Questioning
I was told recently that my habit of questioning everything is corrosive to my life. At first, I was a little taken aback at the time and kind of laughed it off, now that I’ve spent some time thinking about it, I’m going to say that person was quite wrong about the whole situation. (And if that person is reading this blog, no hard feelings about it, but I still don’t agree with you.)
Questioning is that which keeps us from taking too many steps in the wrong direction (that is assuming that you feel like questioning isn’t the FIRST step in the wrong direction.) Questioning enables us to find the truest source, or reasoning, behind an action, thought, or belief. While I think most people would agree that we should question, the issue comes down to what we should question.
Me? I think Everything.
Growing up, I was always taught to question everything in light of the Bible, or specifically via the biblical lens that was instilled in me through the Baptist church. I was never told that questioning the Bible is OK, and I’m fairly certain that those who trained me would be rather disappointed with my ability (and you could even say desire) to do so. Without the questions like “Is the Bible accurate,” or “Do I actually believe this,” I’d probably still be sitting as some angry guy who has no appreciation for the Bible whatsoever.
Now I’m in the habit of questioning everything, it’s not something I even think about anymore, I question basically everything I hear. Does questioning everything lead me down a destructive path? I don’t think so. Actually, I’m willing to state that the opposite effect is had. I’m no longer so easily swayed that anyone I listen to that makes a statement with certainty is believed. Instead what they say must be broken down, rationalized out, and tested before it’s accepted. If we all questioned, we’d end up with a well thought out set of beliefs instead of an impenetrable wall of certainties.
I think I’ll stop there for tonight, and leave the distinction between belief and knowledge for another day.
Now, pushback if you want.
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