question your church
how my parents taught me to have a mind of my own
Having grown up in a Christian family, the thing I’m most grateful for is having parents who taught me the importance of understanding the why behind everything — why the bible says what it says, why we practice what we do, etc. Learning to question the system & the church as an organisation has taught me to develop a mind of my own & ultimately, my own convictions in life. It’s taught me to differentiate tradition from principle at an early age & not let emotions & familiarity cloud my perspective.
As I interact with others within the community, I’ve come to realise that questioning with the intent of developing an understanding isn’t always a given. I’d even say that, given the cultural context I’m in, I’m privileged to have been taught as such.
I like to think that me asking my peers questions like “why are things practiced this way?”, “in what context does the bible say this?” or “what do you think the rationale behind this practice is?” not only helps me build my beliefs, it also helps them develop their own understanding & convictions.
Admittedly, now that I’m older, I catch myself more prone to questioning (perhaps) argumentatively rather than to seek clarification & understanding. Self reflection has led me to the conclusion that it’s to do with my innate self reliance & pride. As I curate my own school of thought, I’ve the tendency to rely on them as a judge’s gavel. As I age, I’d say this is something I’ve to be more mindful of. My questions should keep my mind & heart malleable, not reinforce rigidity.
Being comfortable with questioning my church, I now need to practice the art of questioning my own beliefs & even questioning my own questions. Why am I asking what I’m asking?
I’d say this whole tangent on questioning can be applied to almost every facet of life, not just in one’s spiritual beliefs. One can only grow as a being if we are open to the transformation of the mind.
Okay, I’ve mentioned the word “question” so many times now that it’s starting to seem like a made-up word. I’m gonna end this thought-vomit here for now & revisit this at a later time.
P.S. I think I’ll start on this read soon!
