted us. When you embrace these things you enable your spirit to soar where you never imagined it could. Welcome to the light!
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