There are a couple of influential researchers and thinkers whom I respect. They capped their careers with interesting comments. These are Karl Barth, scholar and theologian, and Carl Jung, psychiatrist.
There was some point when I started noticing people rather than things, so I started studying psychology instead of engineering. I read a lot, but mostly I read (I think) everything that Carl Jung wrote. He was deep. Now I caution you, be careful reading “Jungians,” or followers of Jung. Many people took up part of his ideas and ran with them in some really weird directions.
But Jung was curious about the emotional/psychological afflictions of his patients and set out to explore the inner life. After a long career of research and writing, he was asked if he believed in God. The quote I saw from him was, “Believe? No, I don’t believe. I know.”
Karl Barth also was a scholar and writer. I have not read everything he wrote. Just some. But I also liked the comment he made toward the end of his career after writing thousands of pages of the results of his scholarship. Someone asked him to sum up his work, and he replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” (You know, the little song we teach children.)
Those two comments have had a lasting influence on me. A life with God begins with knowing God. And realizing His love. And then just living as He guides. And to me, that’s freedom.
Faith Venture 
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