Theology.

     Theology. It's what we went over in the teen class at church today. Some frown and shake their heads at the thought of learning theology, but I think that we should embrace it. They think it should not be taught, that all it is is nonsense. Well, I guess it just depends on your views and how you were raised. My mom is a wonderful woman and she taught me to have an open mind to everybody and everything and though my mind is open, it still has the ability to close to things that I know are harmful and negative. Theology is not one of them. In my opinion, the only reason to be scared of such a topic or teaching is if you don't feel that your faith is strong enough. I feel I have no reason to fear Theology because I know that I love God and I always will.

     In my mind, theology is something everybody should have a chance to learn. Why, you ask? Well, to me Theology is a learning experience. It simply teaches you the ways that other people and other religions think. It gives you validated information to back up your own religious opinions and beliefs with. I understand that everybody has an opinion, but not everybody wants to listen to it. Especially if that opinion is backed up by no facts or truth, if it is not backed up by something of substantial evidence, then that opinion is merely air coming out of some body's mouth. And when I speak I would like to have an opinion that makes people think I actually may know what I'm talking about. I do not want to be perceived at someone who speaks without a brain to mouth filter. I want to have an educated opinion. I want to have reasons to back up the things I say and the things I believe in. Because if I believe in something that somebody else plants into my brain it isn't a personal opinion/thought, it is the branch of what somebody else has put into my mind. It is not personal, it is not mine, it is not my belief.

     So when you come upon the chance to learn of theology or the chance to learn anything new, take it as a learning experience. Let it challenge your faith. But in the process of letting it challenge you, learn something from it to challenge it back with. A belief with no reason behind it, is like a human body without a spine. It is structureless, it has no "umph" for people to see, and it is basically pointless. Yes, maybe you are the one who just got upset because you're thinking about all of you're beliefs that have no structure but yet you think they're brilliant. Let me tell you something, my brother would constantly argue with me and my opinions, telling me they were dumb, false, and unimportant purely for the fact that there was no truth or information to back them up. I became furious with him, time after time, but then I came to realize that he was right. I needed information to my opinions because without the facts I had nothing but a fluff of clouds. It was not a brilliant idea others would listen to, it made me seem young and naive. But now that I have listened to him, I can actually win an argument because I have the facts and back up information to put along with my opinions. Everybody needs structure. Buildings, bodies, even tape has structure. You just have to find the right stuff to use. And if the "right" stuff seems to be a theology lesson, just listen to it, embrace it and learn from it. Let it challenge your faith and then one day when you feel you have all the information you need to stay strong and when you know that God will always be at your side, Challenge the nay sayers in your life. Challenge them.


    My college campus has all sorts of religion. Catholics, Baptists, Buddhists, Methodists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Atheists. I must be able to know what my faith is about and know in my heart that I have my own opinion based upon what I believe is the truth. Please don't take me wrong and think that all the religions I wrote about are not a good religion. Everybody has their own beliefs and I respect that 100%, but if you go to tell me that my religion is not the correct one, I would like you to have some sort of educated opinion to back it up with.