Having just completed my degree in International Studies I recently got to experience the dreaded final exams, once again. I have been plagued by spanish and after "walking" in 2009 I still had one more spanish course to take before I could obtain my bachelors. I should also mention that I had attempted to take this course before and did not complete it. So another year and another go bye until I am sitting infront of my computer taking the final....if I pass I get a degree, job opportunities, satisfaction of completion...fail is another successive failure, prolonged agony, wasted time, depression, stagnation. Needless to say I successfully completed the course and for that I am greatly releaved. But this came to mind:
Tests are made to challenge the test taker about what it is they know. Some are statements that are either true or false. These can decieve us with the slightest alteration to the wording. i.e. The San Diego Chargers are the best football team in the NFC. True or False? Every word in this statement is true (totally biased...OR future prophecy!?) with the exception of one letter....C. The Chargers play in the NFL in the AFC Western Conference, not the NFC conference. So while they could be the best team in the NFL AND the AFC they could not be the best in the NFC because they simply are not apart of that conference. One little letter changes the whole statement, you "C"? NFC is so similar to NFL too....tricky question with such a look alike imposter in the place of the truth.
Fill in the blanks with no word bank are by far the worst to answer in my opinion. They require you to know the answer without any assistance in recalling the answer except in the statement or question i.e. the 26th president, [ ] , remained in office for 2 terms. uhhhh...I had to look him up too. Some of you may have known it was Teddy Roosevelt. others just could not remember his name, and still some had no clue imputting an "educated guess".
The multiple choice questions are by far the trickiest of questions. Essential comprised of multiple true false questions although only one is in fact true; fairly simple when one knows the correct answer. Although often times we do not know for certain the correct answer thus we make our best educated guess. Lets take that decision into a more inclusive setting like in who wants to be a millionaire. Say we are posed with the million dollar question and we are not certain of the answer. We would use all our life-lines; ask the audience, to get the general consencious; 50:50 to narrow the odds and phone a friend to tell them your about to win a million dollars. But we had better be sure because that is a lot of money to lose. (<---yes, thats how you spell it!) ok so is 500k or whatever it is if you got it wrong but say we were in a cash cab with a chance to double the money, all-or-nothing! We would really be feeling the pressure to make sure we are certain....like fa sho!
Dont we do this a lot though? About important decisions too. We might poll our family or friends or co-workers, think about it and usually boil it down to a 50:50 type answer, either this or that right?...and maybe we call up a friend and tell them what we decided for a little extra confidence boost in our decision. Now say we actually did a little research before we answered any of these life questions and I mean independent research, what would our answers look like then? Answers that were not influenced by the majority, narrowed by some tid bit of information which still leaves that, weeeeell could be that one...kinda feeling, or our go to feel good yes guy/girl; the person in your life that seems to NEVER think your wrong and will side with you on ANYTHING without question.
Now before I go on I think it should be stated that information and research can mess anyone up and lead someone to a very wrong answer based on the information they recieve. Take the movie Slumdog millionaire for example if you havent seen it spoiler alert! In the end during a commercial break the show host tells him the answer is B to win the million dollars after giving a heart felt relation building story. The guy then sits in the chair and says....D Final answer. BOOM The guy wins the million and ends up being accused of cheating. The guy knew something though, he knew the information he was recieving was bad advice and that the host had a motive.
I believe that satan has a motive. There is only one right answer and yet satan will cloud our minds with all sorts of things from subtle distractions, impulses, apathy, anger, lies, bad info, any little thing to throw us off the trail. This just reminded me of the show LOST because they always double back and leave dummy trails when they feel they are being followed. What if you are seeking God, Satan is very motivated you dont find God but only His trail, even then satan will lead you, persuade, and convice you of an easier path to take. Maybe just a "short cut" which there is no such thing because then it would be just called the way. Jesus said, "I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14: 5-7.
I have studied many religions/beliefs and have found powerful teachings and insights into life and the universe in each one of them. I am a Christian because I am a follower of Jesus Christ and it is through Jesus I may know God and through His word in the Bible I may know both God and Jesus Christ as it is the foundation for my salvation along with a ever growing relationship with Jesus Christ so that I may one day be with Him in the kingdom of Heaven. He is the King of kings, Lord of lords and God of gods and I am His humble servant. So I urge you search your heart and mind for the questions about life and the after life, and what you may have answered then ask yourself why it is you believe that to be true. Even if you align with no religion and believe in a higher being there still stands many questions as to human existance. Id ask you personally why the higher being would not be God? And if you believe in God would He communicate with us and leave a legacy of His teachings and proof of His existance?
I understand religion is very heavy topic, one that impacts the very essance of a man in his heart and soul, but I urge you to humbly research your beliefs from a researchers perspective not a collectivist perspective, meaning the acquired beliefs collected over the span of ones life. Look with fresh eyes, open to see the world for what it is. This Earth was made perfect, it was satan that tempted man and woman into sin so that our eyes would know good and evil, sin entered the world. God sent His Son to die for those sins and resurrected as proof He is the Messiah the savior of the world as was profesied for hundreds of years. Jesus will return and I believe it to be soon, but not before satan leads many into following the Anti-christ. Jesus will return as it is written and He will strike the serpents head with His heel. Then there will be a new heaven and I new Earth as it was with Gods Kingdom here on Earth. So I pray that you will take the time to research Christianity and compare the questions and answers you have with the Word of God written in the Bible. Examine your beliefs before you answer the questions because your life and your soul is a huge wager that will last for all eternity.
