Posted by FattyBoomMatty at dyn150220.ipfw.edu on December 14, 1999 at 10:15:04:
In Reply to: no posted by Little Worm On A Big Hook on December 13, 1999 at 20:05:44:
::To me, if a person TRULY had the faith, they would never be sad...they would never be bored.
I could sit here and argue the symbolic meaning of Dogma all day (and I'd be happy to, if I had the time), but its was this statement that really bothered me. As a Christian (pretty much non-denominational, though I attend a Methodist church), I have trouble accepting this as a truth. Frankly, some of the most devout people I've met are also constantly assaulted by sorrow, bad events, etc. The difference between people with "the faith" and those without is that they don't allow these happenings in their lives distract them from the more important truths (i.e. God loves them, Jesus forgives and comforts them, etc.).
The most important thing is to understand the difference between what we commonly call happiness and true joy. Happiness, as we usually use the word, is based on happenings in our lives. If we get a raise, we're happy, if our dog dies, we're sad. For someone without faith, these kinds of events (please forgive my exaggeration here) can be truly devestating. A person with faith, on the other hand, will still be saddened, depressed, etc. by these things, but will not let them dominate him; that's becuase he has joy. Joy is not so much a feeling or an emotion as it is a confidence-builder. If one is joyous, and knows that God has everything in control (despite their flawed attempts to understand how or why), then nothing can truly harm you in the long run.
Okay, I've rambled long enough. By the way, Dogma wasn't an indictment of organized religion, it was an indictment of organized religions where the organization part is more important than the religion part.
No, really, I'm done now. . .