Though I’m sure there were others– asking for my wife’s hand in marriage among them– the one that emerges was the decision to go to seminary, which was a learning experience on various levels. It opened my eyes to the vicissitudes of human existence, it expanded my knowledge of Scripture, deepened my appreciation for the Lutheran tradition but also tempered any bias I might have from being what many might consider indoctrinated.
This decision led me and my family away from Massachusetts, where I had spent the first 37 years of my life. In terms of roots, our children may consider themselves Pennsylvanians, though two of them have long since moved away and have established lives in other states.
I guess the other decision that has affected me personally is reading Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, which has cast deepening doubt on my faith, such as it has always been, and pretty much everything I learned about the Bible, along with leading to a falling away from the church.
A pretty dramatic shift, though I don’t blame Mr. Harari. It’s just something that can happen when one dares read a dissenting opinion and is skeptically-inclined to begin with.
3 Cents' 