Evangelist John Wesley (18th century) had some suggestions.  In what later would be called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (1964) Wesley said that there are four areas in which we can learn of our Creator and what he wants from us:

SCRIPTURE – He was referring to the Bible.  The Old Testament makes the assumption that God gave out His information through the Jews.  The New Testament centers on God’s son, Jesus, who sacrificed His life for us.  Can we get any more from scripture than how to live our lives?  Is there a plan of salvation clearly outlined for us?

TRADITION – Wesley said that not only the writings of the church fathers, but religious traditions in place today should carry some weight in securing what we believe.  But what if the church fathers got it wrong?  Is it possible that the belief system of the masses could have some holes?

REASON – This one could be used on the other three.  Wesley saw reason as a way to correct interpretation of scripture or proper examination of religious teachings.  But what about “God’s ways are higher than our ways?”  Don’t we have to take a lot of things on faith, even though they don’t make sense?

EXPERIENCE – What is working for you?  Do you feel peace and freedom?  Are you secure in the destiny of your soul?  Then maybe it’s working for you.  But what if you’re wrong?

John Wesley fought for the free will of man working in conjunction with the leading of the Holy Spirit. He taught that these four tools must be used in balance, that over-emphasizing one would be detrimental to our spiritual growth.

Which one is the most important to you?  Can you balance them and come out alive?

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT IT?

Someone had to give you information either verbally or by written word.  Then you have to determine if what they said or wrote is true.

WHAT DOES YOUR RELIGION SAY ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE?

This is really what’s on everyone’s mind.  If there is no afterlife, then your only goal in this life is to get through it as comfortably as possible.

WHAT DOES YOUR RELIGION REQUIRE OF YOU?

Most religions want your time and money, in increasing measure.  They also want you to commit to a creed or membership.

DOES WHAT YOU BELIEVE MAKE SENSE?

Many followers accept teachings simply because their leaders require your trust.  There is also the underlying threat that God will be angry if you don’t trust his prophets or his holy book, and that the consequences will be devastating.

CAN YOUR RELIGION BE PROVED?

Most will say “yes.”  But, think about it; all information that you receive comes from someone who was an alleged eyewitness, or knew someone who had an experience, or knew someone who knew someone, etc..  The bottom line is that you believe what you want to believe.

In answering these questions, you will find that more questions are required, and you may be surprised to find how getting to the truth is more difficult than you think.

Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions.  If there is a God (and I believe there is), he would want you to investigate the meaning of life and the path to him.

Why am I different?  Tell me anything about any major religion or doctrine, and I will have serious questions.

I know that we have become politically correct these days, so I can’t say that I’m handicapped.  Handicapped people are to be considered challenged.  Cripples are physically challenged.  Retarded people are mentally challenged.  Blind people are visually challenged.  So maybe I’m spiritually challenged.

I was locked into a certain belief system for over 40 years and am now emerging like a butterfly.  Or maybe I’m a moth who just thinks he’s a butterfly.  While butterflies only live a week or two, my new faith (or challenged faith) has lasted longer — actually a few years.  I’ve launched some ideas in this blog, but I haven’t received a good challenge yet.

Shouldn’t our faith be challenged?  Won’t it make us stronger?  Or will it just frustrate us?

Most people, when asked about the specifics of their faith, want to refer you to their pastor, teacher, Bible passage or favorite commentary.  Why can’t they answer the questions on their own?  Don’t they KNOW what they believe?

Is there a minimum number of reputable scholars that, when that number is reached, makes whatever they say true, no matter what they say?  With so many religions in the world, along with their multitudinous denominations, how can we know which one is right?  Is a little bit of each of them right?

Is God holding back?  Are there questions that we aren’t supposed to know the answer to?  If we think that we have all of the basic answers to life, is there a danger of pride, that we know as much as God?

Start asking questions, people!  Challenge can’t hurt.  Or can it?

Okay, so the Unitarian thing didn’t work out.  It might have been the email I received, inviting me to the Heathen Hoopla, where I was to dress as the god, goddess or demon of my choice and bring something to beat on as I dance around the campfire — in the middle of summer!

When we went the first Sunday, we were asked by the greeters to not judge them too quickly on just one service.  That should have been a clue.  I gave them three services.  So when I suggested to my wife that this may not be right for us, she was greatly relieved because she felt the same.

I was trying to pinpoint what was so uncomfortable about my brief Unitarian Universalist experience. While we were encouraged (in their literature) to share what we believe, we found that no one there was sharing what they believed.  They seemed to almost bend over backward in their political correctness with regard to religious tolerance.

I know what I believe.  God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.  These were being replaced with Mother Earth, heathen hoopla and humanism.  While I applaud their emphasis on human kindness and expressions of love, the concentrated effort to avoid references to God, Jesus and Holy Spirit were uncomfortable.

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Matthew 10:7  The kingdom of heaven is near.

Mark 1:15  The kingdom of God is near.

A friend and I were recently discussing where we are in relation to our walk with Christ and our relationship with God.  We know we live in this world, which is made up of kingdoms.  They may be run by dictators, presidents, congresses or parliaments, but it is a kingdom nonetheless.  Like it or not, we are subjects of them.

Jesus introduced the concept of a new kingdom, or at least a different kingdom.  The gospel writer Matthew exclusively quoted Jesus as saying the kingdom of heaven, while the other gospels refer to the kingdom of God.  Jesus prayed to God, “your kingdom come, your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10)  He once told the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)  The kingdom of God was inside the Pharisees? Really?  Look it up. When questioned by Pontius Pilate, Jesus responded with, “My kingdom is not of this world.”  (John 18:36)

So, do we have a kingdom here, a kingdom there (heaven), or a kingdom everywhere?

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With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.

Steven Weinberg

How many times have we heard unbelievers reject Christianity because there were “too many hypocrites in the church?” And the standard response has been that, regardless of the behavior of Christians, our decision determines where we spend eternity — point and counterpoint. I’ve yet to hear anyone acknowledge the fact that hypocrisy is a serious issue in the church.

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