Disclaimer

For several years, I have shared my thoughts on various topics particularly commentary on  Bible texts. I significantly reduced the number of posts of this kind in self-imposed censorship, the motivation for which I am not very clear about. I still have a lot of thoughts about life and living, science and religion, and the sacred nature of knowledge itself that I would love to share but hesitate to do so and here is what I think are the reasons:

They still call me an elder. 

An elder is the highest office of spiritual leadership in my former denomination. Elders are responsible for leading their churches into a deeper and fuller Christian experience. The position is well respected and the words and teachings of the elders are given some authority.  I was ordained an elder and have a reputation, I believe to be well earned, as a circumspect Bible teacher. What I have discovered, however, is despite the denomination's admonition to members to study the scripture for themselves people tend to give great weight to the teaching of church leadership to the point that some of these leaders’ thoughts and interpretations have been viewed as being in the Bible itself. 

I am very transparent that my thoughts and comments are not orthodox Christianity. I don’t give the Bible the same deference as other professed Christians. I also agree with the findings of science (i.e. evolution, Big Bang), but my ethics are based on a Christian foundation, therefore the stories and passages that I draw from are largely Biblical. This can be misleading, although I do not want it to be. I want people to view my material skeptically, which may be difficult for some who view me as a religious leader of a particular kind. I am a follower and teacher of the teachings of Jesus Christ and therefore a Christian but of a type that is very different from the traditional understanding of the term.

I am not trying to convert anyone. 

I am not interested in developing a new religion or converting followers. I share because I think what I share can be helpful to those similarly situated as me. Some may classify themselves as Christian Agnostics. I am not agnostic but my belief as to what God is or isn’t definitely places me in the atheist camp for “Real Christians” and in the theist camp for “Real Atheist.” I believe God is existence. Similar to Benedict de Spinoza or Albert Einstein’s concept of God or dare I say the God the Apostle Paul describes in Act 17:23-28, but not elsewhere in his writings. More precisely stated, God for me is a concept we create to understand the incomprehensible aspects of existence. Everything we fail to understand is attributed to the God of the gaps in our understanding. I like how Professor Jordan B. Peterson explains some of the psychological aspects in his numerous lectures on the subject although his use of language may be a bit advanced for many.

I don’t want to damage relationships.  

There is an importance to having the people you care about aligned with you in central beliefs. There is pain when someone you love deviates from core believes. I have shed many tears for “backslidden” relatives and friends when I was a firm believer in a particular theology.  Ironically, I am now in the position of the backslider, not in actions or deeds, but in thought alone. How I intimately understand the pain that the few people who know of the change I have undergone must feel for me. The agony they go through because of the firm belief in my dismal eternal fate. To post more means to alert more people that I care about which may result in alienation as those individuals try to insulate themselves from my thoughts as if they are a contagious virus.

What if I am wrong.  

I have agonized a long time on spiritual issues and although not certain in my beliefs I am resigned to my fate both as I understand it to be and what my former belief system says it should be.  Although I am comfortable with it I am not comfortable with others leaning on my conviction as their basis for change in their own life.  I am not as confident that others would approach this with the same degree of care and diligence that I have.  To some extent, the many admonishments against false prophets and teachers in the Bible have an influence on me. 

What is the point of sharing?  

What value is in sharing my thoughts? Well, personally it feels like a compulsion. So the value is personal and maybe psychological. A public journal perhaps. Although my main motivation is personal, I also believe in the transformative power of knowledge. My view is that the more points of view a person is exposed to the more discerning they can be.  

The thoughts I share are of value to me and I believe can be of value to others as well. I guess this is a kind of disclaimer as I enter the new year with the intent to resume my commentary, blogs, posts, and videos. I am not whom you think I am and don’t think or believe how you assume I do. Be discerning when reading and viewing my content.