After writing the book “Deceptive Influences” I was asked if I could boil down my beliefs to a readers digest or cliff notes version. So here it is.

Asking or atleast pondering questions on many subjects as I was growing up probably influenced my life more that anything else I can think of.  At the time I don’t think I had any concept of the importance, I just pondered them. Over time I came to understand that in most cases there are two side to a story and in some cases even more. I also learned that as more people chime in with their thoughts, beliefs and understandings, the more complicated the subject can become. The beliefs of others and in some cases their hidden agenda can become a detriment and not just good information. For me, I learned I needed to break the subject mater down to its lowest possible detail, finding the lowest common denominator, removing the things that attempt to intrude on the exploration forcing the effort off track if I was ever going to solidify an understanding and build a foundation I could stand firm on and feel comfortable explaining. This is my story in a short form.

To get to an answer of who I am, I had to throw out all the side tracking arguments. As I pealed the layers of the arguement back working to get to the core of this critical question, I was able to push to the side arguments that just don’t hold up. When boiled down to the lowest possible denominator, I found that we either evolved from nothing or we were created by someone. We have people believing in God or some god or those that believe in no god. If you go back to the beginning of man’s time, or at least as far back as things are documented, we find that God existed and was credited with creating everything. If you go the opposite direction you find that we evolved. So one or the other is true. There was a beginning to everything sometime and somehow. Something must have happened or I would not be here and neither would you.

If I go with the theory that we evolved, I ask myself why I would want to believe this. What is the benefit behind it? The best I can come up with is that it gives each of us a way of explaining the evil things in this world. They just happen because they do. In the end nothing much matters because we are only a living evolving something that will be gone in x-numbers of years. So we should enjoy life the best we can and don’t sweat the things we have no control over. There are no major restrictions on how we live our life just that we enjoy it while we are here.

If I go with the theory that God created everything I ask why I would want to believe this. The problem I see many people have with believing in God, is that people have put their own spin on who God is and what He would want us to do which at some point can eliminate most of the want to believe in God. The trouble with this is that it was not God that put these restrictions on us. It was man. If we really dig into who God is and what he ask us to do, you find that it is not restrictive at all. It’s very simple and should be rewarding. If you allow yourself to absorb the idea of everyone in the world following those ten simple rules, we should find that the world would be in harmony. So the restrictions that man has put on belief in God is man-made.

You see, it takes faith to believe either!

One can argue both sides, put their faith in one or the other or even venture down some other hybrid idea and find a comfort zone for themselves. In my case, I cannot believe in the theory of evolution because the chances of it happening are so astronomically against it, and most science shows that even if it did happen, someone had to orchestrate it in the beginning. Because there was a begining to everything, this eliminates all the other god’s people believe in because they all came after the God and were brought into existance by man. We should begin to realize that God really could have created everything just as he stated he did. If we take out the man-made restrictions we really do become comfortable with God. What we must realize is that He created us to have choices and to make them ourselves. He didn’t force anyone to believe in Him much less love him. He just ask us to. I don’t think that is too much to ask seeing He basically put together everything we see, feel and even all the things we eat. If man using his ability to make choices would stop messing this world up we would have such a beautiful environment to live in.

In my case I believe in God. I believe that in the past this world fell apart and people living about 4500 years ago had gone so far down the road of evil that this earth needed a serious change. So a global flood reshaped the landscape as we see it today and restarted the life form as we have it today. 2500 years later things were going down a not so good road again (I guess man just can’t get it right on his own beliving he has the answers to life) and because God had promised never to allow such a flood to be repeated, he send his son Jesus Christ to this earth to help us out. To give each of us a way out of the mistakes we make. To provide a path for us to follow. Before Jesus was crucified by men who didn’t want their life disrupted, which he stated would happen, He gave us these simple things to do. If we would admit to our bad doings (which many would call sinful things) no mater what they were and accept Him for who He is and what He said he would do, we would be forgiven for all our bad doings both past, present and future. He said He would be with us when times get hard while we still live here on earth. To add to this He promised us we would live with him in paradise for eternity after we die. To solidify His point, He told those He was with that He would come back and be with them for a short time after his crucifixion.  He did this and it was witnessed by hundreds of people. I believe He is responsible for everything and I believe He will have us living with Him when our time on earth passes. He left us with only the instruction to follow those 10 simple rules but most of all to place our faith in Him, to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourself. What he told us was to enjoy our life on earth while we are here. He didn’t set a lot of hard rules to follow.

I believe that if man would stop with all the man-made rules, stop trying to prove that God is not real and learn to follow those 10 simple rules, this world would be at peace with itself. I believe man would be happy. I believe the ability to make a choice was given to each of us. The problem is, wrong choices are made. And remember if you did make a mistake he said He would forgive it and forget it!  I am happy that I was given a choice and I am happy with the choice I have made to believe in God and Jesus and His Holy Spirit. I just wish more people would come to this same understanding because when they make a choice to go the other direction against God, it totally disrupts what was planned and makes everyone’s life difficult. I wish people that put their faith in God would stop adding restrictions outside of what God put in place. If one should take the opposite belief that there is no God, they really have little to live for other then death in the end and nothing else. What I believe has a purpose, a life after death that will be great and if I am correct they will not be happy with the end result of their decision.

Yes it really does take faith to believe in God or evolution. It is is a decision each of us have to make. Riding the fence just does not work. If you are not sure, don’t just take my word for it. Explore and use your mind to make your decision. Don’t follow only the avenue you are on. Cross the street and see if it is possible you have been lead astray. Most of all make a conscious decision of your own. It really is a personal decision. If you elect God, I will see you in heaven!