In the spirit of some of the recent political posts, I’d like to take this opportunity to do some unscientific polling on the readership of this blog. The question is as follows:
Is your faith fundamentally similar to that of your parents?
It seems clear that family and ethnic background play an important role in the formation of a person’s views, ideas, and inclinations. Traditions are passed down from previous generations, leaving each culture with a rich variety of preferences. If I am Indian, there is a statistical likelihood that I enjoy curry. If I am Polish, there is a good chance I might like Polka music.
Should the same apply for my religion? After all, we are talking about the big questions. In many cases, we must deal in absolutes: God exists or he does not. In my view, cultural preferences need not apply.
Someone who has grown up in a happy Christian family with a loving and supportive church community might see no harm in continuing her parents’ traditions. After all, why change something if it works? The temporal comforts derived from her beliefs make them worthwhile. For many, this is entirely satisfactory.
But what about those concerned with truth? How can they ever be sure their answers to the big questions aren’t simply a result of the indoctrination they received as children?
6.7 billion people walk this planet; 2 billion of which are Christian. As hard as our missionary friends may be working, Christians must surely accept that their absolute truths would likely have been very different were they raised among the remaining 4.7.
