What Is a Seed? A Neurodivergent Perspective on Curiosity and Faith

When most people think about planting seeds for nonbelievers, they imagine sharing the message of salvation, explaining the meaning of the cross, quoting Scripture, or inviting someone to church. These are good and beautiful things, and they absolutely matter. But they are not the only seeds God uses.

Just as the natural world is filled with seeds of every shape, size, color, and function, the spiritual seeds that reach people are just as varied. And the fruit that is grown can also be different, remember that.

So, my question to you is: Are you destroying the harvest before it ever has a chance to be planted?

I ask this sincerely because throughout my life I’ve encountered churches, leaders, elders, and everyday Christians who shut down questions they personally don’t find relevant. More recently, it has been Christians in my comments section telling me that the things I write about are “stupid,” “irrelevant,” or “not important to our faith.”

But if something is truly irrelevant, then why is it in the Bible at all? Do you really believe God wrote Scripture only for neurotypical thinkers? Do you imagine He didn’t know some of us would learn differently, process differently, or get curious about things others overlook?

People ask about unicorns. They ask why Jesus’ tears were described as blood. They wonder about the Hebrew versus Greek meaning of “virgin.” They ask about Pangea, the Big Bang, or how there was light before the sun.

These questions are not irrelevant, they are seeds!

And often the very questions that can lead someone deeper into Scripture. Yet Christians shut them down, call them irrelevant, and shame people for there curiosity. I see this online everywhere I look, when that happens, it isn’t just the question that gets rejected, you just rejected the person who asked it.

When Curiosity Gets Treated as a Threat

There is an entire demographic of people the church is missing because of a narrow, traditional idea of what “planting a seed” looks like. Some people need the logic before faith makes sense. Some need to explore the strange corners of Scripture. Some need to ask the questions no one else thinks to ask. And when you dismiss those questions as irrelevant or stupid, you destroy the harvest before it ever begins.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been told my questions were dumb, stupid, a waste of time, or irrelevant. I’m just one person, but I’m not the only one who is like this. There are millions like me, people who learn differently, think differently, and approach Scripture from angles that don’t fit any standard mold.

Every time someone is shut down, a seed goes unplanted. And the horror is that many of those seeds could have grown into something beautiful if someone had simply taken the time to nurture them.

This is why the church loses curious people. This is why so many walk away before they ever truly begin. They weren’t rejecting God, they were rejecting the feeling of being dismissed, belittled, or treated as though their questions made them a problem instead of a person.

Why I Write the Way I Do

I come down hard on this because I am that person. I needed to understand the things others brushed off. I dove into those hyper‑focused rabbit holes, and every single one drew me closer to God. I also happen to be stubborn enough to push past the comments, the dismissal, and the gas lighting. But not everyone is. Some people will walk away the moment their curiosity is treated as stupid.

This is why I write the way I do. I write for the people who want to know these things. For the neurodivergent thinkers who see patterns others miss. For the curious minds who get excited about the “irrelevant” details.

Because those details are seeds! Imagine letting your guard down and getting excited with someone about the strangest little detail in Scripture, and watching that excitement turn into faith.

Every question is a seed. Every curiosity is a doorway. Every “irrelevant” detail is a chance to explore the Bible with joy. I’ve gone down some wild rabbit holes, and every single one has drawn me closer to God. We spend our lives masking and conforming to fit into your world. Maybe it’s time for you to step into ours, and learn to plant different kinds of seeds.

I will leave you with this: “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God." Luke 8:11

There is not a single word in the Bible that is not a seed to be used.

© 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture and Word Studies.

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