Intertwining Faith with Critical thinking
In our recent Life Class, we delved into some of humanity’s oldest and deepest ideas like religion, spirituality, belief, rituals, traditions, and customs. We explored how these concepts overlap yet remain distinct: religion often provides structure, spirituality offers personal connection, belief gives purpose, rituals bring consistency, and traditions bind communities.
Vardan Sir’s session was particularly thought-provoking. He candidly shared his journey of becoming an atheist, which opened up a space for honest questions. His perspective encouraged us to look inward — to challenge what we’ve been told and to define what we truly believe.
We also watched The Man from Earth, a film that beautifully blurs the line between faith, history, and logic. The discussion that followed pushed us to think critically, to question our assumptions, and to consider that truth can sometimes exist beyond what’s provable.
Through it all, I found myself arriving at a clearer understanding of my own identity of a spiritual believer. I wouldn’t call myself a staunch follower of my community’s religious practice, but I do hold faith in the fundamental values that religion teaches.
This session wasn’t just about defining what we believ, it was about learning to think about belief itself.