Questioning Faith, Doubt, Morals, Risks, and Greed

 

"Firm belief in something for which there is no proof."

-- Merriam-Webster, "Faith"

 

What do you do when you lost faith to make your dream come true?

Buy your soul back from the devil. What was more important, your dream or your faith? Now that you’ve given up your faith, it should be pretty easy to give up family, friends, and lovers, all for something else you want. I mean, if faith was so unimportant and easy to turn your back on… can anyone measure up? Losing your faith to purchase a dream is taking the easy way out. Faith will get you to your dream the right way, and it will be sustainable. You sold your soul, so what is left? The dream may fade since you bought it with your faith. Only what we work hard for has any real value.

What is it called a person with no insight at all from self but that gains insight only when hears from other people to fix themselves?

Clueless?

How can I change my bad luck? For years I’ve had so many instances happen to me, at this point is it the universe? God? Who do I talk to or what should I do to reverse this? Exp: get a new car, get rear-ended two days later type bad luck.

Our life is based on choices and decisions. Luck is an excuse we use. Someone made the choice to not pay attention and rear-end a car. You made the choice, conscious or not, to put your car in harm's way. I’ve talked to people who move to Mississippi from Los Angeles. They say it was like their luck turned around. No, it was like they made a better decision than to live in Los Angeles. Where you are, what you do, other choices you make, and the “why” in your life, all have bearing on what happens. If you want to change your consequences, you’ll have to work on your choices.

Should I start a cult to feed my vanity?

If you find the need to feed vanity, how vane can you really be? How about just letting people know you and letting the cards fall where they may? Life is so much more interesting than your vanity.

How is saying that young adults' brains are “still forming” misleading, and is it just as logical to give seniors a break on responsibility as their brains have deteriorated?

The brain is a library for knowledge, but, when you’re very young, the shelves are still pretty bare. You don’t know your way around the library without a floor plan, but the plan is still being compiled. When we grow old, we tend to forget where we put the aging floor plan. The shelves are full, but we can’t remember where everything is and, occasionally, the books come to life on us and we fight monsters that we imagine, or, worse for some, they imagine nothing. The “misleading” can, sometimes, be the “misunderstood.”

“Biology gives you a brain. Life turns it into a mind.”

-- Jeffrey Eugenides

 How successful are you in proving that doubters are wrong?

I do pretty well if there is enough information to sway them, Theism and atheism, on the other hand, are based on faith in beliefs for which there is little or no proof. Both are hard sells for people who deal in hard facts, which is why we have faith.

If most of us look up to ambitious people, then why don't we act like ambitious people?

It’s hard enough to look up to them, much less emulate them.

I have to write an ethics essay - a professional ethics case study analysis. What would be a good profession and case study/situation to write about?

The Mỹ Lai massacre, in Vietnam, and the soldiers involved, especially William Laws Calley Jr. The case changed how the military views "lawful" orders and a soldier's responsibility to carry those orders out.

What should I do if I realize that all my life was a lie?

All is not lost. Take another path and pay attention to the truth.

I am 19 years old. I am ambitious in the sense that I am extremely motivated by my heavy desire for money and power. Is there something wrong with me?

Yes. Where is the ambition for true happiness? You will find out, as you get older, that true happiness is really the true success in life. If you haven’t found true happiness, how will you be truly happy being rich and powerful? Better you find true happiness first, then look to attaining goals that mean so much less.

“Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

-- Oprah Winfrey

Is it bad that I don't have morals when it comes to sex and sexuality?

Define “morals” when it comes to sex.

“Morals” by definition is “concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. A lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience. A person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do.”

Now, by the definitions, unless you have a partner who is a serious prude, this should not present an issue. If you like rough sex and your partner is fine with it, then it should be okay. If you like to spank, and your partner likes to be spanked, no foul here, either. Even “ménage à trois” is acceptable if all parties are in agreement.

When looking at morals, one only has to ask the question, “Is it right, good, acceptable, or does it provide a lesson?” Well, let’s be honest… spanking provides a “rosy” lesson. Just saying. 

Do you buy the idea that reality is subject to one's beliefs?

No. One’s perception of reality is subject to one’s beliefs. Reality is what it is. 

How do you come up with a morally right decision?

“Morals” by definition is “concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. A lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience. A person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do.”

Morally right, or good morals, is not really rocket science.

Do you really believe that people change for the better and if you do, what should the period of change be?

Yes, as much as I believe they can also change for the worse. The period change for the better should be longer than for the worse.

Why is execution without ideas noise before defeat, or why is action without strategy aimless?

“Let’s take back the castle!” Okay, how? You’re charging toward the castle with no idea what to do when you get there. You have no plan of action, no ideas, which is aimless, so you are probably headed toward defeat.

So, now, you are being defeated, probably because you had no idea of what to do, so you make a lot of noise. To what end? The noise is aimless, whereas fighting harder might make much more sense.

The entire idea of any action, like taking a castle, without a strategy to win, is pretty aimless.

“Every desire demands a strategy. Desire without a strategy is just a waste of time.”

-- Nitin Namdeo

How can I do something when I don't know if it’s the right thing to do or not?

Don’t. If you have no idea if it’s wrong or not, then don’t do it. Make the right choice, or make no choice at all. 

How long does it take to be an overnight success, and how do I speed up this process?

Overnight. Speed it up by winning the lottery.

What is the purpose of citing references when studies show that people don't generally change their opinion when presented with facts?

Facts and references are for those people who have open and active minds. For many others, ignorance is bliss. If someone feels they’re being left behind, they need to pull their head out of their ass and stare reality in the face.

How can I add value to the life of others?

Be selfless, be kind, be a good friend, be helpful, and do no harm. 

What are the rules for taking risks, especially risking your money?

Knowledge. When contemplating taking any risk, be as knowledgeable as you can be about what you are about to do. It mitigates failure.

“Most men either compromise or drop their greatest talents and start running after, what they perceive to be, a more reasonable success, and somewhere in between, they end up with a discontented settlement. Safety is indeed stability, but it is not progression.”

-- Criss Jami

I am 18 years old and I want to be a perfect leader. What should I do?

First, don’t try to be perfect. There is no such thing. Strive to be an “excellent” leader. Join the Air Force and learn to supervise, manage, or take courses from the American Management Association (AMA). I took a week-long class from them and they validated what I had learned during my military training. Excellent courses. 

I Google horrifying things on Google, am I a bad person?

Liking horrifying things does not, necessarily, make you a bad person. Thinking of doing the horrifying things, however, does.

How do I deal with being stupid? I’ve had many many people tell me that I’m stupid.

So, ignorant people have judged you as stupid, and you believe the judgment? Do you judge people? If not, one wonders who the stupid people really are. I would stop listening to judgmental people. What they say says more about their ignorance than you. Am I judging them? Why, yes. Yes, I am. But, then, I’m a self-proclaimed hypocrite. Don’t do as I do, do as I say. You will be happier in the end.

In what situations can you see how people truly are?

When the situation puts them under stress, especially to do the right thing.

How would you morally judge me if I dissuade someone from seeking psychotherapy based on my belief that it's largely a hoax?

I wouldn’t “morally” judge you for an opinion that you think is right. The fact that you’re wrong doesn’t enter into it.

Why am I so greedy?

You were, probably, never taught to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. If you were, the greed would be usurped by the true happiness you would feel always. Simply wanting something is not greed until it occupies your every waking moment. Happiness should do this, not greed.  This is a lesson that is never too late to learn.

“The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.”

-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony: tolerantpastor@gmail.com