Tenets

No convoluted introduction today. I am going to jump right in with the fourth question. If this is your first visit to this blog, you will find a good description of the scope of questions and the purposes of answering them in a post entitled Conceptualizing.

Question number three:
What do I believe
(Presented as concisely as possible)

I believe that everything was created and therefore believe in a creator.

I believe that everyone was created deliberately with a purpose in mind.

I believe that humans are created in the image of God. I sense this on the emotional level more than I am able to actually describe what this means. If we are made in the image of a creator, we are necessarily creative beings. I think this imparts a privilege and duty to participate in the creative.

I believe that we were designed for good but are thoroughly polluted by evil. An admitted tension here, I think we are wired for both the best and the worst. Created for good, we express the pure drive to assist our fellow human being instinctively in large events like earthquakes and hurricanes, and in small moments when we learn of a neighbor's need. We can be just as full of hatred, slander, backstabbing, lies, and filth. When we indulge in hurtful acts, we are allowing evil to control our lives, and when we make the good choices, I believe we are acting on our original wiring.

I believe that everyone has indulged in an evil impulse in one way or another (and probably many times over) by lying, cheating, stealing, slandering... This means we fall short of what is good; we don't live up to the standard of our creator.

I believe we are helpless to save ourselves from evil. Just as a prisoner needs an advocate on the outside, so we need someone to save us.

I believe Jesus came to earth to be that advocate. I believe he was crucified on a Roman cross, and took all of the evil in the world upon himself in that moment. I believe he overcame evil by rising from the dead three days after his execution.

I believe the message of Jesus is great news. I believe we can be fully alive in him.

I believe that the accounts of Jesus' life teach us to love God with every fiber of our being, and out of that we must love our neighbor.

I believe our neighbors are not limited to the people living adjacent to our homes. I believe a neighbor is anyone who is affected by our choices, either actively or passively. We have a great responsibility to care for our neighbor, whether they live next door or around the world, sharing with them whatever we have that they may need.

I believe that art (of all types) is an inspired, divine gift.

I believe evil is an active and present force in the world.

I believe that evil can be overcome with good.

I believe that the darkness hates the light; that the two can not coexist.

I believe there is much life beyond eating, sleeping, and working.

I believe there is healing power in music.

I believe that music is a venue for coping with life's greatest struggles.

I believe that questions are often more important than answers.

I believe that anyone with all the answers has never asked the right questions.

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If you made it all the way through this list, please remember that I am stating my beliefs so I can look at them all in one place. I need this list to help me find artistic direction for the Redline Project's final recording. I am not offering these as an act of persuasion or exclusion. If you hold different beliefs and perspectives, you are welcome here. I also welcome the opportunity to converse about the differences and similarities, and would invite anyone inclined to do so.