philosophy

well, i had the privalege of doing an exam today where I had to write my Philosophy of Christian education. I challenge you to think about your personal beliefs and goals and see how they influence your actions, or the other way.. analyse your actions and see what beliefs they stem from. Or have a look at your beliefs and see if your actions match up with them...and work out what needs to change.

Just thought I would write a bit of a summary of my beliefs from my statement. I divided this exam up into three basic belief chunks/clusters (am sure there is a proper word for this). Will run through them quickly. While you read, see what you agree with and what you can't take as your personal belief.

Nature of love (Metaphysical belief)
I believe in God. I believe that God created us to love. Although we moved away from God due to sin, he showed his love to us through the redemptive power of the cross. What greater love is there than to sacrifice His son to save the world. I believe that Jesus was the living example of love. I believe that selfless love is the truest love. I believe God has given within all of us a need for love and relationship. I believe that one of our primary purposes for living is for relationships. I believe that our purpose in life is to prepare for heaven and to help others on this path. I believe that service for others and giving are some ways in which we can show selfless love.

Nature of knowledge (Epistemological belief)
I believe that God knows all knowledge and truth. I believe that we can never know absolute truth. I believe that knowledge and truth are revealed to us as we grow and develop. I believe it is our responsibility to learn.

Nature of music (axiological belief)
I believe that talents are God given and should be valued. I believe that gifts that we are given, such as music, should be cultivated, developed and used. I believe that music is sourced from God and that it should be performed for His glory. In this, actions (including music performance) should be done with humility.

Anyway.. they are just a few of my core beliefs. The big fancy words might not be used particualrly correctly, but they are areas of philosophy in which the beliefs roughly fit. Of course all of my actions somehow can be stemmed back to these beliefs (and others). Such as, why do I happily give up my study time to spent time with a friend? Because I believe that relationships are more important. Why do I love my friends so much? Because I believe love is given from God. Why do I dispise pride in music performance? Because I believe that we need to be selfless and work with Humility as our gifts are not ours, but from God. Why do I not get frustrated if someone doesn't understand something? Because knowledge is slowly revealed to people and there is always a time when people need to learn and experience things. Why does it frustrate me when people aren't open to new experiences? Because I feel that they are limiting their own personal development and growth. Why do I give money and presents (like chocolate) to people so easily? Because people are more important than money, and because I love them...and love is given from God... and that selflessness is a key part of my belief system.

I could go on and on. I would love to know what people think. The core belief which is a premise upon all of those sit, is my belief in God. Now, if I didn't believe in God, then I could potentially be very selfish, and feel no problems being self-serving. I would like to know what you guys think? From where do your beliefs stem? What do you believe?