"Do you find that your faith and beliefs have an effect on your personal relationships?  If so, how do you deal with that?"

Interesting question.

It is not my beliefs that are important, faith is most important.  Out of faith, love is born.  You can't have one without the other.  Faith is far above beliefs.  I would never try to force my beliefs on someone else.  After all, it is all of our different belief systems that cause all our problems.  Conflicting beliefs are the cause of wars, suffering, hatred, and all kinds of destruction and brutality.  There is such sorrow in the world.  It doesn't matter whether it is religion, politics or any other ideology.

Beliefs separate us from one another.  To live just by what we believe keeps us in ignorance.  Belief, without direct experience of truth, is just another form of ignorance.  I have my own beliefs.  However, they are just beliefs.

As to whether or not my faith affects my relationships - I hope so!  In faith there is caring for one another.  There is no need of trying to control or change someone else to be what I want him or her to be.  Love doesn't possess anything or anyone.  Love is a way of giving ourselves away to the great mystery, which creates us all - no matter what you call it.

All of this is so simple and so easy to see, if we take time to look.

I am by no means wise or special.  I'm just like everyone else - trying to get through life leaving a little more than I take.

Thanks for writing.

Tommy