Critical Thinking

Tonight in class we had a presentation from an exchange teacher who came from China. She is heading back to China on Thursday and wanted to present on her time in our class and her experience. One of the points she discussed was on critical thinking, and how in China she used to just believe whatever was on the paper and wasn't taught to critically analyze and think and question what she was reading. Whereas now, after this experience and class, she learned that not everything written on paper is correct and there are appropriate times to question and object to what is being said.

This made me think about something I have been realizing and attempting to change over the past little while. For a long time, I used to believe whatever I heard in a sermon or in reading religious themed books. I always took the stance that whoever was preaching or writing was smarter than I was (and am), therefore they must be right and I must now believe that exact thing. Of course, the person preaching or writing IS probably smarter than I am, especially speaking in terms of theology knowledge, but that doesn't mean I do not have the right to question or not agree with something they are saying.

However, I have realized that thinking this way is not helping me grow in my faith. I may be present in what I'm doing, but I'm not actively participating in the sermon I'm listening to or book I am reading. Through different personal experiences over the past year or so, I have come to realize my naivety in this thinking and how it has affected my actions towards and relationships with others. Something I also don't do on a regular basis, is go to my bible to reference and find answers, and is something I would like to do more often to go along with my critical thinking.

So, my challenge to myself is to think critically while listening to sermons, podcasts, and reading books. I am not going to be afraid to ask questions, disagree with someone's perspective, or look for more understanding and I am going to continue to deepen my relationship with Christ in this way as I gain a better understanding of my own faith and the path that Christ has me on.