Intelligent Heretics: Choose (Faith)!

Intelligent Heretics: Choose (Faith)!
Are you growing? I know I am.
The words of Thomas Merton:

“If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic, you are not growing spiritually.” — Thomas Merton

My theology feels far from the thoughts I had five years ago. Miles from 10 years ago. And light years from what I pondered when I was graduating college or from seminary.
I hope yours has grown with you as well.
If you would like to grow more, keep reading….

Heretic

The word heretic means “one who holds a doctrine at variance with established or dominant standards.” And better than that is where the word comes from. The etymology is from the Greek word for choice. – hairetikos – “able to choose.”
Isn’t that just beautiful?!
To be a heretic means you have a choice! That you do not need to accept the status quo, that you can choose otherwise.

Intelligent

The word intelligent has similar etymology. Intelligent means to choose between (inter) choices (legere).
To be intelligent is not to be like an animal doing the habitual, regular, predictable. To be intelligent means to choose!

Choose! Wisely!

I hereby and with great enthusiasm implore you to be an intelligent heretic!
While I can only slightly imagine it, I know that my thinking in five years will be radically different from today.

Exercise

Live five more years and reflect back. (This newsletter ought to still be around and helping.)
That was the exercise.
Really.
If you would like more, I suggest that you make a very intelligent choice and contemplate having faith. Here is an article <https://oldrotb.wpengine.com/a-reason-to-believe/> in which I propose logical reasons for doing so.
This week’s #wisdom_biscuit: Choose!

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