My christian belief

For me christ was a real guy who was probably half roman who refused to be a slave and used non violence and the concepts of  love your enemy to bring down an empire.  He was the son of god as we all are.   We are all deeply connected on a spiritual level with all life. God is in the supernatural and the natural world.   Not everything can be explained by science and emotionless logic or selfishness and greed. Self replicating DNA is the miracle of life.  It is more than some dry biological subject.  It is self organised intelligent design. The quantum world and the multiverse of possiblilties is just as bizarre as angels on a pin head. Synchronicity and patterns in chaos that reveal more about the observers perception of what is reality. The amazing fractal nature of the decisions and experiences that make you in any given moment. There is something mystical and spiritual to sit on the top of the mountain and look at nature and the tiny people below. When they made alchemy into chemistry they lost some of the art. I guess athiesm is like looking at life like a powerful peice of art in terms of brush strokes and paint used rather than some sort of deeper emotional spiritual meaning. Religion is to give structure to the awesome chaos that is birth, love and death and to provide comfortable rituals to help ease the pain and to highlight the joy.      It's the difference between getting married in a vegas registry office in front of a civil beaurocrat / elvis  and getting married in an old church with a priest. Its the difference between scoffing at the concept of love as mere hormonal response and living / falling in love. .... The Venerable Bede (c. 673-735) records the story of King Edwin of Northumberland at the hands of the missionary bishop Paulinus. Edwin was willing to hear the preaching of Paulinus and to convert at once, but he called together a meeting of his council of elders, which included his pagan high priest, Coifi. Paulinus presented the gospel to him, and one of the chief advisors replied with this observation: “Your Majesty, when we compare the present life of man on earth with that time of which we have no knowledge,  it seems to me like the swift flight of a single sparrow through the banqueting-hall where you are sitting at dinner on a winter’s day with your thegns and counsellors.  In the midst there is a comforting fire to warm the hall; outside the storms of winter rain or snow are raging.  This sparrow flies swiftly in through one door of the hall, and out through another.  While he is inside, he is safe from the winter storms; but after a moment of comfort, he vanishes from sight into the wintry world from which he came.  Even so, man appears on earth for a little while; but of what went before this life or of what follows, we know nothing.  Therefore, if this new teaching has brought any more certain knowledge, it seems only right that we should follow it.” .... If religion brings joy, peace, calmness, acceptance of death and grief to one person then to me it is justified.   To go around scoffing at peoples beliefs and ridiculing them seems cruel and unnecessary.  Let people believe in santa claus or heaven... why do you find it so important to strip other people of their belief systems?  If people behave like arses and hide behind religion to do so then thats a different matter, the same goes for atheism.    Sadly there is a huge difference between christs teachings on love thy enemy and give to the poor and the application and practices of organised religion. But that does not negate the power and wisdom of the original teachings. To be the good samaratan, to walk the extra mile, to forgive the unforgivable,  the prodigal son.  To accept fair payment and not envy others. There are some core values of the church teaching which i will always find worthwhile.