Whatever Happens?

2/18/15                  Ken                about 30

In a marketplace conversation, a young man named Ken told me he had grown up in a religious household, and then said “But I don’t think about religion very much. It’s really not that important to me.  I just think whatever happens will happen”.  I asked him if he had plans or goals for the future, say, ten years from now.  He did, so I asked “In the same way, wouldn’t it make sense to do some serious thinking about your eternal future?  If it’s possible that what the Bible says is true – that we will spend eternity either in a right relationship with God, or an eternity in punishment, wouldn’t it make sense to give that some serious thought?”  He changed the subject and asked  “What do you think about the multiverse theory?  According to that, it’s possible that we’re not even standing here talking to each other right now, that there are an infinite number of other possible combinations of existence”.   Apparently Ken has been thinking about other religious possibilities more than he will admit.  “Anything is possible”, I said, “but I have to believe that if God created us, He did so for a reason, and if He had a reason, why would He not reveal it to us?  This is one reason why I believe God makes Himself known to us and we aren’t just left to try to figure Him out for ourselves.  Have you ever read the Bible?”  He had not.  “Most people’s ideas about the Bible are based on other people’s opinions.  I really recommend reading it for yourself.”  Ken’s comments about the “multiverse” (as opposed to the “universe”) reminds me that no one is neutral when it comes to religion.  People who claim not to think much about it will pretty much have someone else do their thinking for them, and end up subscribing to the latest trend in religious belief from pop culture.  Ken was open and willing to talk and consider what I had to say. Better than just saying “whatever happens will happen”!