Merry Christmas: covid and faith

question: do you believe in covid? 

answer: of course I do. 

question: why? you can't see covid. 

answer: of course I can. 

• I see people suffering from covid on newscasts. people all over the world are suffering from covid.
• I see statistics: 
• people who have been tested 
• people who have tested positively
• people who have been hospitalized
• people who have died

question: but, the newscasts are just other people telling you that covid exists and the statistics are the same. you haven't seen the actual virus, but you believe that covid exists?

answer: of course I do.

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question: do you believe in God?

answer: of course I do.

question: why? you can't see God.

answer: I may not be able to see God, but I know that God exists.

question: why?

answer:

• I pray to God and God answers my prayers. 
• I see God: 
• in the universe 
• in the earth
• in light
• in life
• in babies
• in other people who know and love God

question: but, you haven't actually seen God, but you believe that God actually exists?

answer: of course I do.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS! May the God of light bless you and love you all the days of your life.

faith without religion

the pandemic has been a time for prayers and reflection. churches had to close. church services have been live-streamed. 

before our church reopened, the pastor made a video showing new rules for the reopened church. one way in, another way out. social distancing. everybody wears a mask. hand sanitizer. etc.

church services continued to be live-streamed. not everyone was wearing a mask.

months passed. we contacted the church through the church's website and asked to receive communion. no answer.

we don't know why the church failed to answer our request. we don't know why the church fails to accommodate those, particularly those in the high-risk group, who want to receive communion. many other churches accommodate those who wish to receive communion by having it brought to them in the church parking lot. 

our prayers and reflections during the pandemic have made us realize that God doesn't require middlemen. especially middlemen who ignore their flock. 

Jesus preached faith in God. He railed against the hypocritical religious leaders of His time. When He was questioned about fraternizing with sinners and failures of His followers to rigidly follow the hundreds of laws in the old testament, Jesus said that He came for sinners. He said that what a person has in their heart is more important than food. 

it's our faith that's important to God. not the religious dictates of merciless middlemen. 

U.S. Roman Catholic Church won at least $1.4 billion in coronavirus aid after lobbying

like so many others, I'm through with the catholic religion. on MANY grounds. but, NOT faith in God. every day I try to strengthen my faith. God is good. I am not. but, God's love for God's children is infinite. I want to believe this with all of my heart, soul and mind. but, alas. if I only had faith the size of a mustard seed...

faith is believing that God is omniscient and that God wants us to believe that God made us for a purpose--to believe in God. 

religion is mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus.