Religion

Virtually everyone has a religion even if it is negative (nihilism), which is to say they have no god, but hold something relating to a spiritual affect – perhaps nothing more than meditation or self-orientation.  In this demanding spiritual or psychological motivation the thinking person seeks a religion (selfie) that he or she thinks is true, even undefiled.  This is understood, by way of humanizing to the fact that every person has a body. Some bodies are healthy, and some are distorted, diseased, perhaps will have only short lives because of the lack of health.  Biblical writers want readers to know that there is a healthy religion that will carry the believer through to a desired life end related to it, carrying the promise of maintaining life that is pure (holy).  Herein is context of thought that where there is righteousness (thought and conduct valued by God and reflecting his nature, holiness) will not be lost.  Human lostness is a Scriptural theme.  

Scripture offers considerable information about other religions than the one we identify as the Judeo/Christian faith, and they are closely related to personal experience, making the individual human being the top rated factor in the creation known to mankind.  Mankind is offered a favored place in the creation.  Certainly some religions have evolved which are highly ethical in nature.  I imagine the religion of Jethro, held by him before his conversion noted in Exodus 18, was an ethical one, so close to the teachings in Israel that Jethro believed that Jethro believed that God was in the faith expounded in the laws of Israel.  The wise Jethro not only returned his daughter, and grandsons, to her husband, Moses, but advised Moses, was converted to the faith of Israel and returned to Midian.  We wonder what changes may have been made in his status as the priest of Midian.  Moses had fled Egypt years earlier, was well treated by Jethro, and married out of his faith to Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah.  The differences between Zipporah and Moses related to his calling of God to lead Israel, may have related to the difference in faith represented *in the tension over their sons’ circumcision.  Moses backed away somewhat, and Zipporah completed the surgery, but with some loathing of the matter.  She returned to her father’s home until Jethro became the agent for reconciliation with her husband.  We might well wish we had Zipporah’s side of the story.  Our point here is that ethical religion tends to be educational in what we might call righteous human patterning.

Education feels it will more and more in future centuries, focus on science (its substance) and mathematics (its scripture).  This context has considerable confidence in its processes, and treats its context almost as a perfect solution for nature.  It certainly carries great weight in that nothing else has greater natural intellectual (right) in its potential (possibilities).  Society makes us creatures moving toward progression – omnipresence, omniscience, and almost omnipotence.  The only fear in the short range is that the uses of science may be delayed so to be too late for human survival.  For long range the belief holds that at some future date, presumed to be at a distance of unconcern for current generations, the whole of life will end in a great catastrophe of the cosmos.  More and more the only proofs will be found in evidences of nature, All else will be treated as speculation, or unnecessary until natural evidence may be found.  This will be seen as cause enough for secularism to take over, without challengeof more than the mysteries of nature.

Not all evidence is physical.  Presuppositions in life are not agreed upon, neither is the nature of evidence.  The heavens declare the glory of God registers well with me, and literally with millions upon millions of others.  Other persons, even in other religions, interpret that evidence.  Their faith is that whatever is out there was introduced billions of years ago in a surprising circumstance, and has become what it is without any assistance from any intelligent source.  Our responsibility is now to take over where we can and give some direction to that which seems to be either undirected or poorly directed – if we are forced to make a survival plan.  In any event, Scripture offers hope (immortality) in good times or ill.  All other sources appear to suggest there will be an end.  God chooses to conserve life that bears his image.