^ if you know, you know 🤣. 

Well folks, today put on the sports bra and jocks because there’s going to be a lot of shakin going on.. 

Thanks for reading and I welcome comments! Come on, don’t make me feel like I’m out here all alone, someone has to be reading these if only for entertainment purposes.

Religious Debates: Christian vs. Muslim, Catholics vs. Christians, Atheists vs. All, Agnostics… 

People often think individuals who won’t come up with an answer for something aren’t intellectually capable of making sound decisions. I think if you come to me saying you have the answers to everything, it’s an immediate got to go moment. My plumbers wife’s, daughters, friend fish died, emergency….. Someone close to me recently asked a valid question: “Then where did we come from?” My response: “I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. I may never know. Not every question has an immediate answer.”

Across most religions, the most faithful are often the “recruiters,” am I right? The ones who go out and try to prove their god is *the* god, convincing others to submit to their belief system.  

(Incoming thought provoking exercise, get cozy somewhere) 

Now, take what you think you know about your god, your religion, or your faith—strip it all away. Imagine a blank slate. Take away your moral compass and only exist, just for a moment, in silence. Close your eyes. Breathe in and out. Focus on the air coming in and exhaling out.  

Keep your eyes closed. You appear in an empty space—completely dark, yet a faint vibration of light flows around your body. Relax. You’re safe. Keep breathing.  

Now, envision a chalkboard as tall and wide as you can see, appearing in this space. It’s completely covered with words and passages—so full that you can’t make sense of what it says. The sheer volume of words feels overwhelming, almost claustrophobic.  

Take a deep breath. Say to yourself, *“Erase.”* As you exhale, the chalkboard clears, leaving a blank slate. You feel more relaxed, calm, and safe. Now that your thoughts are clear and the clutter is erased, let’s continue.  

Zoom out. Visualize yourself sitting or lying down right now. Zoom out further—see your home, your surroundings, from above. Zoom out again and look down at your neighborhood.  

Now envision churches on every block—different kinds of churches. Notice people leaving one church to attend another. Observe churches closing as masses of people leave because of societal disagreements or scandals. Watch the Sunday ritual: people dressed in nice clothes, hair and makeup done, newer cars—some even luxury vehicles—pulling into parking lots.  

You watch this cycle, but your mind is still a blank slate, only an observer in a strange place, free from understanding or judgment. You ask yourself: *What are these people doing? What good are they accomplishing?*  

Now ask: *Who is doing good, and who is doing harm? Who is helping society, and who is not?*  

Zoom in to street level, into a crowd of people from every church in the area. They’ve all come to tell you that *they* are right—that they’ve discovered who God is and what He wants for you.  

But you don’t know anything about a “god” or what that means. You have no opinion on who is right or wrong. So how do you decide whom to believe? Do you use objective reasoning, or rely on how you feel?  

Take three deep breaths. Open your eyes. Ask yourself: *How do I make decisions? And why?*  

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As the son of a preacher, I’m firmly convinced that religion is the primary source of many global and local issues. My approach is to highlight glaring inconsistencies, incorporate humor, and ask questions rather than provide answers.  

It’s vital to acknowledge that some questions may remain unanswered—and that’s okay. Leaving a question open allows us to observe how perspectives might change over time or across generations.  

Who do you believe will give you their most honest thoughts out of these two options. My father—a minister with 40 years of experience—has dedicated his life to the words of the Bible. Meanwhile, I focus on the origins and historical context of those words: when they were written, why, and by whom. I believe these represent two very different realities, and it’s essential to place them side by side to understand the full scope of religion. However, if you only got to choose one of us to talk to who would it be? No right or wrong answer. Ask your self why you made that decision.  

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One of my posts from the last week: 

Can blind faith lead people to extreme actions? For example, when God asked a father to set his son on fire as a test of loyalty, it set a moral and ethical precedent for millions worldwide. How do we reconcile this with concerns about mental health, safety, and the ethics of an all-knowing deity administering such tests?  

Take care! 

  Steven