The IDW
About a year ago I discovered a group that goes by the name IDW (Intellectual Dark Web). The IDW includes people like Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and others.
I like to listen to commentaries on political topics. Since these issues are what most of the group spoke about, I was intrigued from the beginning.
After a long while of following the group, I ended up stumbling upon video lectures and debates from Jordan Peterson.
My initial thoughts
My first impression of Jordan Peterson (through watching his lectures) was good but very different from what it is today. I remember admiring his speech and communication skills.
With other members of the group I tended to pay attention to the content of what they were saying; with Jordan Peterson, initially, I was most interested in how he spoke and held himself in a conversation or debate.
In tense debates he would stay very calm, watch his words, and answer questions competently. Since most people, including me, struggle to stay composed during tense situations, he stood out to me.
Reading his book
Although I did care primarily, at first, about the demeanor of his speech rather than the content, I still recognized that he was extremely intelligent; I knew right away I could learn a great deal from him.
I discovered his book, 12 Rules for Life, and ended up reading it.
Once I read it, I realized that the Bible heavily influences his writing and life. He references the Bible many times in his writing and uses it to draw many conclusions about life.
Although he referenced the Bible multiple times, I was not quite sure exactly if he was a Christian or what he valued from the bible; I had no idea if he valued all of the Bible or only parts?
I wanted to learn more about his faith to see how closely his and mine aligned if at all.
Differences in faith
I decided to watch some more videos and debates of his recently. I focused of finding some that had to do with Christianity; it didn’t take long to discover more about his faith.
He calls himself a Christian and although I would refute that, that is beside the point. The more important issue is (for this article) is where his values lie.
It is clear that he shares the same Judeo-Christian values that I do. After reading his book, watching more lectures of his, and learning more about what he believes, I noticed more and more through his conversations with people that his values were influencing what he was saying and what he believed.
Christian Teachers
I’ve known that having good Christian mentors or teachers to look up to in life is a positive thing, but listening to Jordan Peterson has shed a new light on that for me. He often speaks about the importance of relationships, strong families, and taking responsibility.
I noticed after finding out where his values came from that much of what he speaks about and defends is taught in the Bible. Jordan Peterson is just another example of how important it is to be able to defend my faith.
The composure he keeps combined with his beautifully articulated sentences when speaking just add another level to what I can learn from him.
Jordan Peterson has taught me, along with many other things, the importance of communicating what I believe in while doing it with kindness and boldness.
His value of Christian beliefs is clearly seen in all of his work; it is energizing seeing someone who is so popular spreading good messages to both kids and adults.
Jackson Laninga is a Press Service International young writer from Auckland, New Zealand
Jackson Laninga is a student at Auckland University of Technology. He grew up in Arizona, but moved to New Zealand to study communications.