In the entry "Have Faith", I shared
what Father Said about Faith early in our journey.
Linda's entries on "substance" and her quote from the Bible regarding Faith
being "the substance of things hoped for" (see my last entry), made it clear
there is a greater understanding available on this matter, pun intended.
To receive this understanding, I will use the tried and true method developed
by Linda in her "Dreams and Days" book. That is to say, I will use dictionary
definitions to expand our perception. Remember that many times the definitions
contained in a word give us both the problem or distortion that was introduced
to our perception, as well as the answer.
Let's first take a look at the word "hope".
hope:
- to desire with expectation of fulfillment
- to wishÂ
- confident expectation
Now, let's take a look at the word "desire" and see what kind of "can of worms"
we have just opened.
desire [de- from + sidus, sidere star; with reference to
astrology]:
- to wish or long for
- to covet; crave
- sexual appetite; passion; lust
In reading the elaboration found in this dictionary regarding the synonyms for
desire we learn that:
- desire expresses ardent feeling often implied with sexual longing and, as applied to sexual longing, it includes the longing for companionship and affection, as well as for sexual satisfaction
- the word "wish" is commonly substituted for "desire" to avoid this implication, but wish is also used of things remote and unattainable
- crave suggests compulsive appetite
- covet is a desire for that which belongs to another
With this definition of "desire" it is not surprising that eastern philosophies
have suggested that one must get rid of all desire so as to liberate oneself
spiritually. It is also not surprising that western cultures would have great
confusion regarding the meaning of faith and how it is to be expressed. As you
can see, so much distortion has been introduced to our understanding of desire,
that there is little trace of Truth left.
Here is what the dictionary says about faith:
faith:
- confidence or dependence on a person, statement, or thing as trustworthy
- belief without need for certain proof
- belief in God or in testimony as recorded in the Scriptures or other religious writings.
Now let us combine all this together and see what kind of distorted and perhaps
unconscious drive / behavior is created by this misrepresentation:
If as the Bible says, faith is the substance of things hoped for and hope is a
desire which is defined as a sexual appetite / craving / coveting, then it
follows that the greater one's sexual appetites are, the greater one's longing
for another is, the greater one's compulsive appetites are, and the greater
one's coveting is, the greater one's belief in god is.
Said differently. To long for another, to want companionship, affection, and
sexual satisfaction is a way to give expression to one's faith in god or in the
scriptures.
Said differently, the very belief in god or in the scriptures is what gives
substance to the longing for another, for sexual appetite, passion, lust,
cravings, and coveting.
Said in a more romantic and palatable way, there is someone out there, your
other half, your soul mate, awaiting. That one person with whom you may fulfill
your passions and need for companionship and with whom you may live happily
ever after as you help fulfill "gods command" to populate the earth. This is
god's will for you, proof of his existence and love for you.
Oops...