STATEMENT OF FAITH

I believe that God created all of life through an evolutionary process that was initiated at the beginning of time and will continue forever. God molded all life out of the violent reactions that pervade the universe. Through gravity, the least understood force in the universe, simple elements are compressed and fused into more and more complex elements that eventually form the building blocks of life. In observing the awe inspiring structure of a flower it is difficult to comprehend that the elements that make up the flower had their birth in numerous exploding stars.

I believe God is the creative force that is forming more and more complex forms that have evolved into the organic molecules that make up all of life. Other than an intelligent creative force I can conceive of no other explanation of how simple hydrogen atoms can be transformed into a self-replicating organic structure.

I believe that god’s creativity is expressed through all living things and that humans are the latest expression of Gods creativity. Unlike the rest of the organic forms on earth humans have evolved into living beings that have the ability to explore their existence. As such they have begun a process of understanding the roots of their creation. God in essence has made us a participant by endowing humans with these qualities.

We are told from many sources that God is a compassionate and loving God. I believe that all of humanity has been created by God to be the conduit through which God acts on earth. Christ made this very clear when he said “Those who have seen me have seen the father”. This statement was a contributing factor leading to his execution.

In order to avoid having to follow his example, as he requested, many have tried to deify him and take his words to follow him as a command to worship rather than call up the compassion and creativity that is imbedded deep within our souls. We all know instinctively that we have this capacity. Regrettably some of our more primitive instincts get in the way.

I do not believe that God singles out any individual or group for special favor be it money, security or a pleasant day for a picnic. When we offer thanks to God for these special favors we blind ourselves to God’s purpose in our life. Our good fortune is the product of our heritage, our culture and our environment. I believe that God’s will is only evident through the initiative of people. As long as there are starving innocent children on Earth we should instead acknowledge our good fortune and consider how we can make life more livable for all of humanity.

I believe our custom of petitioning God to set in place the mechanism for a positive outcome is not true to God’s purpose. God has already done this in creating us with a compassionate and creative soul. As everyone that looks deep within themselves knows they all have the capacity to carry all of us to new heights of human endeavor be it in the realm of art, literature, medicine, science, homemaking or awareness of our social and environmental responsibilities. All of these disciplines can be perverted if filtered through our more primitive instincts or they can be carried to new heights once we understand that we are agents of Gods purpose in the world. The peace of mind and feeling of self worth acquired through making a positive impact on our fellow humans and our environment is something we will not readily relinquish once we have had the experience.

Richard L. Stratton
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