One thing that has served me well in my life is to ask questions about the various things that I see, hear and experience. I believe that it is good to do this. For example, very early in my Christian walk, I accepted a lot of what was told to me about my faith from preachers and my parents. But there came a time in my life where instead of walking by blind faith, I had to put everything I had been taught to the test and see if it was really true. When I did, I found that many of the things that I had been taught were not even true. If I had never questioned what I believe, I would have never reached the conclusions that I did. My faith is as strong as it is because of the questions that I have asked along the way.
Don't ever accept something just because somebody tells you it is true and it sounds convincing. Always search things out for yourself to see if it indeed is true. It is a dangerous thing for a person to simply believe "2+2=4" only because they heard somebody else say it or they read it in a book. Because that person bases his or her knowledge on merely what he has heard or read, if another person comes up with a "2+2=5" argument that sounds more convincing, then suddenly the new argument becomes the truth. But if a person were to believe "2+2=4" because he has actually worked out the problem and reached the answer, it is going to be next to impossible for another argument to convince that person otherwise.
In our society where there is so much information overload, we have to be careful what we believe and what we don't. The mainstream media is constantly pushing ideas and concepts to its consumers in order to influence the public. It knows that not many people are going to research the truth on their own but will simply take their word for it. Our worldviews and perspectives are very much shaped and influenced by what the mainstream media projects out there. I have found the less of it I consume, the better I feel mentally and the more I can really look at the world more objectively. And when I do happen to consume it, I question every bit of it.
Sometimes, questions are not welcome and are even met with backlash. From my perspective, though there are questions that can be inappropriate, there are those who don't want to be questioned on anything at all. Why? Is there something that they're trying to hide or cover up? Is there truth that they don't want others to discover? Anytime somebody questions the Holocaust, why is there such a backlash? As a Christian, people can question Jesus all day long and choose to reject him but they won't see a backlash from me as a result. It is choice that everybody has the right to make. But if somebody questions the Holocaust, they automatically get an "anti-semitic" label affixed to them. Why?
The Holocaust is just one example. There are many other examples we can read throughout history through today of people who question receiving a strong backlash. Once again, why? Is it because the more people question, the more they would see the real truth? I remember when I questioned a pastor at a church I formerly attended about unbiblical behaviors and practices that were taking place and I was told by the pastor I had to right to question him. People who follow others who can not be questioned put themselves in a dangerous of not being able to make those persons accountable. Many church-goers unfortunately do this today.
I am of the notion that something that is right and true can withstand questions and doubts. And if a person is solid in what they believe, it doesn't matter whether people disagree with them or not. This is the way I feel about my faith and I do not feel threatened by those who do not share my faith.
Just some of my thoughts on a Friday. Don't be quick to accept anything. Do your due diligence and search things out for yourself to see whether they be true or not. You may be surprised by what you find.
Sunny in California,
LandoRigs
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