Let the Quest Begin

I'm ready. I've put my mind to it, and I am beginning the most definitive and scrupulous quest for the truth that I've ever thus far engaged in. Is it Jesus? Is it God? Is it Buddha? Is it my own humanity? Is it the belief of the ancient Greeks? What the hell, I'm going all in. I'm about to begin college, which will provide an even broader range of cultures and beliefs to examine and consider.

I've begun reading The Case for Christ, a book written by Lee Strobel - a Yale Law School graduate, editor of the Chicago Tribune, and an atheist. When his wife came home one day and announced she was a born-again Christian, Strobel says that he was worried the fun, carefree, risk-taking Leslie would disappear, replaced by some stiff, all-night prayer vigil freak. When, instead, he noticed subtle changes in her behavior for the better - she had more personal confidence and greater integrity - he decided to use his investigative skills as a reporter to research Christianity.

What I'm enjoying most about the book is that the questions posed to the great Biblical scholars whom he interviews are asked with skepticism as he tries to trip them up. That's kind of where I am in my faith - uncertain, a bit skeptical of the divinity of the Bible and whether it was God-inspired. After all, it was a group of men who compiled our cannon, which we claim as being Holy and inerrant. But then Catholics have additional books in their cannon, and certain other religions have entirely separate holy books.

So I'm appreciative of the objective standpoint he's taking.

We'll see how my journey goes. I'm well aware that the journey is a lifelong one, but the way I see it is that I'm eighteen and haven't really begun. I was spoon-fed Southern Baptist philosophies my whole life and finally questioned them over the past year. Then I began writing, smoking marijuana, and experiencing a new kind of life (which I think is good to experience, though perhaps not a good thing to persist in; as we grow we change - physically, emotionally, spiritually - and so I think everyone should go through a questioning stage).

It's time to move on though. Not necessarily today; boom, I'm a different person! But I want to begin studying world beliefs. So here goes. Wish me luck. I'll most likely blog about it sometimes. But I certainly won't put that down in stone. We saw how well my "blog direction" went last time.