Growing up in a family with parents of completely different religious persuasions (Dad a Catholic, and Mom a member of a Seventh-Day Sabbath-keeping group), I had A LOT of questions! While at college, I was confronted with even MORE perspectives – which naturally led to my decades long inquiry into religious matters.
Wanting to honor my parents – while still having these questions – made it impossible to simply choose one parent’s perspective over the other. I felt like I was on Mars, religiously speaking. I didn’t really know what I believed, or even how to make sense of it.
Again, these questions led me on a lifelong inquiry to make sense of things. Although I started by trying to figure out things intellectually (like whether humanity is older than 6,000 years), I became more and more convinced over time that the key to a real understanding of God and His plan of salvation was a heart-felt understanding – rather than a head knowledge.
As it says in Isaiah 6:9-10: And (God) said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.”
My conclusions probably won’t fit perfectly with the doctrine of any one, single denomination. I don’t “fit” in a doctrinal square box. Nevertheless, I see God’s handiwork in all of the different denominations. They may not have all of the answers, but they all have people who are honestly seeking after God with a sincere heart.
My purpose is to educate people where they are, not convince them to join another denomination. God’s plan of salvation is far grander than many Christians can even conceive of, but understanding it is actually fairly simple. God made a series of Covenants with people in the Bible, and those Covenants – both spiritual covenants (e.g. promising eternal life) as well as physical covenants (e.g. promising national blessings to the descendants of the Twelve Tribes of Israel) – play a crucial part in that overall plan.
Without understanding ALL of God’s Covenants, we leave ourselves with an incomplete picture of what God is doing! If we have only a few pieces of God’s grand puzzle, we put ourselves in danger of building on a weak foundation. Thus, we don’t have a good grasp of the ultimate goal. Without a good grasp of this VITAL goal, we might not endure life’s trials when they come!
Thank you for your interest, and I hope you find these articles worthwhile.
– Damon Casale, December 4th, 2021