Do Not Believe Me
Do Not Believe Me
Growing up in a Christian environment, one of the aspects of my religion that always bothered me was being told what to believe. Why do we have powers of observation and reason, if not to use them? What do we do when these powers conflict with something that was written 2000 years ago? Over the years as I began to reexamine my beliefs (or lack thereof), I came to realize that it was not belief but understanding that was most important to me.
I don’t want you to believe me. The purpose of my blog is not to convert anyone. Instead, I want to encourage my readers to question, to think, and to experience for themselves. I am here to share with you the ideas that have sparked my own evolving religious understanding – ideas that have come from the research for my upcoming books, my time studying religion at Oxford, and my personal spiritual search.
I suspect that those who are fundamentalists will see me as an atheist and those who are atheists will see me as too much a theist. Although I welcome comments and critiques from everyone, especially if you disagree with me, I am writing primarily to those in the middle – those who may consider themselves “spiritual but not religious,” those who attend religious services but do so out of obligation rather than as a source of true spirituality, those who yearn for meaning in their lives but who do not want to sacrifice scientific and rational thought to find that meaning. I hope to raise provocative, thought provoking questions about religion and spirituality. If I become too dogmatic, too preachy, or you just think I am wrong, please comment and let me know. I also welcome questions and ideas from those who have been similarly searching as I have been.
Don’t Believe...
Question. Think. Experience.
Do Not Believe Me.