Sometimes faith has no answer.<\/p>\n
I believe that my religious choice answers a lot of the big questions. It gives me direction on how to live my life; and I do so with joy while not harming others. It tells me what happens after death; everything that dies shall be reborn. It\u2019s never explained why I\u2019m here, but I\u2019ve felt wanted (and needed) by my gods just the same. I believe that my faith has led me to a better place, but there are moments when it comes up lacking.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just my faith that comes up lacking, it\u2019s faith as a whole. While discussing religious things on a Christian website earlier this year someone asked me how Pagans explain suffering, hunger, and senseless tragedy. It was a question I was unable to answer, it was also a question they were unable to answer. Assigning blame to \u201cSatan\u201d in a world with an all powerful God is as lacking as my own non-answer.<\/p>\n
I feel my gods in times of joy. Celebrating upon a warm Beltane night I have no doubt that they are with me. When a sick friend drifts off into the Summerlands I feel them then too. Such moments hurt, but I understand cancer, and I understand hurricanes, and I even understand the negligence or irresponsibility that might cause a fatal car crash. What I don\u2019t understand are senseless acts of violence such as those in Connecticut today.<\/p>\n
There have been moments in my life of serendipity, I was drawn to others (and them to me), and have received gifts that were so random I attributed them to the gods. When an obstacle appeared in my way I would say \u201ceverything happens for a reason,\u201d today I can\u2019t say \u201ceverything happens for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no reason for a five year old child to be shot and killed. There\u2019s no reason for twenty children to have their lives cut short. I sometimes understand war and hate, I don\u2019t understand this. Tragedies like this don\u2019t make us stronger, they simply leave holes in the hearts of the living.<\/p>\n
Within an hour of the shooting in Connecticut, lines had already been drawn. My gun-loving friends said that \u201ceveryone having a gun would keep us all safe.\u201d My friends on the other side of the line put much of the blame on guns. Instead of getting a moment to grieve or process there was another debate with no easy answers. I didn\u2019t want to shout at my friends online, I wanted to be held, I wanted to cry, and I wanted to pray for the souls who now await their next (and better) turn on the wheel.<\/p>\n
I have looked to The Lady today, the motherly goddess figure I often seek out in times of my greatest need. I stopped and felt her arms wrap around me. There was comfort there, but when I whispered into her ear to ask \u201cWhy,\u201d I got no answer, I could only feel the tear upon her own cheek.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I believe that my religious choice answers a lot of the big questions, but there are moments when it comes up lacking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[111,788,792],"class_list":["post-1054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorializing","tag-grief","tag-pagan","tag-paganism"],"yoast_head":"\n