Faith Is An Inherent Right For All
The value of Faith has been overlooked for too long. It is time for faith to be reclaimed by all of us as an inherent right. For it is an essential part of being human. This is my journey towards faith, shared with you. Take what you will and leave what you won’t. Your faith is your own.
My Journey in Faith. Claiming faith as an inherent right for myself. A long time in the making….
It has taken me a long time to get here. You would never have convinced me 15 years ago, that I would be advocating for the acknowledgement in the power and absolute necessity of faith.
Until the moment of tackling this entry about Faith, I did not know it would become such a meaningful and foundational topic for me.
Faith or certain forms of faith have been taught to me, projected onto me, and to a lesser degree – forced on me since my youth. Always feeling like a misfit, never on board with the version of God taught to me, I felt I was crammed into a box that was never meant for me.
I needed to face this topic for myself. To claim what was mine from the start. To face my fears, only to discover there was nothing to fear. To face judgement, only to discover there was no judgement.
Faith belongs to everyone. For Faith is our inherent right….
A person cannot thrive without faith. It is comprised in the very fabric of our being. Once I learned this for myself, a significant element of my life’s journey has been to find or redefine my own faith.
We all deserve to establish our own faith. A faith worthy of mankind will prove to “bear the tests of living and strengthen one’s sense of meaning” (Parks, 2000) Faith is here to sustain us through life and through death. Faith has the potential to be the wings that give flight to the soul.
Our story of faith is a shared story. Together we create our life’s experience. We build and create meanings and perceptions based on our foundations of faith. In this way, we grant ourselves and the next generations safe passage to a future worthy of mankind. We ensure for all of us – a safe place to land.
Faith Needs Not Religion Nor Spirituality
I do not speak of a faith dependent on religion or spirituality. Faith exists for the soul whether in a place of worship, practiced in spiritual ritual, or considered from a secular view.
Religion made no room for me and my identity. From the very beginning, I was forced to the margins. Many have felt separated from faith because faith and religion were introduced as being dependent on one for the others existence.
We were taught wrong.
The human soul and that soul’s choice of faith are personal in nature, and no one has the right to make claim over any other’s than their own. No one’s choice of faith is more right or wrong than the other.
The concept of faith is limitless and ever expanding just as we are limitless and ever expanding. To let faith be defined by religion spirituality, or anyone else’s personal beliefs other than our own, would be to limit the power of faith. This serves no one. For as we endeavor to discover and define our Faith, so we also endeavor to discover and define ourselves.
Faith Determines Our Experience Of Life
Faith is the very foundation of our life’s experience. It is through the lens of our Faith, that our life’s meaning unfolds. Living a life comprised of faith means to live a life of purpose. It is how we come to understand and contextualize our mission.
We exercise faith everyday when we determine where to place our trust. We place trust in what it is we value most – whether it be family, career, love, God, ourselves, and so on. And this trust serves as a demonstration of our faith.
It has been said that what we place our faith in is what we view as our ‘Center of Power’. This perception of our ‘Center of Power’– whether it be god or deity, family, stock markets, wealth, and so on, is of our own free will to choose. My wish and prayer for each of us to establish faith in something worthy of our trust. For we deserve for our faith to not betray us in the dark of night. Instead, may our faith carry us through life, death, and ensure a safe landing in eternity.
Thanks for Readings. Sincerely, Kurt Petersen