The word promise is abused and overused. The only true promise is merely a recognition of what is already a spiritual reality and an affirmation of it.

You promise, and believe what you already know? Yes, and promises can be real.

Example; If you are traveling along a trail that is dependant on a bridge along its way, as you are moving someone comes from the direction you were going and says the bridge collapsed. Do you really have to see it for yourself?

• Yes. It’s a moment of denial ‘he must be wrong’?
• I would, cause I’d like to see what happened.
• Most people would go and look.

And in a sense that is all faith. That whole process is faith. Faith doesn’t deny denial, also known as a ‘dark night of the soul’. It is very much a part of the faith dynamic. A testing. It builds on your grasp of faith.

For me Mother Teresa’s dark night of the soul was not her loss in faith or denial, but that she was the faith and didn’t know it. That not knowing can be challenging, but she was very much a woman of faith and didn’t concern herself over much with dogma or whatever the latest Catholic catechism was. She had faith inside, and her life was it. It’s the proper place for faith. I won’t bash churches, or synagogues, or temples, they are fine for communion, communing, and for observances. Even dating as it sort of sets you with something in common, but they aren’t faith.

Faith brings you into the lions den. If adherence to creed has been your life then you will just do what is easiest. You know your creed is sound, so you won’t go forward or go against it. Faith says not only is my creed sound, but I know it’s there. There is a reality there, and I’m strong in the face of this too. I need avoid nothing.

We’re less gullible? Yes. One of the biggest forces for spreading Christianity, though they didn’t mean to support orthodoxy, was the Gnostic school of the faith. Much like Buddhism they didn’t go in challenging. They spoke of their insights, the principles of their creed, and in faith they mingled with those who were “unholy”. Having faith in the principle of love rather than paying it lip service. Regrettably, their presence would later be corrupted and then more or less buried.

Finding common ground? Yes, much of the then current Greek faith runs strangely parallel to the Christianity of the era, as does some of the Indian, Persian, and African, specifically Egyptian. This is why later Islam would find gaining a place there easy. Most modern Egyptians are Muslim with a smaller section as Eastern Orthodox Catholic. Faith has shaped our culture, zealotry has destroyed cultures. Zealotry is not about faith, it’s about creed and enforcing authority. Making “your peoples law” everyone’s law.  We get zealots at our events sometimes. Do I seem zealous? Zealous rhymes with jealous for a reason I feel, but if I seem to be over zealous do feel free to call me on it.

Maybe passionate is a better word for you? Ah, I would say I’m passionate, but I’m passionate about taking a walk also. Passion isn’t zeal. If it were, then Christ would have said that ‘Yes, they should have stoned the harlot‘. Then he might have lead a mob to stone all her johns also.

Passion is just eager to share your experiences, zeal is forcing your beliefs on others who don’t want it? Do I force my beliefs on people? If I correct a term, am I contradicting the persons idea? They might see it that way, and this is part of why I am not eager to do what I do. If you cherish an idea or view, in my heart more power to you.

We recently banned a person and it was to my disappointment, but not because of her views. She came only to contradict others. Everything had to coincide with her cherished doctrine. We even offered her a teaching position, but she refused. She just came to correct others, and not just arrive at an agreement of terms in discussion. An agreement of terms in philosophy is a natural part of the discipline. My terms, the words I use in this discussion, do I say another persons wording is wrong?

Can faith be like innocent until proven guilty? Yes, it can. Faith is picking your battles. Knowing that not everything needs to be challenged by you. A knowing.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~