Bogus faith is a guarantee without an adventure…
Authentic faith is an adventure without guarantees.

Bogus faith denies the profound mystery of existence…
Authentic faith embraces the mystery.

Bogus faith is something one merely has…
Authentic faith is something one does.

Bogus faith is about what my beliefs get for me…
Authentic faith is about what my beliefs demand from me.

Bogus faith is an easy answer without a sincere question…
Authentic faith is a challenging question that must be answered.

Bogus faith is preoccupied with being right…
Authentic faith will settle for nothing less than doing right.

Bogus faith rationalizes one’s lifestyle…
Authentic faith challenges one’s lifestyle.

Bogus faith is merely a claim, an inert canon of assertions…
Authentic faith is a way of life, a challenging way of being.

The “confidence” of bogus faith comes from believing you are right…
The confidence of authentic faith comes from doing the right thing no matter what.

Bogus faith is a failed argument about who is right…
Authentic faith is the sincere search for what is right.

Bogus faith is bogus community… coerced, exclusive… “united” by obedience, conformity, and fear…
Authentic faith is authentic community… voluntary, inclusive… united by shared purpose and mutual regard.

Bogus faith benefits only the believer (insofar as ignorance is bliss)…
Authentic faith benefits everyone.

Bogus faith rallies “the faithful” around the shared promise…
Authentic faith invites everyone to a life of shared purpose.

Bogus faith is an irrationality below reason…
Authentic faith is an irrationality above reason.

The “chosen-ness” of bogus faith is about selective privilege...
The chosen-ness of authentic faith is about never-ending responsibility.

Bogus faith is quite content with being “born again”…
Authentic faith will settle for nothing less than growing up.

Bogus faith is a destination without a journey…
Authentic faith is just the beginning of an ethical life.

Bogus faith is easily recognized by its eminent routine…
Authentic faith by its uncommon creativity.

Bogus faith is freedom from… from choices, blame, failure, and responsibility…
Authentic faith is freedom to… to seek, grow, love, create, heal, inspire, and risk.

Bogus faith can be quite the busybody regarding other’s sins of commission…
Authentic faith is forever anguished over its own sins of omission.

Bogus faith seeks “salvation” by flocking to the fancy talkers…
Authentic faith knows that knowledge, truth, and wisdom are found by emulating the great doers.

Bogus faith asks the “authorities”: “How good do I have to be?”…
Authentic faith asks itself: “What is the right thing to do, regardless of the temporal or eternal consequences to myself?”

Bogus faith is hard to understand, but easy to do…
Authentic faith is easy to understand, but hard to do.

The truth always is…
… easy to understand, but hard to do.

Next Meditation: Instinct Unplugged

Existentialism Humanism Politics Religion atheism Christianity faith Islam Religion truth