About ten years ago I became fascinated with religion. Now, I have always attended church as a matter of fact I have been a member of my current church for over thirty years and even served as an elder. But I wouldn’t have described myself as overtly religious or even educated about what it is or was that I “believed” in.
That changed when I heard Philip Yancey speak about his book The Jesus I Never Knew. What Mr. Yancey and his book encouraged me to do was ask questions about my faith and myself. You see I was attending church not because I was looking for answers but because it was the right thing to do for myself and my family, something expected of me.
So I started with the most obvious and handy book available, the Bible. After about two weeks of reading I didn’t feel like I had any better understanding of the “story” than I did when I started. So I asked my minister for his help he suggested I buy The Oxford Bible Commentary to read along as a companion for my new-found interest.
After several months and many more highlighters I completed the task of reading the Bible cover to cover. Along the way I jotted down notes of questions that I had and some of the characters that I wanted to explore further.
Now I am a Presbyterian and Presbyterians place a huge value on education, think Princeton and Harvard Seminary. As such, my Church has an extensive library of books that address all manners of the Christian faith, both the traditional and the radical. We also have books about other faiths, such as Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the other “ism’s” out there. We are, in a word, a very progressive Church.
The other avenue that I have at my disposal is a wonderful used book store. What I have discovered over the years is that people buy a lot of religious books and apparently, based on the incredible condition I buy them in, don’t ever read them.
I spent three years reading and buying books about Christianty, Jesus, Paul, Peter and James. I amassed a collection of books, a mountain of books of various thoughts and opinions about the faith and these four very important individuals. Each book, each author lead me to another. Each idea, each explanation sent me searching for another answer. I emptied highlighters and tested my wife’s patience with the places I found to store all of my books.
From Christianity I jumped to Judaism and from Judaism I jumped to Buddhism. It may not seem like a natural progression but you would be surprised. And once again, more books. Books that were easy to navigate and others that made my head hurt. Theories, thoughts and ideologies that were new and different beyond anything that I could have ever imagined.
I don’t know if I am any smarter today than I was when I started ten years ago but I do know this, I got a lot of books and I have been building them a new home. If any of you remember I like old doors, and I have built a bookcase fashioned from two old wonderful doors I found at the thrift shop for ten dollars. Rather than having my books scattered all over the house in every nook and cranny I can find I will be able to have them all together arranged by topic. I am sure as I begin collecting them, and find the ones my wife has hidden in the closet I will discover gems that I will need to read again which will uncover more questions, more thoughts and eventually more books.
You may be reading with a wrong motive. You could be looking to gain some material advantage, not to understand God and His ways.
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Professoreugene-I really don’t have any nice way to tell you this but I study to better understand seemingly pious and overtly righteous individuals such as yourself. For me, people who think their understanding of their “faith” gives them all the answers to all of the questions makes me realize just how deep they are truly are in the dark.
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Just saying.
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Keeping digging the hole deeper professor, keep digging that hole. More motivation for me to learn and grow.
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The Bereans were commended in Acts for asking questions. That’s my answer to all the pious individuals who find it necessary to belittle my faith because I seek knowledge and wisdom, and sometimes it leads me outside the box, so to speak. God is big enough to handle it, and my faith isn’t rocked by the shocking questions — or answers.
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Thank you Ms. Belinda. Yes, my God sees a bigger picture and has a much broader view.
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Both my grandmothers felt it was “wrong” to question, that you were just supposed to believe because the bible said so. Fortunately, my mother was more like you, she felt faith was strengthened through questioning, asking, seeking answers…because of my search, I find that I am a more tolerant, compassionate, faithful person than quite a few of my so called religious friends. When the righteous call me out for questioning, I point to tragedies like Jonestown or the bizarre behaviors of folks who follow Scientology. In the one case, blind faith lead people to their deaths, in the other, its lead to bizarre behavior and often emotional / mental / financial trauma. There is much to be said for making decisions based on a wide array of data. Good for you!
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PS – will you post pics of the new bookcase? Would love to see how you used the doors :-).
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Will do. I am so excited to have all of my “babies” together. Now if I can just convince my wife to let me put it in our bedroom. Let the decorating battle begin!
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Thank you love. “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
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When I first left Christianity, I was still sorta’ kinda’ believing in God. But as I read more and more books on not only this entity, but his so-called “son,” along with beliefs, doctrines, traditions, the origin of the bible and how it changed over the years and … probably most importantly … how Christianity got started, I was surprised at how much I didn’t know. I won’t go into the details since much of it can be found on my blog, but suffice it to say, my belief system was dramatically altered. And, as a side note, I’m much the happier because of it. 🙂
Good luck on building that bookcase!
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“On life’s journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.” – Buddha
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Nothing better than having a passion for learning. Great idea for the bookcase btw.
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Thank you, hope all is well in your world
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Well said by well read
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Thank you love.
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It’s unanimous…knowledge is power and questioning leads to spiritual growth. ALL the messengers have brought to us a piece of the puzzle. Happy reading…..cover your book cases with fancy, lace curtains and your wife will be happy. Trust me
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Yea, no but thanks for the suggestion 🙂
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Anytime, lil bro
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Thanks for the books. We learn more.
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Thank you for reading
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Great story about finding your faith! I recently posted a book review on Tim Tebow’s book, which was very faith based. Please stop by my website, thewrightread.com, and read the review.
Hopefully you will like the book and learn something about Christianity!
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I am sorry, is there is something about Christianity I don’t know or have missed?
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No, I wasn’t saying that at all! I just got the impression that you were always trying to learn more about it.
The last thing I wanted to do was offend you.
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Got it, just took it wrong. I get a lot of pushback from people who proclaim to be “Christians”. Thanks & take care Tyler. Good luck with your blog.
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A priest friend of mine who did not grow up in church once said “I never liked religious people” A person he met along life’s way introduced him to Jesus and he soon loved Him! He is ordained now but still reminds us Jesus did not die to get us into religion! Rick is an amazing man of God who leads many to fall in love with Jesus. Even me!
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Happy you have found a path that is well lit. Thanks for reading and for sharing your thoughts
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Sometimes I find the candle dim,but as I trust and follow the light brightens!
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As I tell everyone, if your faith makes you a loving and compassionate person to everyone then go in peace just remember there are many paths. “People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” -H. H. the Dalai Lama XIV
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YES! If it’s our mistake, He will bless it and it may also be a gift from Him that we detoured. With faith we win!
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That’s fine, but your faith is yours, there may be some “we’s” that join you but there are also a lot of “us”
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When I read this post, I am inspired. You are not trying to be a self righteous person, your pure curiosity drives you to learn which is good. I can read more of your blogs if you can share a bit of what you read
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Pingback: The Bible isa great book too! – The Beautiful Bookworm
Thank you
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I had no clue about this aspect of Presbyterians! I don’t think I’ve met one.
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How do you do 🙂
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I love a good bookcase and a good book! I can get carried away and have to remind myself that anything besides God’s holy Word is commentary. There are good books out there but the bible is THE book if you are truly seeking…..Fun blog read! Thanks!
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I gave up seeking a long time ago …
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