Weekly Newsletter: Grant Yourself Permission

As a child, most of my decisions were made for me. Where I would go to school, were I would live, the style of clothes I would wear, and to a large degree, what I would believe. Like most children, I went through a phase where I asked a lot of questions, and for a period of time, the main question I asked was “Why?” My parents answered my questions as best they could until they finally grew tired of all the probing and, out of frustration, simply said, “Just because,” or “Because I said so.”
 
As a parent and grandparent, I understand. I’ve used the same lines myself when the questions became more numerous than I felt I could handle. The questions, however, were a natural and healthy part of growing up. Without them we don’t learn to think on our own and make decisions. We recognize this in the natural order of things, but do we sometimes fail to recognize it in the religious world? Were we allowed to ask religious questions? In fact were we encouraged to ask religious questions or were we discouraged and told in religious speak, “Just because,” or “Because I said so?”
 
If we were told not to ask questions, to accept their answers and “just have faith,” then I propose it’s time to grant ourselves permission to ask “Why?” We are more likely to put our faith into a religious system that isn’t afraid of questions, in fact, encourages them, and who admits freely they don’t have all the answers.