I remember thinking to myself that the only reason I was ever a Christian was because my parents raised me that way. Most of our family and friends were Christians, and when someone has certain beliefs and values, they tend to pass them on to their children. If I were born in the Middle East, say, odds are that I would be Muslim. Looking back now, I don’t really see why I considered this one of my objections. I guess it just bothered me that one’s religious beliefs seemed partly dependent on the region of the world in which one grew up. The majority of South Americans are Roman Catholic, the Middle East is known for its Muslims, and most Indians are Hindu. So any children born in these places are very likely to be raised with the dominant values and beliefs of that society.
But of course, to believe something just because someone else does or because most people do isn’t a good idea. That would be foolish. I don’t believe the New Testament just because it’s part of the Bible and my pastor tells me to. I believe it because I have seen strong evidence that the books of the New Testament are historically reliable and true. I’m not a Christian because my parents raised me so; I’m a Christian because I’ve realized that I am fallen – I deserve eternal death. But God has forgotten my sins – He’s forgiven them and thrown them out into the depths of the sea so that He doesn’t even remember them anymore! I have faith from Him that He is the only one who can – and does – save me, give me eternal life. My mom and dad first brought me to church and let me hear about Jesus, but they are not my reason for believing what I believe.
Likewise, people who were raised in other countries can look critically at their own belief systems and decide for themselves whether or not they’re worth believing. I hope they are not content to just take their society’s word for it.
So in the end, what I thought was an objection to Christianity was actually just a general objection to blind beliefs with no basis or regard to other possibilities. Silly me. 😀
-hasta pronto
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