Caliban
I am including this mini spiritual bio because it is often assumed, that because I am an unbeliever, I must be unfamiliar with the Bible and the theological traditions which have deeply considered the meaning and implications of the text. I am now an agnostic atheist at the age of 43, But I was a Christian three years ago.
I grew up in the church. I Joined the Navy after 9/11. In the Navy I got serious about studying theology—mostly Reformed theology. I loved J.I. Packer, John Calvin, R.C. Sproul, Sinclair Ferguson—and too many more to list. My wife and I were members of the RCUS (reformed Church in the United States. Our daughters were baptized, I served as a Deacon, and I taught Sunday School.
I attended University on the G.I. Bill. My undergraduate degrees include English (emphasis on the Novel since 1945) and Religious Studies (Emphasis on Mark and the NT). I graduated university and attained advanced degrees in Literature, and Education. I teach writing and literature for a living.
For most of my life, I considered my walk with Christ to be the foundation of everything I did and loved. I took 2 Corinthians 2:5 wholeheartedly—to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. But I began to read more scholarship that caused me to question my presuppositions about inerrancy, the historical reliability of the Bible, and the way I formed my opinions.
The end of my faith happened when I studied epistemology. I knew the term from college and even knew of Alvin Plantinga’s ideas about it. But I just never studied it myself. Those mornings and evenings, before and after work were intense. I lost my faith by sitting on a couch reading books—but my heart was racing. I realized there was an entire world I had not considered because I previously had a version of reality that differed from a new vision full of possibility and curiosity. I was beautiful and freeing.
I continue to study and the way I remain engaged with theology is by interacting with Christians on this forum. We probably don’t agree—but we might have a few years ago.
What I currently think: The fact that we cannot detect a god or the supernatural is not evidence there is no god; but, it is a reason to withhold believe.
“The truth shall make you free, but first it shall make you angry.”
― Robert Green Ingersoll
“There’s simply no polite way to tell people they’ve dedicated their lives to an illusion.”
― Daniel Dennett
I grew up in the church. I Joined the Navy after 9/11. In the Navy I got serious about studying theology—mostly Reformed theology. I loved J.I. Packer, John Calvin, R.C. Sproul, Sinclair Ferguson—and too many more to list. My wife and I were members of the RCUS (reformed Church in the United States. Our daughters were baptized, I served as a Deacon, and I taught Sunday School.
I attended University on the G.I. Bill. My undergraduate degrees include English (emphasis on the Novel since 1945) and Religious Studies (Emphasis on Mark and the NT). I graduated university and attained advanced degrees in Literature, and Education. I teach writing and literature for a living.
For most of my life, I considered my walk with Christ to be the foundation of everything I did and loved. I took 2 Corinthians 2:5 wholeheartedly—to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. But I began to read more scholarship that caused me to question my presuppositions about inerrancy, the historical reliability of the Bible, and the way I formed my opinions.
The end of my faith happened when I studied epistemology. I knew the term from college and even knew of Alvin Plantinga’s ideas about it. But I just never studied it myself. Those mornings and evenings, before and after work were intense. I lost my faith by sitting on a couch reading books—but my heart was racing. I realized there was an entire world I had not considered because I previously had a version of reality that differed from a new vision full of possibility and curiosity. I was beautiful and freeing.
I continue to study and the way I remain engaged with theology is by interacting with Christians on this forum. We probably don’t agree—but we might have a few years ago.
What I currently think: The fact that we cannot detect a god or the supernatural is not evidence there is no god; but, it is a reason to withhold believe.
“The truth shall make you free, but first it shall make you angry.”
― Robert Green Ingersoll
“There’s simply no polite way to tell people they’ve dedicated their lives to an illusion.”
― Daniel Dennett
Member statistics
- Region or City
- California
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Male
- Faith
- Skeptic
- Occupation
- Educator--I teach literature and writing
- Marital Status
- Married
Signature
I'm going to proportion my beliefs to the evidence.
-- Peter Boghossian
-- Peter Boghossian