Learning From A Kooky, Flat-Earth Believing, Self-Made Rocket Man’s Good Example

Mike Hughes hasn’t exactly developed a huge following for his beliefs. Hughes has long believed the earth is flat. In his mind, there was only one thing that could convince him otherwise; he had to get into a rocket and launch up to see it for himself. So, this former limo driver became a self-taught rocket scientist and built himself a homemade rocket ship. As you might imagine, he had to navigate himself through a lot of government red tape, but he was finally given the clear for launch. Hughes climbed into his rocket and launched. He reached about 1,875 feet before the rocket parachuted back down. While the landing was a little rough and he had some bumps and bruises, Hughes was, all things considered, fine. As far as his flat-earth beliefs go, this launch didn’t seem to offer enough proof one way or another. So for his next test, he plans to build a balloon to carry him up for a much better view.

Clearly, this guy is a little off his rocker. And we should by no means take up a flat-earth belief, nor become a conspiracy theorist. All of this being said, Hughes has some rather admirable traits we could take from. While also adding a hefty dose of reason and balance, let’s consider adopting 3 positive traits from Hughes.

1. Don’t Blindly Follow The Crowd. At times there is value in breaking away from the crowd and confirming things we’ve been told. Specifically, this is what we need to do with our religious beliefs. God clearly identifies that the majority of people are walking on the wide path leading towards destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). If we blindly follow the crowds, the end result won’t be a pleasant one. The Bible is so vastly more available than ever before, there is no excuse for us to blindly follow without searching things out for ourselves.
2. Work Hard To Discover The Truth. Even though it was towards a rather useless goal, no one can argue that Hughes gave a half-hearted effort to confirm his beliefs. He has worked extremely hard for years and has even studied all of the intricate and complicated details of rocketry. If people today give anywhere near this much effort into finding spiritual truth, they will find it. In fact, God even promises that those who “seek will find” (Matthew 7:7). God wants seekers. We should work hard to be such people.
3. Be Willing To Swallow Pride. To Hughes’ credit, he is willing to admit that he might be wrong. He said, “Do I believe the Earth is shaped like a Frisbee? I believe it is. Do I know for sure? No. That’s why I want to go up in space” (Associated Press). One of the most key parts of finding truth is accepting that we might be mistaken. We should strive to be people who search Scripture diligently and are honestly willing to make the appropriate changes (James 1:22-25).

While there are plenty of crazy, eccentric, and just flat-out odd aspects about Hughes that we should avoid like the plague, there are some good ones as well. The bottom line is, God wants honest seekers. What we believe and follow in religion has massive consequences. If we truly understand the gravity of this situation, then we ought to make absolutely positive we are following truth. Thankfully, all of the answers are just waiting for us in God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).