Viewpoints???

The me in this picture was younger, and learning about life, which I firmly still believe is one of the purposes of our experiences.

We are meant to grow and process and rethink and live the contrasts of this short and less than heavenly life and learn to trust, and enjoy, and be thankful, and useful, and as fulfilled as possible.

A few days ago someone I do not know contacted me through social media and basically is trying to share a different way of looking at the truth of the plan of God. He is obviously a searcher like me and wants me to consider the results of his studies, which is of course something I desire to do in my own life. We share our viewpoints and test them out in our experience and hope to add to the understanding of what is important.

Here is the amazing and mysterious thing I have observed over and over. Depending on your set of influences, you can develop completely different viewpoints from devotion to the Bible. It can turn you into several completely different type of person.

You can be one obsessed with getting it right and be an arguer and a condemner of any who disagree.

You can be convinced that everyone is demon possessed and evil and live in fear and separation.

You can be open and believe that love is the most potent and helpful force in the world.

The list is longer and more complicated, but it has been a constant observation that the Bible can create many viewpoints that create different lifestyles, fulfillments, frustrations, roadblocks, and pathways.

Is one better, more correct, more desirable? Can you leave one viewpoint and adopt another? I hope so. Can you continue to respect those other viewpoints and yet refuse to get drawn back to their paths. I hope so.