Young Sheldon And The Leap of Faith

I was never a serious fan of Young Sheldon or the Big Bang Theory, but some threads there interest me. The Cooper family is often seen as sharing a pew in the local Baptist Church. Sheldon often shocks the congregation in his near denial of Christian faith. Sheldon, a gifted child, comes out quite openly as an agnostic.

Sheldon’s behavior in turning the pastor’s sermon into a dialogue or discourse would shock any congregation. In Sunday School, this causes many problems as other kids say that the Cooper family needs to be excommunicated. In one scene, this causes a row with Sheldon’s sister Missy who is known to sock guys with a fist in defending her family against such accusations.

Belief in an all-loving and all-knowing God takes what the Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard calls a “leap of faith.”

We are not born as believing Christians. We come to know God through reading and studying His Holy Word. The Bible is often referred to as God’s love letter to mankind. It tells the story of how God formed a fail-safe plan for the salvation of mankind after the fall. God had a backup in taking the form of human flesh as Jesus Christ.

I, myself, grew up in a somewhat orthodox Lutheran family and I was baptized as an infant. My mother compared well with Mary Cooper although not as brash. When I left for the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Mom’s instructions were simple and clear. “Find a church!” I did that.

My faith walk has had many influences as I faced the challenges of my life. As I grew and went through confirmation and continued through worship and study of God’s word, I am a stronger man for taking that “leap of faith.”

Faith and science sometimes are at odds with each other. Having faith is not always logical. It cannot be proven by scientific methods. Yet, when men look at things of nature, even in outer space, how can they not wonder if there is not a Creator?