Sometimes Christians tell other Christians “don’t ask questions; just have faith!” I think this is ridiculous, as if somehow the Truth cannot withstand questioning. In fact, I would say that for many people, questions may actually bring people to the faith.
These days, I wish people would ask more questions, as least the deeper questions that cause us to contemplate things like morality, afterlife, reality, and so forth. Why are we here? Is there a purpose in life? What is reality? How do we determine the difference between right and wrong? Is there a fundamental beauty to the cosmos? You don’t need to have a PhD in Philosophy to ask these questions and begin to formulate answers that start to make sense. Religion provides answers to these questions, and I think, Catholicism offers answers to these questions that have resonated with people for centuries, and that incorporate the best of other philosophies (for example neo-Platonism). So while we certainly believe we have the answers, maybe the answers themselves aren’t the problem: maybe the problem is that people aren’t asking the questions.
As a teacher and resident in 21st century America, evangelization is constantly on my mind. I think one way to evangelize is to get people to ask fundamental questions about humanity and reality. This, in turn, could lead them to at least explore the answers that the Church provides.
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November 10, 2009 at 7:02 pm |
I was gonna ask a silly question about what Priests should do if they commit a mortal sin right before Mass w/o confession…but then I googled it and found the answer on EWTN.
November 12, 2009 at 8:32 pm |
I agree with you, people should ask questions. I think one reason people don’t is because there is a lack of thought in general with all the faced paced communication going on. There is no time to stop and ponder the big questions or even the little ones. Also, sometimes people are afraid of the answers. If I don’t know the truth, I don’t have to change sort of thing also goes on.I meet with 4 other women each week to ask questions. It is the most stimulating conversation I have.
November 13, 2009 at 5:43 pm |
“If I don’t know the truth, I don’t have to change sort of thing also goes on.”
Exactly. And the older a person is, the more foreboding the truth becomes…..