Questions

October 1, 2008: I walk into the room, and see the typical crowd, each with a Bible in hand, ready to go. It's the routine get-together: read a passage of the Bible, discuss it, get something out of it and generally feel good about doing the "religious" deed. I don't like that kind of meeting. We sit down and begin reading. It takes half of the meeting time before I speak up, and when I do, my comments are met with utter silence. My question is simple. It's just not the kind of question they have heard before. They don't like the direction I'm going in, so they brush off the question with a safe answer. I have never been one to accept safe answers. There is a slight pause between my question and the leader's response. I timidly ask the next question. Again, a rehearsed response. Again, a momentary pause. And again, a question by me. I'm asking for a better explanation, but they only have the explanation that was taught to them. They accepted the reason when they were taught it, and have not questioned it since.

By this time it is beyond just me and the leader talking. More people have become involved. More people against my questions. I don't let up. And with each follow-up question, I receive another member of the group siding with the group and not me. I keep asking and they keep answering, yet they give me nothing more than the original brush-off answer given to me at the beginning of the discussion. I am trying to point out how useless their responses are in trying to find real answers. They do not see it. I leave the room abruptly, as I have another meeting to get to. A few of the people shake my hand as I leave the room. One person makes a comment as I'm leaving: "At least he's asking questions." The next week, the group's numbers are cut in half. Half of them never return.