The Importance of Self Education by Jimiah

The Importance of Self Education by Jimiah - October 2020 Scholarship Essay

As a Christian, I have been raised in the church my entire life. Throughout this time, most of the information that I have learned has been from secondary sources. The best book that I have read this year is the Bible. I began to read the Bible this year by myself for the first time. It may seem weird for this to be the book that I have chosen because everyone finds it to be a bore, but I am interested in educating myself about my religion.
The Bible is long, but I’ve already made it to the first book of Samuel, which is the ninth book. So far, I have gone through a number of stories, some that I know, and some that I don’t. This year I realized that my relationship with God was not as strong as I thought it was, so I began to read. I made a decision to finish through the book of Psalms which has 120 chapters in it, by New Years Eve. This is the best book because I am learning what I should have brought myself to do years ago.
By reading this book, I have been able to have meaningful conversations with my parents. I know the world does not look to the Bible when it comes to its discoveries because there is no factual evidence, but I have learned so much over these past few months. I have been able to share my interest with my parents, and I have even questioned them about certain aspects of the Bible. By reading, I have come to realize that the church is not initially the place where I am supposed to be learning. Over my eighteen years of life, I think I can say that I have learned more about these first eight books of the bible at home than I have at church.
My biggest interest about this book is that I get to see the past of God and understand why he is who he is. It surprised me that the bible was openly violent in ways. The fact that the Israelites basically went on a killing spree, ridding the earth of their enemies, or those that served other gods. It surprised me to know that some of the stories in the Bible were repeated in different books. The most interesting part about the Bible is that the Israelites would hang kings after they killed them. I don’t recall the church showing me this side of the bible and I can honestly say that I am happy that this pandemic has given me the opportunity to learn for myself.
Overall, I can say that this book has definitely been an eye opener. I realized how ignorant I was about my religion, and how weak my relationship was with God. I took this initiative because there are so many unanswered questions that I have. By educating myself, I have been able to understand more about my religion, and I can now understand the conversations that are held at services. I feel like I am reading through a textbook to prepare for a test. With this new information, I can now make my own opinions about the bible’s interpretations, and I can speak through knowledge and education by challenging other christians as I continue to learn and grow.`The Importance of Self Education
As a Christian, I have been raised in the church my entire life. Throughout this time, most of the information that I have learned has been from secondary sources. The best book that I have read this year is the Bible. I began to read the Bible this year by myself for the first time. It may seem weird for this to be the book that I have chosen because everyone finds it to be a bore, but I am interested in educating myself about my religion.
The Bible is long, but I’ve already made it to the first book of Samuel, which is the ninth book. So far, I have gone through a number of stories, some that I know, and some that I don’t. This year I realized that my relationship with God was not as strong as I thought it was, so I began to read. I made a decision to finish through the book of Psalms which has 120 chapters in it, by New Years Eve. This is the best book because I am learning what I should have brought myself to do years ago.
By reading this book, I have been able to have meaningful conversations with my parents. I know the world does not look to the Bible when it comes to its discoveries because there is no factual evidence, but I have learned so much over these past few months. I have been able to share my interest with my parents, and I have even questioned them about certain aspects of the Bible. By reading, I have come to realize that the church is not initially the place where I am supposed to be learning. Over my eighteen years of life, I think I can say that I have learned more about these first eight books of the bible at home than I have at church.
My biggest interest about this book is that I get to see the past of God and understand why he is who he is. It surprised me that the bible was openly violent in ways. The fact that the Israelites basically went on a killing spree, ridding the earth of their enemies, or those that served other gods. It surprised me to know that some of the stories in the Bible were repeated in different books. The most interesting part about the Bible is that the Israelites would hang kings after they killed them. I don’t recall the church showing me this side of the bible and I can honestly say that I am happy that this pandemic has given me the opportunity to learn for myself.
Overall, I can say that this book has definitely been an eye opener. I realized how ignorant I was about my religion, and how weak my relationship was with God. I took this initiative because there are so many unanswered questions that I have. By educating myself, I have been able to understand more about my religion, and I can now understand the conversations that are held at services. I feel like I am reading through a textbook to prepare for a test. With this new information, I can now make my own opinions about the Bible’s interpretations, and I can speak through knowledge and education by challenging other christians as I continue to learn and grow.