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How Do You Imagine God?
God in America and USA WEEKEND Magazine are partnering to explore Americans' images of God.
How do you imagine God?
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Giving, caring, concerned,loving, patient, long suffering but with a sense of humor, accepting and gentle, sensitive to our needs and has a short memory when it comes to us screwing up.
My Beliefs
I believe ...
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My God is a loving parent who walks beside me through the joys and sorrows of life. My God wants all people to be in relationship with God and with each other. My God loves our diversity and wants us to learn how to use that diversity to create a kinder more accepting world community. We are all connected in God.
My most powerful moment of belief was ...
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Happened one night in 1972 or 1973 aboard the USS Fortify MSO 446 trying to ride out a typhoon in the Formosa Straites. I never felt so connect to God as I did that night each time the ship fought back from its side to right itself once again.
My greatest moment of doubt was ...
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Happend one night in 1972 or 1973 aboard the USS Fortify MSO 446 trying to ride out a typhoon in the Formosa Straites. Each time that wooden minesweeper nearly rolled over I felt so lost from God. All night long that faith rollercoaster road through my heart and mind.
My spiritual life means...
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There is a Veggie Tale Song entitled, 'God is bigger than the boggyman' I guess my spiritual life means that I walk this earthly journey in the assurance that God is bigger than anything. So, when I get knocked down I can count on God to help me get back up and keep on truckin'. It means there is hope even in the most hopeless of situation.
The biggest misconception about my faith/belief system is ...
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There are those who believe that my faith group doesn't believe in the Bible because we do not read the scriptures with a literal understanding of them. My faith group sees the Bible as a road map not a rule book.
My spiritual role model is ...
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My spouse who is able to find the gentleness in life and see through the whirlwind of emotion and into the calmness of God's presence.
The tenet/practice/teaching I appreciate most about my faith is ...
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I have to connect two thoughts for this answer. I appreciate our teaching that 'We are all one.' and that 'God is still speaking' to us about how we can best become one.
My Faith History
As a child I believed ...
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that life was simple and good always won over bad.
My spiritual journey has been ...
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ackward, full of zigs and zags, full of questions and exciting.
I was raised as ...
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a Christian
Are your beliefs or practices different from your parents? If so, how and why?
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Some of my beliefs are the same or similar to my parents, some are not. I am more accepting of other points of view, other faith practices, other social understandings than my parents were. The God I know is more compassionate and patient then the God my parents knew.
If you have children, did becoming a parent change your relationship to faith? If so, how?
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My daughter actually help me become more tolerant of everything except intolerance.
How I Practice My Faith
Where and when do you practice your faith?
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I practice my faith in everything I do. There is no secular vs spiritual world for me. I don't always practice well, but I try hard. I pray when I am driving (with my eyes open), at sporting events I try to remember that everyone rooting for any team is connected to me through God and when I come across someone or some group who is 'different' I try to remind myself that we are all trying the best we can to find our way along this journey.
Does your family practice more than one religion or faith? If so, how do you blend the traditions?
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No, we are of the same faith practice.
How easy or difficult is it to live your faith? Why?
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There are varying degrees of difficulty or ease in practicing my faith. The most difficulty comes in trying to stay out of the conflicts we create seemingly over anything. The 'anti' sentiment that seems so entrenched in our society is difficult to stand up to with a message of compassion.
In my house, the thing that most represents my faith is ...
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A collection of Nativity sets from all over the world is displayed in our living room. That is probably the most recognizable representation of my faith in our house.
The song/book/film that most represents my faith is ...
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It's A Wonderful Life
Religion & the Public Square
What should be the role of religion in politics?
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I believe that our faith understandings certainly need to be the driving force behind our political decisions. I believe we must not use politics as a pulpit for our own faith understandings, however. As the United States has become more diversified thinking Christians are learning that we must be more tolerant and accepting of each other. There can not be one religious political process of thought in a country as diverse as the United States of America
Should courses about religion be taught in public schools? Why or why not?
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Yes, it might be the only exposure some students may experience to anything relating to faith.
Should the Bible, Torah, Quran or other religious texts be taught as works of literature in public schools? Why or why not?
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Yes. A course that uses all the faith books equally would be an amazing literary experience.
Is interfaith dialogue important? Why or why not?
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Absolutely. Each of us has some truth or we would not have survived the years. Let's put those truths together and learn how we are connected.
Do you feel comfortable discussing your faith with others? Why/why not?
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Yes. I practice my faith in all of my life so it is only natural.
Do you feel that you have a duty, because of your faith, to put your beliefs into action? What are some of those actions?
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I don't think of putting my faith into action as a duty. I try to live my faith out of gratitude for the earthly and eternal life that I have been given. Some of those actions are: tithing (giving at least 10% of my income to the work of The Lord, being courteous when I am driving, speaking kindly to folks I meet, not yelling at referees and officials at sporting events, daily prayer and scripture reading, offering thanks before I eat, praying for those involved when I hear a siren, conserving our natural resources, planting a tree every where I have lived.
Are religious beliefs compromised by engaging in politics?
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Our current political process makes it difficult for a person of faith and strong ethical standards to succeed in politics but no, religious beliefs do not need to be compromised by engaging in politics.
Has 9/11 had any impact on your thoughts about religion? Are you more/less interested in learning about other religions? Do you feel more/less comfortable expressing your religious beliefs?
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The reaction to 9/11 has impacted me more than the actual attack impacted my thoughts of religion. I am more willing to embrace other faiths and express my own faith. I believe a healing movement would be to build a religious center near ground zero that would include all faiths that were killed in the attack on 9/11. I want for us to not repeat the inhumanity of the Crusades and other religious violence against our brothers and sisters of different religious understandings.
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