One of my friends was recently talking with me about what her core beliefs are. I listened intently to what she told me and then our conversation moved on to other topics. Later, as often happens with me, the idea of core beliefs being circling through my head. I wondered what my core beliefs are. I decided to sit quietly and go to the very center of myself and find what lies there that is never changing for me. What I discovered on my inner journey is that as I've grown and been exposed to different understandings, ideas, beliefs or doctrines, my own beliefs have shifted or changed.
It makes sense that our beliefs would change if we understand that one of the definitions of the word belief is that it is a conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence. Many times through out our lives we believe things that are based on no evidence or little evidence and many times we believe in some evidence that has been produced only to find new evidence discrediting the old evidence.
What I discovered for myself while looking deeply at all of this is that my beliefs do not make me who I am, they are merely ideas and understandings formed on evidence I've been presented with through out my life time, through life experiences, through the teachings of others, through books, schools, teachers, pastors, through all kinds of sources.
What I have believed has been formed from many things outside of me, what I know however, comes from deep within me and there is only one thing that I know that has not changed and that is that I belong to God and I wish only to return to that which I belong to. This is the core of who I am. This is the never changing constant in my life that will always guide me no matter what beliefs or understandings I am presented with through out my life time.
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