Voice in the Wilderness: A Layman’s Perspective

There’s a need to reconcile the enormous amounts of information we are exposed to regarding religious teachings, claims, and behaviors of faiths and doctrines that share in a fundamental belief of a loving, caring Creator. They have become more critical in these present times: - Does God still love me when I fail in life? - How is the doctrine of tithing relevant today? - Why it’s important in today’s world events to have a personal relationship with God - Has the basic doctrine of scriptural truth changed with the times? - Can that man or woman of the cloth actually get side-tracked in executing their pastoral duties? There is a need to navigate between the differences of biblical, doctrinal beliefs, as the beliefs have taken front and center positions in being man-centered as opposed to the simplicity of God-inspired text, for the purpose and desire of developing a personal relationship with our Heavenly Creator. Raised in a single-parent, traditional Baptist Church household in the early sixties, at a time when children were seen and not heard, for long as I can remember I had more questions than answers. I had an inquisitiveness that netted more trouble than not in questioning authority about matters of the heart, such as religion, morality, family, rules in life, and why do some obey the rules and some don’t. A mind filled with unanswered questions, I went on a personal search for answers and to find my voice. This search led me to, although I was baptized at an early age, receive baptism three additional times because I was told I should by Mormons, a Pentecostal preacher, and the Adventist. I’d begun a search to unveil God in my life and I left no stone unturned, because I knew He existed but didn’t understand why there were so many doctrines.