Years ago, I wrote a series called, "How I became a secular humanist." In it, I cataloged my progress from the young member of a narrow-minded sect within Evangelical Christianity to leaving the church. In this blog, I intend to begin there and go beyond to discuss my experiences and growth as a secular humanist.
My series from years ago was often reactionary, a place for me to express my feelings. Leaving behind a religion that meant everything to you is an experience that must be similar to the end of a very long and deep relationship. It takes years to figure out exactly what you've left behind, and longer to redefine yourself outside of it. I don't think many of my friends understood that, even though, I often tried to explain it. I had been very devout even from youth. I was one of the weird kids that read the bible on his own, prayed on his own, and honestly enjoyed church. Ironically, I still do. I suppose those are others stories.
This series will detail many of the same experiences, but from a less bitter and, I hope, more even-handed approach. I have no doubt that my Christian friends will still find much of what I say controversial, and at times oversimplified.
I will say at the first that it wasn't bad experiences at church or in life that made me leave the church. I'm no saint, but I didn't leave Christianity for love of sin. I don't live much differently now from how I did then. I traded a rather secure path for an insecure one. I gave up something I loved doing, ministry, for something I knew I wouldn't care much for, Soldiering. That reminds me of Krogering. Let's go Krogering. Anyway.
I didn't have too many questions. I think some people would assert that about me, but not people who know me well. I had answers and they didn't jive. It was all cognitive dissonance, and I came to believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead, that there is no Holy Spirit, and no god interacting with us in the way Christianity and like religions often claim.
A lot of what I write in this series will be rather philosophical. I'll delve into church history, theology, philosophy, science, and a wide variety of other topics. I'll try to make everything easy to understand. I agree with Hume that much of philosophy should be written so that non-philosophers can understand. In any case, I'm not a philosopher, and I think and write best when talking about every day life. And that's what religion is anyway, isn't it. I mean, if it doesn't every day life, then it's probably artificial, not actually relational in any way that a human would understand. I'm getting ahead of myself.
My series from years ago was often reactionary, a place for me to express my feelings. Leaving behind a religion that meant everything to you is an experience that must be similar to the end of a very long and deep relationship. It takes years to figure out exactly what you've left behind, and longer to redefine yourself outside of it. I don't think many of my friends understood that, even though, I often tried to explain it. I had been very devout even from youth. I was one of the weird kids that read the bible on his own, prayed on his own, and honestly enjoyed church. Ironically, I still do. I suppose those are others stories.
This series will detail many of the same experiences, but from a less bitter and, I hope, more even-handed approach. I have no doubt that my Christian friends will still find much of what I say controversial, and at times oversimplified.
I will say at the first that it wasn't bad experiences at church or in life that made me leave the church. I'm no saint, but I didn't leave Christianity for love of sin. I don't live much differently now from how I did then. I traded a rather secure path for an insecure one. I gave up something I loved doing, ministry, for something I knew I wouldn't care much for, Soldiering. That reminds me of Krogering. Let's go Krogering. Anyway.
I didn't have too many questions. I think some people would assert that about me, but not people who know me well. I had answers and they didn't jive. It was all cognitive dissonance, and I came to believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead, that there is no Holy Spirit, and no god interacting with us in the way Christianity and like religions often claim.
A lot of what I write in this series will be rather philosophical. I'll delve into church history, theology, philosophy, science, and a wide variety of other topics. I'll try to make everything easy to understand. I agree with Hume that much of philosophy should be written so that non-philosophers can understand. In any case, I'm not a philosopher, and I think and write best when talking about every day life. And that's what religion is anyway, isn't it. I mean, if it doesn't every day life, then it's probably artificial, not actually relational in any way that a human would understand. I'm getting ahead of myself.
