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Background

Religion History

Testimony

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Testimony

by Todd Elder

Childhood

Not Understanding Life

Although I was raised attending a christian church, it did not have much effect on my life through my childhood and young adulthood. At home, I had been raised watching television and playing video games. In the public school system, I had been taught much technical information, but was not trained in living life. In looking back, I did not have much understanding of life and, therefore, I also did not have much value on life.

Considering Suicide

During my senior year of high school, I was making an attempt to improve my life by following the wise sayings of those who have lived before. This effort was fruitless because I was moving in different directions. In fact, the result was trying to live a life that was free of pain and boredom and which had no goals. It should have come as no surprise when I found myself questioning if death would be better than life. It was a snowy night with a crescent moon when the idea of letting myself die occurred to me. What stopped me from doing so was the singular question of 'is there meaning to life?'. Thereafter, I was on a quest to see if there was reason to live.

Adulthood

Science and Philosophy

My search for meaning to life went in two directions. The first was in the sciences (biology, chemisty, geography, physics, math, etc.). I was exploring our physical world to see what was there to learn. The second direction was searching for meaning in philosophy. A great many philosophers dealt with principles of pleasure and pain and stressed that a life lived well would be pleasant. The path I chose was Epicureanism which favored the pleasures of the mind over the pleasures of the body. Thus, as a university student, I concentrated on my studies and on other learning while avoiding the party and social groups. Both of these directions came together in the hobby of photography. I amassed a large volume of images that were both exploring the world around us with realistic images and searching for life in philosophy through studio and abstract photographs.

Only a Lifestyle

This was a time of exploration. I was trying to understand what I saw around me. This lasted for about 10 years. What I ultimately learned is that this was much more of a lifestyle than it was actually living a life. As much as I might have enjoyed what I was learning, I was left empty inside. The meaning of life is not to be found in the physcal nor in the mental. Not only that, but ultimately I had begun to notice that life was not matching up with what I had been taught growing up ... it was much more complex and had deeper levels to it than what the sciences could allow for.

Becoming a Believer

Returning to Scripture

As I continued my attempts to study life, I finally turned toward the Scriptures, beginning with the book of Ecclesiastes, and began searching in the spiritual direction. I did not know it at the time, but though I was raised in the christian church, I knew very little about what the Scriptures had to say about life. I was soon to realize that what I knew about life was a man-made perspective that tried to explain our planet and our lives devoid of a spiritual realm and the One Most High.

Great Questions of Life

In reading the Scriptures, I was faced with several major decisions. Was I truly to believe that they are inspired and that the Almighty really exists? Was I to follow the instructions given in Scripture or live life according to the religious traditions created by man? Was there a spiritual realm that exists alongside of the physical realm? Am I able to have a relationship with the One Most High? Did I genuinely understand and believe that salvation and eternal life come only through Messiah? These questions and many others needed to be answered. I called myself a believer, but my life and my actions did not show it.

An Attempt at Prayer

The greatest change in my life came when I decided to start praying. The initial attempt was to pray fifteen minutes each morning for three months and see what would happen. The first morning I got up, prayed for a whole two minutes and then did not know what to do for the remaining time. Though I had grown up going to church each week, I had not learned to pray. I soon received some excellent advice that said I should pray to the Almighty like I would talk to my spouse (sharing good things, bad things, desires, fears, etc.). I tried this, especially letting our Heavenly Father know of my fears and concerns for the day. I was able to fill up fifteen minutes. By the end of the three months, the result was that the things prayed about generally went better than what I had been accustomed to in the first 30 years of my life.

Living Life

A Few Answers

Yes there is meaning to life! For almost ten years I have been Exploring life through the eyes of a believer. This inlcudes building a relationship with the Almighty and learning His word in the Scriptures. Perhaps the greatest help to me was reading through the Scriptures in chronological order to see the relationship the One Most High has with mankind. Seen in perspective, our sinful nature and the need for a Savior becomes quite appearant. As I looked at the world it also became clear that what is described in the Scriptures regarding creation accurately depicts what is around us while the man-made theory of evolution simply does not work.

Finding Peace

During these years, I have abandoned the pleasure seeking of the philosophers and have instead found the peace that the Almighty offers His people. I have also been learning to read the Scriptures to see what they say rather than follow the traditions of man that come with many religious denominations. In many ways, I have started over and am re-learning what I thought I already knew about life. This time, there is joy and hope and peace.

Currently

I am still on my search to explore our world and understand life. The last few years have consisted of traveling through the United States with either a pop-up camper or a tent to aid the study of creation in the sciences as well as in theology. It is a journey of faith which has been rewarding in having a closer relationship with the Almighty.

CSE Citation Elder T W. Exploring Creation [Internet]. Livingston (TX): Exploring

Creation; 2011 Apr. 6. [cited your access date]. Available from:

http://www.exploringcreation.info/testimony.htm

MLA Citation Elder, Todd W. Exploring Creation. Ed. Todd Elder. 6 Apr 2011.

Exploring Creation. your access date

http://www.exploringcreation.info/testimony.htm