I used to have a more broad blog, one of those updates on my life, write about whatever I feel like kind of blogs. There were times when the writing came so easily, when a piece of my life felt interesting enough to share with the few followers I had, or when I had something to express. And then there were vast stretches of space in between the easy flowing posts in which I was silent. Perhaps it was busyness, sometimes unhappiness, or just disinterest in blogging.
This type of blog is different. I'm not writing for the sake of writing or updating friends on my happenings, not saying that blogs like these are bad. (They are great ways to stay in touch with friends across the country.) But this blog is more of an assignment, something I figured I should do in order to solve a problem I found myself miserably wrapped up in. This blog is supposed to document my progress from the doubting Christian I was to, eventually, someone who is secure in what she believes. Obviously, we're not sure what that's going to be yet. That's where the posts come in. They serve as steps on the path toward enlightenment (not really meaning that in the Buddhist sense). I've realized that not only are they my way of progressing toward a truth I can believe in, they are tiny fragments adding to the much larger dialogue over the nature of truth and faith. Many who read and comment add their own voices to this never-ending discussion.
But, just like with the blog I had before, silence is the symptom of other villains: distractions, apathy, busyness. When I wrote my first entry, back in July, I had so much to get out. The shock of not just admitting how little faith in the Christian God I had left, but mostly that I wasn't going to grovel and apologize and try to gain it back, but instead, listen to that doubting voice that told me to try leaving that faith for a while. Then came the very slow and frightening process of coming clean to my closest Christian friends and, eventually, family. There was also the Intentional Church Hopping Experiment. Plenty to type about. But, my ICHE ended in December (okay... didn't completely finish it- I missed my 4 square experience), all of my closest friends and family knew where I stood and we came to understand the way our relationships could still be harmonious, and I became much less freaked out by my uncertainty. That drive to know and discover and right my complicated religion status was replaced with complacency.
Well, it's time to return to my journey! I will not feel secure until I have reason to believe in whatever religion or philosophy I end up believing in. I know that not everyone feels the need to stare down the age-old, black-hole deep questions of truth, but when you grow up certain of something, then that certainty dwindles until there's so little left, you realize it's morphed into doubt, you have to find something that you can be truly certain of. It's not difficult to abandon the questions- they are, after all, exhaustive and require much research, thought, and heart, but I shouldn't. So, I am committing to blogging at least once a week again (Sundays will be my definite blogging days, and there may be some bonus posts thrown in when I have something to say), forcing myself to work at finding that elusive truth. I guess it's one of my New Year's resolutions... I know one reader who will definitely hold me to it :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Still here!
This Holiday season (haha- so PC) has been crazy busy. I will be back finishing my Thanksgiving posts anytime now. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/ Solstice/ Hannukah/ Kwanzaa :) Be back sometime soon.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thanksgiving, Part II. Intervention.
I rested my head in my hands and wished with all my might that I could disappear. The words my uncle had just said echoed in my mind “We hear that you’ve decided to leave the LORD.”
I felt extremely undignified for a conversation such as this; donned in sweats, face make-up free, hair in a goofy, bedtime bun. Teresa and I had just had a wonderful evening meeting with a cousin of mine at Colorado’s gem of a piano bar, The Golden Bee. Fortunately, I’d only had one martini, and had eaten plenty of the complimentary crackers, because if there was ever a time to be sober, this was it.
“Is that true, Tricia?”
We’d returned to my aunt and uncle’s house, where my parents, Teresa, and I were staying at around 11. It felt to me like midnight because of the time change, and I was exhausted after driving 8 hours that day (which ended up being surprisingly free of confrontation from my parents- no overt words about my beliefs). We entered their huge house, which loomed in darkness, and said to each other “I guess everyone’s in bed.” As we felt our way up the stairs, passing the high-ceilinged living room where earlier that evening, we had all sat with our wine (Uncle W__ with his Scotch, neat) listening to my aunt and uncle’s vinyl’s play through their extremely expensive and high quality audio system. That evening, everyone had been so cordial and enjoyable. As we passed the living room, out of the shadows, we heard my uncle’s baritone voice say “Hey girls!” We both jumped! Then, looked over to where the disembodied voice had come from, we saw my aunt and uncle, wearing only their robes and reclining in their comfortable leather chairs, icy glasses containing Polish potato vodka within arm’s reach.
“Oh wow! Hi, W__.” He could tell we were shaken and said “Sorry to scare you! Did you have a good time? Did you drink a yard?” The Bee is known for its “yards”, yard tall glasses filled with the brew of your choice. “Oh no!! I could never!” “What? No yard? Did you at least have a few drinks?” “Well, one.” “One? And you said you had a good time! Impossible!” “Uhh, I guess we’re not as wild as you are.” “Ha!” “Okay… I’m pretty tired and cold. I’m going to get ready for bed,” I said as I started up the stairs. They kept Teresa down a few more seconds as I dreamily thought of getting a good night’s sleep.
A minute later, my face was washed, I was in my PJs, and Teresa said, “They want us to come back down and talk.” They are almost 70 years old. I’ve always just been a kid to them. It boggled me that they wanted to have a late night, adult chat with me, but I figured if they had beckoned, I had better go.
“Thanks for coming back down, girls.” The set-up was so weird. There they were, looking so in control, reclining in the shadows, drinks in hand. There we were, two young ladies wearing pajamas, sitting on the couch right by the weakly glimmering kitchen light so our faces could be seen, but theirs could not. Then, as unexpectedly as ever, the words poured out of his mouth “We hear that you’ve decided to leave the LORD.” My aunt chimed in “Is that true, Tricia?”
I laughed to ease the tension, leaned back, stole a glance at Teresa as if to say “Is this really happening?”, then managed to speak. “This is really personal. I wish my parents hadn’t said anything to you about it.” But it was what it was. They knew, and they wanted to save me.
My uncle dominated the conversation. He told me about all of the signs of the time, his certainty that the LORD will return very soon. He told me exactly how it would all play out, the future. His ideas mirrored those in the Left Behind series. Israel, wars, earthquakes, an Antichrist, the rapture, 7 years of torment for everyone left, “but the children born then would be automatically saved,” then the end to this earth. “And you want to be sure that you are one of the one’s making it in the Rapture. You do not want to be down here when the torment is taking place.” They were evangelizing to me, in a really weird way. And not only were their methods strange, it was also strange that I was in an evangelism conversation, on the opposite side. I wondered why they were trying to convert me when I had already grown up Christian and heard everything they were telling me.
In addition to sensationalist doctrine on the End Times, there were some accusations. My aunt said, “But, Tricia, we thought you already made this decision. We thought you had a real relationship with Jesus.” There were warnings about what could happen to me if I really walked away. Then some bashing evolution. There was a moment when my aunt said to Teresa “You’ve been awfully quiet. What do you think of this?” (Like someone who only just met these highly opinionated people would be honest about her thoughts! She had a truth omitting answer: I'm a pastor's daughter [true, but telling? Still, they accepted it, even asking her to try and steer me in the right direction]) They even warned me about joining “the Arab religion” (really???). Occasionally, they asked me questions, provided me with gates to enter this “conversation” (it was more like a sermon).
I had so many things I wanted to say, but I knew that no matter how kind and rational my defensive argument, I could not “win” this battle. Still, I summoned up the strength and tranquility that I wasn’t feeling and proceed to defend myself. I explained to them that, yes, I had been a real, very believing Christian. I’d read my Bible daily, I thought I may one day be a missionary in a faraway country, I lived differently than so many people my age. I wondered what I needed to do to prove that I hadn’t lived my life up to now as a fake Christian! But then I explained about the people I’ve read about online or in books who have been to seminary and become pastors, preached before a congregation for years, then have admitted to themselves that they just could not believe and walking away.
I explained how I had had doubts all of my college years, doubts that had kept me from evangelizing to others, doubts that kept me from feeling like a good Christian, doubts that ate away at my self-esteem. This break from religion was a long time coming. I told them that I was not trying to walk away from the LORD, I was only trying to tackle questions that have gnawed at me for years. Trying to view and process them objectively while still considering yourself a Christian does not work. You are biased. The only way to get a balanced view of truth is to detach yourself from belief systems and look at multiple perspectives. I explained that, if after much research and thought processing, I realize that the Christian beliefs are really true, then I will come back to them with a faith stronger than ever before. I don’t think God would be mad at me for doing what I needed to do to renew and strengthen my faith.
But, to refute their End Times words, which made up a large percentage of what he said, I said, “Honestly, a return to Christianity would have to be motivated by reasoning and authentic belief, not fear.” I didn’t even begin to tackle his unsubstantiated claims about evolution, or try to tell him how rude it is to refer a religion that millions of non-Arab people adhere to as “the Arab religion.” Mostly, I kept things to myself, and wished for this session to come to a close.
Finally, about 45 minutes after Teresa and I had blissfully come in from the cold night, the sermon ended. I told them that I appreciated what I realized was well-intended, but that I was very tired and did not want to discuss my beliefs any longer. They were able to respect that, and after some slightly awkward hugs and “Love you’s”, we left our places in the cold, dim living room and returned to our chambers. My head was reeling for about another 30 minutes with disbelief over what had just happened. I wondered if once Teresa and I had left for The Bee earlier that night, my parents had shared what was happening with me to them. I imagined them discussing it in that chilly living room very worriedly, my parents lamenting the loss of a sheep, my aunt and uncle vowing to help them bring me back. It made me sick to think about. As I lay in bed trying to quiet my mind, I couldn’t help but realize that until (that is, if I ever do this) I come back to Christianity, my family and friends will pray for me, mourn for my loss, and think that I made a terrible mistake when I decided to leave the LORD, as W__ put it.
But as you all should know, it's not something you decide. You can only believe what makes sense to you. I don't feel bad for doing what I need to do to get to beliefs that I can actually believe. I just hope that whatever I end up believing doesn't alienate me from my family and friends, or lead to many more Come to Jesus talks. They are tiring.
Thanksgiving, Part I
This year for Thanksgiving, I, again, traveled with my parents (see the Malibu post for another recent trip with them). Plans were to drive to Colorado (8 hours) on Wednesday, eat dinner with about 30 of my relatives (with the addition of my good blog commenting friend Teresa!), drive back to Teresa's house for a 2 day visit, return to my family on Saturday night, then drive back to Kansas on Sunday morning. Of course, I'm typing on Saturday, so most of the trip has taken place.
You may have noticed the Part I in the title. If little had taken place, religiously speaking, I would be able to lump this into one post, but as of right now, I'm pretty sure this will be a 4 part series... that's how blog worthy this vacation has been.
Part I begins a few days before the departure, Saturday morning (the 20th). I was in the basement of our house, actually watching 30 Rock on hulu, when suddenly my mother emerged out of the laundry/storage room and, out of the blue, interrupts Liz Lemon with "Tricia, how are you doing spiritually?"
"Ugh..." I groaned. "Mom, I want to talk to you about this later."
"No, I want to talk about it now." I paused my computer.
Then, I did it. The thing I had been pushing away for weeks, confessing to the people who have always been so proud of me, knowing they would be very disappointed. It was not according to my schedule, but I guess often times things involving other people aren't. I laid out my cards before her. She seemed mildly surprised. She had tears in her eyes, but did not sob, as she said, "You're so much like me," then told me about her walk away from religion at around my age. She asked a few questions about triggers. Then, it was done. She picked up her laundry basket and walked upstairs.
"Wait, Mom!" She looked back. "Don't tell Dad. I want to wait until after our trip. Please don't tell him yet."
She nodded, then, more slow paced than usual, made her way up the stairs.
I resumed my 30 Rock episode. End of scene.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Wednesday morning, the day of departure: my mom hadn't said anything else to me about my current agnosticism. Our goal was to leave by 7:00, and it was about 6:30 when I passed my dad in the kitchen to grab a mug of coffee and my peanut butter toast. I was, for once, ready very early and had time to kill, so I planned on watching the episode of glee from the night before that I had missed. What is it about watching TV and having revealing conversations with my parents? (I really don't watch much TV at all!) On my way out of the doorway, my dad said,"Tricia?" I pivot, mug and plate in hand. "Yeah?" "Um, Mom says you're having a kind of faith crisis."
I about dropped my breakfast. "Dad, I'm not going to talk about this right now." Then, I left, completely shocked and upset that my mom did tell my dad (yeah, yeah, I know that spouses should be honest about things like that, but I knew that both of my parents knowing would mean that all of my family would soon know, and that the 16 hours in which we'd be sharing a very confined space could feel like 61 hours). For the next 40 minutes, I thought little about it (thank you, glee!) Then, once everyone was actually ready (more like 8:10), sat in the car and waited for what I expected would be an onslaught of apologetics...
You may have noticed the Part I in the title. If little had taken place, religiously speaking, I would be able to lump this into one post, but as of right now, I'm pretty sure this will be a 4 part series... that's how blog worthy this vacation has been.
Part I begins a few days before the departure, Saturday morning (the 20th). I was in the basement of our house, actually watching 30 Rock on hulu, when suddenly my mother emerged out of the laundry/storage room and, out of the blue, interrupts Liz Lemon with "Tricia, how are you doing spiritually?"
"Ugh..." I groaned. "Mom, I want to talk to you about this later."
"No, I want to talk about it now." I paused my computer.
Then, I did it. The thing I had been pushing away for weeks, confessing to the people who have always been so proud of me, knowing they would be very disappointed. It was not according to my schedule, but I guess often times things involving other people aren't. I laid out my cards before her. She seemed mildly surprised. She had tears in her eyes, but did not sob, as she said, "You're so much like me," then told me about her walk away from religion at around my age. She asked a few questions about triggers. Then, it was done. She picked up her laundry basket and walked upstairs.
"Wait, Mom!" She looked back. "Don't tell Dad. I want to wait until after our trip. Please don't tell him yet."
She nodded, then, more slow paced than usual, made her way up the stairs.
I resumed my 30 Rock episode. End of scene.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Wednesday morning, the day of departure: my mom hadn't said anything else to me about my current agnosticism. Our goal was to leave by 7:00, and it was about 6:30 when I passed my dad in the kitchen to grab a mug of coffee and my peanut butter toast. I was, for once, ready very early and had time to kill, so I planned on watching the episode of glee from the night before that I had missed. What is it about watching TV and having revealing conversations with my parents? (I really don't watch much TV at all!) On my way out of the doorway, my dad said,"Tricia?" I pivot, mug and plate in hand. "Yeah?" "Um, Mom says you're having a kind of faith crisis."
I about dropped my breakfast. "Dad, I'm not going to talk about this right now." Then, I left, completely shocked and upset that my mom did tell my dad (yeah, yeah, I know that spouses should be honest about things like that, but I knew that both of my parents knowing would mean that all of my family would soon know, and that the 16 hours in which we'd be sharing a very confined space could feel like 61 hours). For the next 40 minutes, I thought little about it (thank you, glee!) Then, once everyone was actually ready (more like 8:10), sat in the car and waited for what I expected would be an onslaught of apologetics...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Science vs. Religion? Is that even a fair question?
I stumbled across an article on the Big Questions website I posted a couple of weeks ago. The following paragraph struck me as interesting:
"The models generated by biochemical processes in our brains constitute “reality.” None of us can ever be completely sure that the world really is as it appears, or if our minds have unconsciously imposed a misleading pattern on the data. I call this belief-dependent realism. In my forthcoming book, The Believing Brain, I demonstrate the myriad ways that our beliefs shape, influence, and even control everything we think, do, and say about the world. The power of belief is so strong that we typically form our beliefs first, then construct a rationale for holding those beliefs after the fact. I claim that the only escape from this epistemological trap is science. Flawed as it may be because it is conducted by scientists who have their own set of beliefs determining their reality, science itself has a set of methods to bypass the cognitive biases that so cripple our grasp of the reality that really does exist out there."
*Emphasis added
(You can read the whole article here)
I would have to agree that science, at least genuine, truth-seeking science, can be relied upon when considering what is real. This morning, when reading the book that I am very slowly making my way through (but thoroughly enjoying), Guy P. Harrison's 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, I read the chapter on the reason "Science can't explain everything." Upon reading the chapter title, I inwardly journeyed back to an Elementary Education Science class I had with a Physics professor (who, it turns out, is a member of the UU church in town, a member of the atheist group here, and someone who gives presentations on how Evolution and God do not have to be contradictory ideas) who, on the first day of class set aside time to discuss the limits of Science. I found his words very useful and still do. He said something like this
"Science sets out to discover the world around us. It is based on testable evidence, a wide community of scientists who contribute to the pool of science after rigorous experimentation, and the understanding that there are certain things that science cannot touch, matters of faith being one of them. Because faith requires its followers to believe without seeing and science is all about testing until you can see, they seem incompatible. Faith cannot be combated with Science or vice verse. They are on different planes. In that same way, you cannot claim that a religious book is a scientific textbook, since it was most likely written for moral and spiritual guidance. Allow each field to do what its definition allows for it to do and you'll find that there are fewer fights between the religious and the scientific."
I felt good hearing this scientist not belittle the Bible or any religion, but rather remind us to keep each system in its place. As Thomas Aquinas said, "All truth is God's truth." As long as the Scientists were not maliciously working to kick God out or be dishonest, then I figured their corner of truth could be trusted. I've always had a hard time with friends or family members who think that evidence for dinosaurs is a hoax that the secularists have created in order to try and make the Bible's creation account look incorrect. Or that evolutionary scientists are just out to disprove God. I cannot believe that a huge body of intelligent, rational people, especially people who by their definition (scientists), are obsessed with truth, would work that hard to hide the truth. I used to find it much more likely that the parts of the Bible that seemed to speak on science had been dumbed down by God so that the readers would be able to understand.
More on my old, professor-influenced beliefs on science and religion... I actually looked into teaching at a school overseas and began an application to National Institution of Christian School. I have pasted excerpts of the application. These are things I wrote while I was a definite believer, but not someone who closed my ears to other fields of knowledge:
What are your beliefs about the Bible being the inspired and infallible word of God?
"... I must say that I believe the Bible has complete authority, but that God has the authority to communicate to us in ways that may be layered; not necessarily like a modern-day history or science textbook. I can say that the Bible is literal, if “literal” means it communicates what the author or inspirer (God!) intended for it to communicate in the way He intended for the material to be presented. Was earth really formed in exactly 7 days? Is the origin of multiple languages really the result of God’s disapproval of the building of the Tower of Babel? Or are these just ways that God communicated hard to understand truths to the Bible’s readers so that they would see that He has been composing every part of the earth’s history, from its beginning to its peoples’ languages, to its natural disasters, to its end? I know that God is true and honest, but I think His way of speaking to His scribes may have, in some cases, been more poetry than prose, and I can accept that and still believe in Him and His Word. The Bible tells God’s story, and is meant to inform readers about His love, majesty, and grace, not be a textbook. I love the Word for what it is, a divinely inspired document that transcends time and cultures to present God’s love, truth, and grace to its readers."
What do you believe about the origin of the earth and mankind?
"I believe that God is the only Creator. Chance, nature, and science are not in charge of the world and its origin. I believe that God created everything that exists in His time, whether that was literally 7 days as we define them or not. I believe He created mankind and that although He loved them and saw them as good, they sinned against Him and have sinned against Him since. I believe that we, humans, are inherently sinful and can only be good if God lives in us, which can only happen if we accept the grace that Jesus offered to us when He died on the cross. God continues to love us, even though we've done nothing to deserve it."
I actually didn't finish the application. I remember agonizing over that question on origin, deleting a lot of my initial answer, which I thought the Christian teaching organization would not accept. As reasonable as I find those answers to be, I felt like they (and other answers that I've not included on things like alcohol use and my daily quiet times) were too liberal to even bother with applying to a mission organization. I imagined the HR person reading my answers and judging my faith, giving me their religious litmus test. I'm now very glad I didn't end up going in that direction! Can you imagine how crazy this process would be if I was teaching in a conservative Christian community overseas? Oivey.
What are your (believers, atheists, agnostics, uncertains all are welcome to answer) thoughts on the boundaries of science and religion? Is it possible to be a Christian scientist (not a Scientologist!) and maintain intellectual honesty? Is the use of science and logic helpful when trying to decide which (if any) religion to commit to?
ps. Sorry this font size/ spacing is off. Sometimes formatting bewilders and aggravates me!
"The models generated by biochemical processes in our brains constitute “reality.” None of us can ever be completely sure that the world really is as it appears, or if our minds have unconsciously imposed a misleading pattern on the data. I call this belief-dependent realism. In my forthcoming book, The Believing Brain, I demonstrate the myriad ways that our beliefs shape, influence, and even control everything we think, do, and say about the world. The power of belief is so strong that we typically form our beliefs first, then construct a rationale for holding those beliefs after the fact. I claim that the only escape from this epistemological trap is science. Flawed as it may be because it is conducted by scientists who have their own set of beliefs determining their reality, science itself has a set of methods to bypass the cognitive biases that so cripple our grasp of the reality that really does exist out there."
*Emphasis added
(You can read the whole article here)
I would have to agree that science, at least genuine, truth-seeking science, can be relied upon when considering what is real. This morning, when reading the book that I am very slowly making my way through (but thoroughly enjoying), Guy P. Harrison's 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, I read the chapter on the reason "Science can't explain everything." Upon reading the chapter title, I inwardly journeyed back to an Elementary Education Science class I had with a Physics professor (who, it turns out, is a member of the UU church in town, a member of the atheist group here, and someone who gives presentations on how Evolution and God do not have to be contradictory ideas) who, on the first day of class set aside time to discuss the limits of Science. I found his words very useful and still do. He said something like this
"Science sets out to discover the world around us. It is based on testable evidence, a wide community of scientists who contribute to the pool of science after rigorous experimentation, and the understanding that there are certain things that science cannot touch, matters of faith being one of them. Because faith requires its followers to believe without seeing and science is all about testing until you can see, they seem incompatible. Faith cannot be combated with Science or vice verse. They are on different planes. In that same way, you cannot claim that a religious book is a scientific textbook, since it was most likely written for moral and spiritual guidance. Allow each field to do what its definition allows for it to do and you'll find that there are fewer fights between the religious and the scientific."
I felt good hearing this scientist not belittle the Bible or any religion, but rather remind us to keep each system in its place. As Thomas Aquinas said, "All truth is God's truth." As long as the Scientists were not maliciously working to kick God out or be dishonest, then I figured their corner of truth could be trusted. I've always had a hard time with friends or family members who think that evidence for dinosaurs is a hoax that the secularists have created in order to try and make the Bible's creation account look incorrect. Or that evolutionary scientists are just out to disprove God. I cannot believe that a huge body of intelligent, rational people, especially people who by their definition (scientists), are obsessed with truth, would work that hard to hide the truth. I used to find it much more likely that the parts of the Bible that seemed to speak on science had been dumbed down by God so that the readers would be able to understand.
More on my old, professor-influenced beliefs on science and religion... I actually looked into teaching at a school overseas and began an application to National Institution of Christian School. I have pasted excerpts of the application. These are things I wrote while I was a definite believer, but not someone who closed my ears to other fields of knowledge:
What are your beliefs about the Bible being the inspired and infallible word of God?
"... I must say that I believe the Bible has complete authority, but that God has the authority to communicate to us in ways that may be layered; not necessarily like a modern-day history or science textbook. I can say that the Bible is literal, if “literal” means it communicates what the author or inspirer (God!) intended for it to communicate in the way He intended for the material to be presented. Was earth really formed in exactly 7 days? Is the origin of multiple languages really the result of God’s disapproval of the building of the Tower of Babel? Or are these just ways that God communicated hard to understand truths to the Bible’s readers so that they would see that He has been composing every part of the earth’s history, from its beginning to its peoples’ languages, to its natural disasters, to its end? I know that God is true and honest, but I think His way of speaking to His scribes may have, in some cases, been more poetry than prose, and I can accept that and still believe in Him and His Word. The Bible tells God’s story, and is meant to inform readers about His love, majesty, and grace, not be a textbook. I love the Word for what it is, a divinely inspired document that transcends time and cultures to present God’s love, truth, and grace to its readers."
What do you believe about the origin of the earth and mankind?
"I believe that God is the only Creator. Chance, nature, and science are not in charge of the world and its origin. I believe that God created everything that exists in His time, whether that was literally 7 days as we define them or not. I believe He created mankind and that although He loved them and saw them as good, they sinned against Him and have sinned against Him since. I believe that we, humans, are inherently sinful and can only be good if God lives in us, which can only happen if we accept the grace that Jesus offered to us when He died on the cross. God continues to love us, even though we've done nothing to deserve it."
I actually didn't finish the application. I remember agonizing over that question on origin, deleting a lot of my initial answer, which I thought the Christian teaching organization would not accept. As reasonable as I find those answers to be, I felt like they (and other answers that I've not included on things like alcohol use and my daily quiet times) were too liberal to even bother with applying to a mission organization. I imagined the HR person reading my answers and judging my faith, giving me their religious litmus test. I'm now very glad I didn't end up going in that direction! Can you imagine how crazy this process would be if I was teaching in a conservative Christian community overseas? Oivey.
What are your (believers, atheists, agnostics, uncertains all are welcome to answer) thoughts on the boundaries of science and religion? Is it possible to be a Christian scientist (not a Scientologist!) and maintain intellectual honesty? Is the use of science and logic helpful when trying to decide which (if any) religion to commit to?
ps. Sorry this font size/ spacing is off. Sometimes formatting bewilders and aggravates me!
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