Let's be real you guys, we have a lot of issues. We suffer from societal controversy over the economy, political affiliation, relationships, familial indifference, racial discrimination/proper representation, use of the internet, ill-informed beliefs, you name it. Who's to say where all of this comes from? Do we chastise people that are different than us for just being unique, do we blame ourselves for not empathizing with the opinions of others, or do we hopelessly bash our heads against a wall indefinitely and never really solve anything? It's hard to say, but I largely believe that a great deal of our national and private contention boils down to one thing: faith.
A few months ago, I made the horrible/wonderful decision to subscribe to Pete Holmes' podcast You Made it Weird, and it served as an eye opener that I don't know anything about anything. Pete Holmes is an L.A. based comedian (famous for voicing the E-Trade baby and playing Batman in College Humor's videos) who invites his guests to talk about comedy, sex, and God. Despite having on successful comedians like T.J. Miller, Sarah Silverman, Bo Burnham, and others who offer insight on the intricacies of show business, but the most interesting segment for me to listen to is always when they discussed God. Many are atheists or devout Christians, many were raised Catholic or suffer Catholic guilt, and many consider themselves spiritual or agnostic, but they all provide unique and compelling insight. After listening to the first 50 or so episodes, I was moved to ask myself what I believed in and I realized I hadn't the slightest idea what that is.
Religion is a touchy subject for everyone, so I'm going to be as cautious as I can to consider both sides of every argument. I will start by saying I've been wrestling with the complexity of faith and science, belief and reason, light and truth, and I've come to a temporary conclusion that that is exactly what my spirituality is; a wrestling match. Sitting in the part of my mind that is reserved for faith are two guys, one a devout Christian and the other a hardcore atheist, and they're arm wrestling each other forever. I honestly think that's the only real stance anyone could take on the issue and I tend to discredit anyone's opinion if they lean all the way left or all the way right. I won't even begin to talk about the Bible being canonized or how religion influenced the crusades or modern terrorism until much later, but the point of this series is to ask complicated questions, not to answer them.
This is a really boring first entry, but it's the best start I could come up with. My current plan is to read the bible and write about what I think, it's that simple. I will be reading the King James version of the Holy Bible while simultaneously delving into books/articles both combatting and supporting organized religion. I invite you to be a part of the conversation and suggest topics for me to write about. This could be a great idea, it could be terrible, but I do know there has to be someone else out their suffering through their own crisis of faith just as I am, and I have to tell that person they are not alone.
New entries coming every week!
