"So much of it is just what is put into your mind as you're growing up" -Michael Allen
Okay, so this is the 4th or 5th time I've seen this documentary, and, this time, I got something very different out of it than I ever did the previous times. This time I was slapped in the face by the idea of American Christianity and believing what we believe only because it is what we are told to believe.
Yes, I was raised in a Christian home, I was brought up in church, I was pretty much told what to believe...but that is not why I believe what I believe. I believe what I believe about Christianity because I have seen God work in my life and in the lives of those around me, and His presence is undeniable. Even though I have basically been told what to believe my entire life, I have been personally challenged numerous times by my studies, by this film, and by other people (professors, preachers, peers) to know what I believe and not to just take it at face value. My belief and faith is just that...mine. It doesn't belong to my parents, my church, or the things I associate myself with; it is purely mine.
Currently, I am in three science classes, Population Biology, Anatomy, and Historical Geology. I can tell you right now, that the population biology and geology classes both challenge my faith in ways that no other class ever has. I have had to question my beliefs, ponder the thoughts of "what if I'm wrong?", and struggle with keeping the strong faith that comes with being a Christian. Luckily, I knew this was coming, James 1:3-4 says "because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The challenging and testing of one's faith is necessary to have a strong faith and to soundly know what you believe and why you believe it. This testing and perseverance has all been a part of how the faith I was taught has become a faith that I can call my own.
Now my third science class, Anatomy, is also unlike any other that I have had to take in my two and a half years at Winthrop. Anatomy opened a whole new side of Christianity for me (...if you're confused, just stick with me for now). Anatomy has allowed me to see the human body from a point of view that most scientists and people in general don't see it from. It is not just a living organism, it is a masterpiece. A masterpiece in which God has intricately designed every body system, bone, and organ to function for His people. If you study even just one organ of the human body, I believe that the existence of a Creator in undeniable. Call me ignorant, tell me that I am overlooking the evolutionary evidence, but I will tell you that I refuse to believe that such a intrinsic organism with such a complex and fascinating makeup happened by chance. In fact, one professor told me that "if something makes sense to you, it's probably right." Although she was making a reference to the earth being billions of years old and rock formations, I'm gonna have to agree with her on the statement and add to it that Christianity makes sense to me. A Creator makes much more sense than chance, and it is this that has strengthened and sculpted a large portion of my faith.
I challenge you to do what the film Beware of Christians did for me. Question your faith, a weak faith is possibly worth less than no faith at all, and you should question it to search for what you really believe. This may take some sorting through everything you've been told over the years and filing through the rubbish that many of us just take at face value, but it is worth it to own your faith and to be able to stand firm on what you believe and to be able to know why you believe it.
*"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." -Hebrews 11:1
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