Rainbows & Rationality

 

If you haven't watched this video watch it now :)

First off, Im really not sure if this is a prank or not but I just about peed in my pants when I watched it for the first time.

It's been a few days since then but I started to think about it some more.  When I first watched this all I could think was what is this lady smoking?  I mean seriously, any rational person could tell you that this rainbow is perfectly normal and no reason to get so worked up over.

But then it dawned on me, this is how many people in the world view Christians.  We are seen as insane people who believe in the impossible, and that any rational person should know better.

As someone who went through a period of serious doubt in Christianity I can completely understand where they are coming from.  Christianity isn't rational.  It doesn't matter how hard you try to make it be, and God knows I've tried.  I made myself crazy trying to rationalize this idea of an all seeing, all knowing God.  Of Jesus being anything other than a raving lunatic bent on self destruction.  Of the Bible being anything more than a bunch of chauvinistic men forcing their opinions on other people.

For me, what it came down to was faith.  Was it easier for me because a faith in God is what I was really desiring, I don't really know.  I do know that for years I struggled with allowing myself that faith.  I just couldn't  force myself to believe in something so irrational, and faith alone seemed like such a cop out to me.

When I made the decision to come back to Christianity I had to make some tough choices.  I had to chose to set aside rationality.  Because what I discovered through all of my research and study was that neither side could really convince me the other was completely wrong.  Does that mean that I feel like I'm coping out now?  No.  Because I am not just blindly following anymore.  I am following with my eyes wide open.  Wide open to all that God may show me.  I believe that God wanted me to doubt so that I could have this new wide open faith (but that is a topic for another time).

So even though I still think rainbow sprinkler lady is smoking something, we do have one thing in common.  Faith in the face of rationality.

 

9/11...Never Forget?

The terror and sadness of that day can still be felt across the country even nine years after the fact. Many people, myself included, can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing the moment they found out. But I woke up this morning thinking, why is it that we remember this moment of terror more than

The others?

No one ever hears of a national observance of the Oklahoma City bombing, another large scale act of terror that happened back in '95. Schools across the country aren't having moments of silence. So why is that? Have we all forgotten? I don't think so. To be honest, I really don't know why it has been so easy to just let that one go. It was just as sad and tragic as 9/11.

I was reading the paper this morning and saw an article about a man who was stabbed in his own home. The killer didn't take anything, all he did was kill the man. This too is an act of terror. One that not many people tend to think of when they think of terror. Are we going to hold a nation wide vigil for this man? No. Is he any less important than the people who died on 9/11? No. Yet, he was a victim of terror, so why shouldn't we remember him,or any of the other people who have suffered for that matter.

What about school bullies? Don't they go around terrorizing people? Having worked with young kids and teens I see this a lot. Am I going out on a limb here? I don't think so. Just talk to someone who has been bullied to the point where they are socially and emotionally crippled. Talk to the families of people who have committed suicide because of the terror brought on by bullies. It won't take long to realize that this is just as serious.

Am I trying to lessen the importance of today, no. I think we should remember, I myself had a moment of silence this morning to remember. But I also think that we should not lesson the importance of the terror that has gone on around this country and the world before and since then. So let's have a moment of silence today. Not just for the people who suffered on 9/11, but for all the people across the world who suffer because of terror and evil.

New Beginnings

It seems like I have had a lot of those lately (including this blog since this is the second time I've tried to post this). Three years ago I moved away from all of my family and friends. Two years ago I got married. Last year I became an Atheist. This year I found my self coming back to my faith stronger and more vibrant than ever.

If you had told me three years ago that within three years i would make all of these changes I probably would not have believed you. It's funny how life can throw you like that though, you never really know what's going to happen next. All of these changes can really make you think.

That's why I decided to start this blog, to get all of my thoughts out there. My mind is pretty full most of the time, mostly because my ADD decides to take over a lot, but also because these experiences have changed the way I think.

I hope that you enjoy my blog posts, and that my thoughts can hopefully provoke some thoughts of your own.

Until next time,
Matt