Poet Lord Byron
said: There is something Pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In
short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything.[1] Great thinkers,
across the centuries, have always used inquiry to understand the
world. It doesnt mean that nothing can be believed, but it does
mean that skepticism and doubt are
humaninclinations
that lead us toward growth.
Nietzsches famous quote that
Godis dead[2] was
originally intended to mean that societal perspectives had killed
God, rather than the actual death of a supernatural entity. Society
(believers included) made God irrelevant.
In another work, Nietzsche wrote: Really unreflective people
are now inwardly without
Christianity, and the more moderate and reflective people of
the intellectual
show more content
The very act of
faith requires us to be in relationship with our beliefs.[5] This
sounds complicated, until we begin to see the kingdom of God as a
myriad of relationships with each other, with ourselves, and with
God.
Ultimately, if we see faith as a relationship with what we
believe, we can begin to unpack and deepen our understandings of
ourselves and others, and the ways in which we are called to move
in the world, and shape our surroundings.
To have faith in God means that we must trust in the
knowledge we seek, gather, and experience, as well as trusting and
respecting that God is also preparing others, though the process
may look different: And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold (John 10:16).
When Christians rely on doctrine and dogma, rather than
inquiry, critical thinking, and contemplation, the practice of
Christianity can become merely a set of spoken beliefs, rather than
a living, evolving authentic practice in faith.
We do not have to be identical sheep to share in our practice
of faith. Faith is the habit within which we live in the kingdom of
God, actively striving to grow, keeping our hearts and
minds
Other samples, services and questions:
When you use PaperHelp, you save one valuable — TIME
You can spend it for more important things than paper writing.
