I’ve always been the inquisitive sort; never satisfied with common knowledge or being told what, where, and when; I prefer to know how and why too. This facet of my personality manifests in many ways, none more prominent than my near obsession with books and reading. I am quite literally “book poor” – my house if overflowing with them. The fact that I’m married to a hopeless bibliophile just adds to the used bookstore atmosphere of our home.
My curious nature also makes me a natural skeptic. Don’t expect me to take your word for anything because, with the exception of a few trusted friends, I can’t take anything on faith. If I can’t see, hear, touch, smell, or otherwise objectively experience something, odds are I won’t believe it.
Religion and spirituality have long been among my favorite subjects to explore. As stated previously, I’m basically a non-theistic person. I do not believe in the God most Westerners refer to when they speak about a belief in deity. In fact, most of the time I’m not sure if I believe in any god at all. Rather than call myself an atheist, a term most people react to poorly, I choose to call myself an agnostic seeker. Despite my skeptical nature, I’d love to find a spiritual path I can understand and believe in.
To help feed my insatiable appetite for reading material, several family members facilitated my acquisition of more than a dozen new books of my choice over the holidays. Most of them, oddly enough, are religious books on such topics as Islam, Taoism, Christianity, and Vedanta. The first book I chose to tackle, Jesus for the Non-Religious examines Christianity, specifically the life of its central figure, Jesus Christ.
Penned by retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, Jesus for the Non-Religious is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale world of ridiculous superstitions that have always struck me as utterly unbelievable. Stars that move around and hover in the sky, immaculate conception, and raising of the dead have always struck me as beyond the realm of reason. Even as a small child I knew something didn’t quite add up in the Jesus narrative and I’ve spent the much of the last forty years trying to resolve the inherent flaws I found there with the faith of my ancestors.
Despite his rejection of literalist mythology, Bishop Spong has discovered a faith based on what the Jesus story really stands for – love for all of creation, charity in thought and action, and the unity of all humanity without prejudice – and shows us a spiritual path that requires neither faith in the unbelievable nor acceptance of the untenable that even a hardcore skeptic like me can embrace.
I’ve stated before that I have no problem with what Jesus is said to have taught, but I’ve got a huge problem with many if his so-called followers and the discrepancy between their professed beliefs and the hypocrisy of their actions. Mohandas Gandhi may have said it best when he stated, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Several weeks ago I posted my intention to dig deeper into spiritual matters in the coming months. An online acquaintance who writes the Rambling Taoist blog has posted several lengthy series chronicling his studies of various Taoist texts and I’ve decided to adopt a similar format here, beginning with a series based upon my reading of Jesus for the Non-Religious.
My aim is not to undermine anyone’s faith, rather I hope to explore my own beliefs and examine ideas so deeply ingrained in the fabric of our culture that many are sorely out of step with modern civilization. We may not always like the ways in which our civilization evolves over time, but change is the natural result of progress. Civilizations which refuse to change are doomed to wither and die, and the same holds true for religious movements founded upon outlandish myths and superstitions.
I’m sure there are more than a few people in the world who, like me, have given up on Christianity and organized religion in general, yet still feel the pull toward some deeper meaning than the superficial, materialistic world we live in presents. Perhaps Bishop Spong can help us find that new way forward.
If I may bother you for a “more experienced” opinion…I’m wondering if I could write my “now you know” book in blog form. Maybe I’m just doing a little thinking aloud, which is basically what my book would be anyway. I would appreciate any advice you would throw this way.
I’m thinking it would be a sort of live recollection, not that I’d expect much of an audience. I would really be doing it for myself, and those left behind, no longer able to speak for themselves as their deaths left them with diminished capacity to tell their own tales. I made promises to a friend and a few strangers that I would not let them die a lie.
Certainly I understand “the names have been changed” concept as well as the potential danger the truth can generate. That’s not what I’m asking. I am aware this is my own undertaking and I’m not asking for approval or acceptance or support. Please do not feel that I am looking for condolence, or concern, or interest in any details. I’m definitely not trying to throwing you on that hook, however, if I do decide to write it, you are more than welcomed to read (disclaimer completed). I’m just curious if someone with your familiarity with the blog process could counsel a rookie as to whether or not a single story (probably in some sort of chapter format) would fly in blog layout. Are you aware of any book(s) written this way? I’m not concerned with meeting anyone’s timeframe or deadlines (other than my own and those of my ghosts) and I’m not particularly distressed with any book deal for profit.
I must confess that I have reached the doorstep of this attempt after careful consideration. After reading your writings for almost a year now, I’m sensing it’s possible that this maybe my route and I believe giving credit where due. Guess it’s time to find out how much pioneer and legitimacy is in me.
A series!! I love series. (It’s a good way to stay disciplined and focused.) I’ve read several books by Spong. He’s not very popular with the fundamentalist crowd and I can see why!
@DM – Absolutely, if you feel moved to write, by all means do it. It’s been one of the most cathartic and therapeutic exercises I’ve ever undertaken. I agonized for months over whether to use my real name or not, going back and forth several times as I’m sure you saw. I can certainly understand the need for privacy and security (your new I.P. address is VERY, er, private in that if I didn’t know your pattern in my site stats I’d never know which one you were.
I’ve seen several blog projects which eventually became print books, so it’s not unheard of, a fine example I recently heard about is a site called Days With My Father, google it up.
If you do decide to pursue this, please shoot me an email with the URL, I’d love to read whatever you decide to throw out there. Look in the bottom of the About Me page for contact info.
@RT – yes, I’ve been wanting to float down the series river for a while now, and last night I finally decided to put my own needs first and took the painful steps needed to make time for what I need. I’m hoping to get started on the introductory section sometime today. Thanks for the inspiration!
How fitting, somehow I’m struck with a memory of an old Faces cassette tape I used to have. Recorded in southern California (early 70’s, if memory serves), Absolutely Live, where Rod states “How you doing, Anaheim? I don’t know what else to call you. If I knew what your names were, I’d call you by your names”.
I have a deeply rooted faith in something “Supreme”, but as I read the Bible for the first time the year I was in kindergarten, I was spared the previous interpretation of others. I perceived the process as something more mathematical…a system of checks and balances. Good vs. evil, truth vs. lies, and everything has its appropriate time. I have always taken what I believed to be signs as they presented themselves, and I’m seeing my light as green.
I’ll be in touch…and thanks.