It has come to my attention that I have never questioned what I learned in Sunday School, what my parents told me about God, what the Bible says about... anything. I've decided to take the next three months to delve deeply into a "God Study." This will not be a Bible Study, although it will, of course, be a frequently referenced source. However, the purpose of this study is to question those things I learned as a youth that I took as "absolute truth" and to really make a more intentional decision about what I believe, but more importantly, why I believe what I believe.
The "why I believe what I believe" will be through educating myself in these beliefs so as to be better equipped to defend or refute any such beliefs I end up deciding to adhere to at the conclusion of my study.
I have no false expectations that I will actually be able to prove or disprove the existence of God within three months, nor will I claim to prove or disprove the origin of the universe. I have merely given myself a three-month timeline so as to offer myself grace should I become so disheartened or discouraged in my endeavors that the end seems never to be nearby. I understand and appreciate that these questions have baffled countless Scientists, Christians, and most humans, so I have no doubt that this will be a lifelong journey and may not ever be 'concluded.'
Some don't understand why I feel I even need to start this study. To them I would say, "because it's important to me." They don't need to know with 100% certainty that God created the universe to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died to save our sins. For a long time, I didn't either. And now, for some reason, I do need to know. How do I really know that the Bible truly is the Word of God?
It is a question of validity.
So, my proposal is to watch videos, read books, and listen to lectures of others' exploration of these topics, to fact-check them, and to form my own opinion based on the evidence (and opinion where evidence cannot be found). I have a notebook in which I am writing all my thoughts on each video, book, and lecture, and then I will do my best to compile my notes into as concise and well-formed a blog post as I'm capable, in my limited abilities.
Feel free to comment on any post, however please be kind, courteous, and check your facts prior to commenting with any "proof," especially if you cannot remember an actual citation for the knowledge. These comments will not be tolerated, as that is the exact type of knowledge I am conducting this study to avoid and combat.
Here it goes!
No comments:
Post a Comment