After giving this topic a lot of thought and considering that it is a very sensitive issue, it will take several articles to do it justice. I will clarify my purpose repeatedly to avoid misunderstanding.

Impetus

The key issue in spirituality concerns subjectivity vs. objectivity, or reason vs. emotion. I will go so far as to say that “spirituality” is often a code name for human emotions with an implied supernatural component. I will discuss that connection later, but to point out here that I think human emotions are beautiful and God-given.

I am not writing as an attack on anyone’s faith. Those who chose a subjective or a hybrid of subjective and objective basis, for believing and relating to a creator, are not inferior, dumber, or in any way less of a Christian than I am. Subjectivity is the norm in religion. I measure people’s faith exactly as Jesus did: by denying ourselves and following him, and he further defined it by loving others as ourselves. My purpose is to create space for the many people like me and my “tribe” who base their epistemology, how we find truth or knowledge, upon objective evidence. But to create this space, I must honestly look at the issues, and I’m not doing this to persuade subjective Christians to change their minds, but to examine the consequences of subjective religion, including alienating a significant population that seeks objective truth.

Next time I will address, what is spirituality?

Housekeeping-Encouraging Signs

After fifteen years, I was considering ending this blog. However, I looked at my statistics, and there has been a dramatic increase in readership in the past six months. Still small, a thousand readers so far in January. What this says to me, not that I’m doing such a good job in writing, but that I am finding a niche. My real goal isn’t a huge following, but that there would be no need for my writing.

For now, I think I will keep this going for a while, as there is a need for it. I’ve noticed that I draw more readers the more controversial my topic is, such as evolution. Topics that are forbidden to be discussed in an organized church setting. I may attempt again to do an accompanying vlog. Personally, I listen to or watch 2 or 3 presentations per day, and I prefer video presentations, except when I am working in my cottage and can listen while I work.

The other advantage of a video presentation is that, if I do it right, I can do it easier than writing. These are unscripted, and in a perfect world, I would prefer feedback on which topics interest the most people.

Years ago, I saw myself as a Christian educator, teaching many Sunday school classes and giving personal lectures. But over time, I am no longer welcomed within the organized church, to teach what I want… the forbidden topics. Yet, I have a passion for those leaving the church, walking out the door with their unanswered questions in their pockets. As my life has shortened, I feel this passion more acutely than ever before. I take comfort in the idea that through the blog, I reach more people than I ever could in a Sunday school class.

There are many great podcasters and bloggers out there. If I bring anything unique to the table, it is my willingness to take risks (i.e., losing friends) and my blunt honesty.

So, I will continue for now, and if my readership/viewership starts to fall, I may end this for good.

Peace, Mike