Are you a skeptic?

The Concise Oxford Dictionary
scepticism- inclined to suspend judgment; given to questioning the truth of facts and the soundness of inferences; critical

Wiki
Philosophical skepticism - a philosophical position in which people choose to critically examine whether the knowledge and perceptions that they have are actually true, and whether or not one can ever be said to have absolutely true knowledge;
Scientific skepticism - a scientific, or practical, position in which one questions the veracity of claims, and seeks to prove or disprove them using the scientific method.



I have a tendency to be cynical which is not necessarily endearing or profitable, though it can be annoying at times. I am learning, however, the benefit of being a skeptic, to question "the truth of facts and the soundness of inferences." The skeptic will take the time and energy to investigate reports before simply believing or rejecting them, when others may never find the truth. Opposite the skeptic are those influenced, persuaded, satisfied. They are the closed minded. The governing force in their mind is prejudice and presupposition.
Skepticism, then, means leaving an open mind to the possibilities while continuing to look for evidence. So am I, are you, willing to be skeptical? What about your most treasured belief? Are you willing to investigate the evidence? What about your worldview, your ideas about origins, life, death, spirituality? Are you a skeptic?

PS Philosophical skepticism as defined above could be a lengthy discussion in itself. The idea that there may not be absolutely true knowledge is born out of a naturalistic worldview. It simply could not have arisen from the scientific type search for information. The scientific method itself presupposes orderly, noncontradicting truth. The discussion of philosophical skepticism would have to include a discussion of worldview.

When do I find time to blog?

Obviously, this is not my thing. Kris and I were talking the other day about blogging about our deficient blogging abilities. The truth is I have outlined a blog that I hope to begin as time permits using content from JB Phillips work "your god is too small." It was a very insightful read and I would commend it to anyone interested in the subject of a supernatural being. I will attempt to get a portion of it published in less than the 10 weeks it took me for my second blog : )

I'll give it a try

So I'm sitting here in the hospital waiting for the birth of our third child. We've been here all day and I decided there was no time like the present to attempt the genesis of my own blog. I've tried journals in the past with miserable success. I strongly believe it will be to my benefit to record my thoughts as I find it brings clarity. My downfall has been my poor writing ability and desire for perfection. So I will attempt to conquer both tendencies and try to "just blog." My wife is resting comfortably after her epidural, but labor is going slow at this point. Grandma is watching the other two kiddos and everyone is impatiently awaiting the arrival of our little ?girl?
What I would really like to record, besides the milestones of my life, is my spiritual journey. I grew up in a family that taught me about the Bible and Jesus Christ and at age 5 I put my trust in Jesus as Savior. Since that time, I've been on an incredible journey. Many highs, but equally as many lows. I like the quote from Spurgeon because I have found that to be true of my own journey. I have certainly learned more about myself and the world I live in, from the low times. I trained heavily over my academic career in science and I place a high value on truth. By truth I mean just that. I believe that there is truth to be found and that it remains truth whether anyone believes it or not. A simple example will help me convey this idea. The car I drive is white. If I were to come across someone who said the car was black, there are only two options (law of non-contradiction). The car is white or black. It cannot be both at the same time. We use this idea in the scientific method. We begin with a null-hypothesis and then test it. Somehow, in the spiritual realm of reasoning, this logic is no longer used. Many today are trying to say that Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, etc believe the same thing or even worse are all worshipping the same God. Even a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal that Jesus made some very exclusive claims about himself and the way to heaven. Here is the conflict, either Jesus was right or wrong about himself. It bothers me when I hear people say he was a good moral teacher. He could not have been good if he was lying or delusional and society today cares very little for the morals he taught.
I intend to share my quest for truth in this blog. As I stated earlier, I think it will bring further clarity to my thoughts. I welcome your comments and feedback.