An Ode To Disagreement

Being a college freshman, I have come to experience a vast host of different views among my peers. While in Chapel Hill it is becoming more and more apparent that certain people view ideas and hold ideas that are in stark contrast to those that I or others hold dearly. For example, a common one, especially in my English class, is that of the discussion concerning the existence of some sort of higher being. I have been brought up in the church and I am confident in my beliefs, however, in class, it is easy for such beliefs to brought under the microscope and questioned to the the utmost scrutinicy. My belief in God is not based upon one lonely fact or one such 'experience,' but instead it is indeed composed more like an orchestra of experiences, facts, and dare I say, truths. However, with this in mind, I am certainly aware of others' dissenting beliefs. I, and other Christians, are not naive to the world around us, we are not necessarily smiles and bubbly attitudes all the time, unaware of the pain-filled and self-guided world in which we too are a member of. Thus, for this reason, we should embrace questions. In fact, as pointed out by several different commentators of our faith, questions permeate throughout the writings of our Bible. Consider Moses in Exodus 3 questioning God and His plan to free His people. Or consider Mary questioning the angel who told her of her miraculous role in the birth of Jesus. Or, indeed, take Jesus himself, questioning His father while on the cross, "My God My God, why has thou forsaken me?" So, you see, the idea of questions being able to weaken our faith is the antithesis of what is seen in the Bible. Instead, we support questions, for we do not under any circumstances have all the answers but we take these questions and wrestle with them, as Jacob wrestled with God, we too wrestle with the questions that this world can pose to us. My friends, it is from this background that I post this today. It is in the midst of a world of turmoil and questions that everyone seems to be lost in that they know not where to look. Some answers that have been offered fail to quench the thirst in which we all have somewhere in us. Oh I know, that some will read this and think, "I have no thirst within me," or, "I don't even know what he is talking about," again, I am not naive to these responses, but I do disagree. In fact, it is the the thirst within you that, maybe even subconsciously, dictates you to continue to read on from sentence to sentence. With this thought taken into consideration, don't cease to read in an attempt to make a statement or rebel against the thoughts recorded here. Instead, I ask that you continue, as I know that you will find such postings to be interesting to say the least, and if you disagree, I have no problem with you or your disagreement. For from disagreements, whether subtle or harsh, comes, as if it were almost planned, questions. Without sound disagreement or opposing thoughts, where would questions come from? All questions would thus be degraded to stemming only from fear, for example only being concerned with consequences, or from simple questions, such as "What flavor of ice cream would you like to buy?" These fearful or simple questions are of use, but are not nearly as weighty as those questions that merge together from the rivers of disagreement and discontentness. Now that you, being the reader and the invited responder, understand where I am coming from, make no doubt that your questions or comments are certainly invited, but also that each question may not have an exact and definitive answer. Such is the near beauty of the faith in that we continue each day in the adventure of living out questions and seeking answers. How then, do we live and seek such answers? Do we merely read and study and read and study in search of answers? For certainly some answers may be found by such methods but will all answers be found in that way? I don't believe so, for life must be lived. Reading and studying are part of our quest for answers but so is simply living out the life we have, in my opinion I know, given. Thus what, if any, is the best way to live out our life that is in a constant search of answers, conclusions, and fulfilment? And, in final, and in a seemingly random fashion- What, if any, is the causal link between our search for answers, and the popularity, based on sales, of the UnderArmor athletic product?