There’s one particular attitude we need to watch out for. It is the pride in claiming to be open-minded. We like to be known as reasonable, balanced individuals. But we are seldom fair and unbiased. And here’s where introspection is vital. We all have, blended and compounded in us, the mind of a believer, a skeptic, as well as an inquirer, and can flit from one to the other so smoothly that we ourselves don’t notice the change. The problem surfaces when we go straight to the believing or skeptical mode, without going through the process of inquiry [all too common on the religious front]. Then when we are closely questioned or taunted regarding the basis of our beliefs, it comes as a shock that we cannot defend what we had taken for granted all along. We become confused and begin to question our own positions. This leads to greater confusion because the answers are not easily forthcoming. This vicious cycle can get so frustrating that some feel great relief in turning their backs on anything that has to do with religion. I can sympathize with that. If you are in such a state let me assure you that you are not alone.

Some shelve their frustrations pretending everything is OK; others silently wonder from where the right answers are going to come; yet others question whether the answers will ever come! But take heart, all is not lost. It is to those very ones who question and grope that our SEARCH will make the most sense and be the most rewarding.