December 6th

Religion in school is a very ... touchy subject. Personally, I don't choose to speak up when having to talk about religion because as much faith as I do have in God, I don't know much about the history or the philosophy of the Bible (which is a red flag for me to quickly attend some sort of college Bible study group).

The story (or poem, rather) Paradise Lost, for all that don't know, is a story essentially about the war between Heaven and hell. John Milton is very manipulative in his writing, I think, and we have to analyze the story in class. There are probably only three people out of the 30 something students in the class that are Christian, so if we could choose, most people would choose to be on the side of the devil because it seems more "fun". No one even considers that ANYONE in the class can be of Christian faith, thus they just start bashing out against Christianity which is very inconsiderate and rude. I don't hate gay people, but yet I don't go around school saying how Christianity does not approve of homosexual actions. On the contrary, I stay silent - personally (PERSONALLY means JUST ME) because I know I don't know too much about the historical and philosophical aspects of the Bible. However, today in class, one of my group members was very confident in what she was arguing about with the rest of the class when it came to God vs. satan. And I was just sitting there, inspired by how smart she was about the Bible. She actually quoted scripture in her arguments! Her explanations were reasonable and there were times when the teacher or other classmates could not find a counterargument. And later we talked to each other about Bible study groups haha.

I know it's just a story, but to a certain extent, what Milton writes about is true - about how all the devils and demons in hell want revenge and how God gives mercy only through the justification that He sacrificed His only son Jesus to be crucified on a cross and pay for the sins of the entire world (It is not, in fact, what Milton wrote that Jesus "volunteered" to be crucified).

And if you're wondering why I believe in God yet I'm not even familiar with the Bible, a big reason is because I cannot deny His existence. I have literally felt His presence and seen His works in public places and was just so awed. He has answered my prayers and taught me many things about life. I'm kind of like a baby Christian in a sense, just knowing a few things about my Father - knowing that He exists is definitely one thing - but not about His story on Earth and elsewhere in the universe, which I have an eternity to learn. Right now on Earth, all I can do is obey remain obedient in Him and continue yearning to learn more about His Word.