By Timothy D. Naegele[1]
The threshold questions are whether there is a God[2], and whether the answer to that question matters in our lives? If we decide, individually, that the answer is “yes,” do we need to attend any church or religious center, much less subscribe to its beliefs and doctrines? And if so, is Christianity the answer?[3]
There’s a reason why Christianity is the largest religion in the world[4]: it makes sense to millions; and it preaches hope to those who follow Jesus’ teachings. The words ascribed to Him in the New Testament are its bedrock, and they have withstood the tests of time. By way of contrast, Judaism is a tiny religion, one of the smallest on Earth.[5]
_____
© 2023, Timothy D. Naegele_____
[1] Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass). See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6 and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/ He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams. He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com
[2] My biases are set forth, upfront, in the following article: https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/what-and-where-is-god/ (“What And Where Is God?”)
[3] See, e.g., https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/christianity-secularization-america-renewal-modernity/672948/ (“American Christianity Is Due for a Revival”)
[4] See, e.g., https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups (“Major religious groups”)
[5] See supra n. 4.
NaegeleBlog 
Well, this is interesting. The question I have pondered for a very long time is this…why are we here? Why do we humans have consciousness & language that enables us to ponder reality and the past and choose, sometimes, a new direction? Who created this universe? Why? Did it begin with a thought? And how did that thought somehow turn into matter? There is an energy that keeps the planets in their orbits and organizes the Universe. The same energy gives us life even down to the cellular level. The only reason we know to take our next breath is because of the grace of this Creator. I know many like to think God is an old man (usually white) sitting on a throne with a long beard, keeping his list and checking it twice, seeing who’s naughty or nice. But the older I get the more I think it’s far more complex than that. No, I don’t think I know the purpose of life except to say, as Jesus did, Love is the answer. We’re to love our fellow man as we love ourselves. We’re to love Creation. For some reason we humans like to build boxes of belief we call churches and demand people to fit into the limits of that system. Jesus seems to have preached a freedom we can hardly comprehend. He was, after all, a good Jewish man. His mother and step-father were Jewish, all his disciples were Jewish. But He wanted, it seems, to reform Judaism. When i see barriers between me and another I know I am likely responding to fear for some reason. We humans, it seems, respond to two motivators, Love and fear. Love is the answer. It’s always the answer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well said, as always, Susan.
My beliefs are set forth in the earlier article cited in footnote 2 of this article.
LikeLike
How Far Away Is Full-Blown World War III?
See https://www.politico.eu/article/munich-security-conference-ukraine-russia-war-china-wang-yi-nato/ (“It’s the end of the world as we know it — and Munich feels nervous”); see also https://www.ft.com/content/48258368-df63-4ec6-8077-697dd48b8e88 (“US warns China not to supply lethal aid to Russia”) and
https://www.wnd.com/2023/02/war-way-warning-blared-hawaii-gets-lasered/ (“‘War is on the way:’ Warning is blared after Hawaii gets lasered”) and https://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-confirms-icbm-test-021734860.html (“N. Korea makes fresh threats, US bombers fly after ICBM test”) and https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11770455/Kyiv-security-chief-vows-expel-Russian-troops-Ukraines-soil-dubs-Putin-Hitlers-twin.html (“‘Our tanks will be parked on Moscow’s Red Square and that will be justice’: Kyiv security chief vows to expel all Russian troops from Ukraine’s soil and dubs Putin ‘Hitler’s twin'”)
Ominous.
The world needs God, now more than ever.
LikeLike
Is The U.S. Ready To Fight And Win A War?
See https://news.yahoo.com/russia-war-ukraine-china-rise-000026797.html (“Russia’s War on Ukraine, China’s Rise Expose US Military Failings”)
LikeLike
With All Of The Chaos Swirling About Us, We Need God More Than Ever
See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/03/21/we-live-in-a-very-frightening-moment-in-american-history/ (“We Live In A Very Frightening Moment In American History”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/03/15/is-your-bank-safe/ (“Is Your Bank Safe?”)
LikeLike