Why do I Believe What I Believe?

Looking back (in life and in post), I never really gave much thought in addressing what I feel are basic questions all Christians should be able to answer. To be honest, this area is something I am quite lacking in. If someone were to abruptly ask about my faith, I would probably not be able to provide a satisfactory answer immediately. Thus I would like to address one basic question that all Christians should be ready to answer: “why do you believe what you believe”. This question I will address as a believer in God, as a Christian, and as a Catholic. And, keeping in mind it is a basic question, I will try to phrase it as simple as possible in my personal experience.

First, I believe because of faith. When I began to take my religion more seriously back during my last two years in secondary school, I started to spend quite some time on the Bible. Particularly in concerning the New Testament books Luke and Acts, I was able to memorise the passages (those two were to appear in my final exams/competitions). Before long I became known as the “Bible genius” among my school’s Christian society.

One day, a classmate posed to me a question, “If there is a God, why does He allow so many innocent people to suffer?” To which I responded, “How should I know?” This brief exchange left quite a mark on me even now; not because of the question but the way I answered. I realised then that I was not ready to give an appropriate defence for my belief.

Since that event I began to seek answers to questions about Catholicism. What are proofs of God’s existence? Why do we have a Pope? Why do we pray to Mary? Why is contraception banned? And of course, the question which I was asked by my classmate then (there are many others, but I think I will end the list here).

As I continued to examine deeper into my religion, I began to discover more of its teachings as well as the meaning behind them, and became convinced through what I learned. History, science, philosophy and whatnot – these studies pointed me to the truth and marvels of God and His works.

As well as the knowledge I gained through study, there were also my personal experiences: revelations and miracles to which He in His grace blessed me to witness. The gift of tongues. The choir of angels. Dreams that foreshadowed the future. Visions collectively shared by the community. Undertakings with all the necessary arrangements pre-prepared. Etcetera etcetera. Since they may sound remarkably contrary to common logic, I do not expect the majority of people to believe what I say; nevertheless, those events surely strengthened my conviction Catholicism.

For me, faith is the belief in the things that is true, even if there is no solid proof. The belief that it will (definitely) happen even if it has yet to take place. The factual and personal experiences led me to why I believe what I believe: that is, faith.

Second, I believe because of hope. Less definite than faith perhaps, but no less important. To me, hope is the belief that it will happen, even if I do not know it will turn out that way. While it is not certain, I look forward to a favourable outcome.

Putting it in crude analogy, faith is like tossing a coin, knowing the coin will always be heads, even when there seem to be an element of uncertainty in the toss. It could be that both sides of the coin show heads. It could be the person who tosses is a professional who always tosses at the right amount of force in an environment. We do not know. All we know is that it will be a head, even if it seem like it will/may not be so.  Hope, on the other hand, is tossing a coin, not knowing whether it will be heads or tails, but looking forward to it being heads. The result can be a head, but it can also be a tail.

Like faith, hope is something intangible and cannot be seen physically. To some, the word may even sound foolish. Why should we believe in something we ourselves are not sure of? Yet when people hear of oppression, violence, disasters and such like, they become discouraged, de-sensitised. For people who live in such environment, it is even worse. Even for those whose condition is not as extreme, failing in studies, breaking of friendship and bullying can drag us down and make it feel like the end of the world.

God never said that life will be a breeze the moment we believe in Him. What He promise however, is that He will always be with us and will ever forsake us. His being there with me is what keeps me going. And by moving forward I may be able to influence and change the environment I am in.

Hope is the belief in a better future. I cling onto the hope there will be a better tomorrow, that God will provide a better tomorrow.

The final point to my belief is love. This one word is abstract, and holds multiple meanings. It could mean affection for one another, romantic/sexual feelings, attachment, benevolence and so on. They are not wrong; all of them are subsets of love. Caring and placing one’s well being above own can also be used to describe love – this is the definition I will use to expound on.

All human beings yearn to feel appreciated and cared, and to know that they are so physically, mentally and spiritually. No one in this world can truly say he lived a fulfilled life if he /she has not experience this. It is human nature; in fact everything that exists must interact with one another in some way. As they say, “no man is an island.”

Throughout the years, God has shown me He cares. Not only through the Cross and major one-off scenarios but also through my everyday life: the little blessings that fall like drizzle from the sky; not really memorable but impactful nonetheless. My laptop for work and entertainment. Good cheap food in the area. The ability to wake up and make it in time before class starts. Considerate and compatible people I somehow seem to always meet. Family still alive and well. Ordinary as they seem, when I sit back and reflect upon it, they are truly events which shaped my life to what it is today.

There are also times when things do not initially turn out the way I wanted, I cursed, sulked and raged like a spoilt child; and in the end God made it turn out the way I wanted. Many a time, they were as trivial as losing in a game, slower-than-usual internet connection, or setbacks in assignments. It is times like this when I think back, I realise how much God cares about every aspect in my life – spiritually, emotionally and physically. Through this, I know He loves me in a very real way.

When the three elements of faith, hope and love come together, it provides me a sense of inner peace. This peace is not something the world can give. It is not a peace that can only be obtained if there is no corruption, hostility, violence, or wars. It is not a peace that can be achieved through wealth, power or human relationships. Rather, it is a peace that, even should any or all those factors be missing, there is still – and always will be, something in life worth living/dying for. Whatever the situation may be, with the three elements in harmony I will always have the calmness and confidence to go through life.

So there it is: the reason why I believe what I believe. Because it showed, and continues to show me faith (I believe in what is true), hope (I believe in a better future) and love (I was cared for spiritually, emotionally and physically).With these three elements thus result in inner peace which the world cannot give.

RFG always.

PS: initially I wanted this to be something short and simple; turned out to be another one of my lengthy post again ><.