Here's what I'd share with Tom at this point if he hadn't blocked me.
#PeterRollins is a brilliant Irish philosopher and pyrotheologian. I've been following his work for several years now and find it fascinating, revelatory, nuanced, unique, and challenging. I haven't watched this whole vid yet, but the first 30min make it worth sharing:
@RickiTarr
As soon as I left home, I rejected my parents' intolerant attitudes. Why? Because #racism and #antisemitism are evil, stupid, destructive and irrational.
A few years after that, I rejected their #religion, because it just didn't make sense. I moved to an adjacent religion, but soon walked away from that, too, into a position that I'd call concerned #agnosticism. The existence of #god(s) and the purpose of our existence, if there is one, are important questions, but I've not seen evidence that, with my limited intellect, I find convincing.
Some years after that, I got fed up with being timid, and I deliberately developed social #confidence using the fake-it-till-you-make-it technique. To my surprise, it worked.
More recently, I started taking care of my #health: lost 40lb of excess flab, maintained a basic level of activity, gave up junk #food, cut down my #drinking. Why? Because my life is happier for it, but also because Helen doesn't deserve to be widowed young or married to an old wreck, which was the way things were going. Looking after myself makes me a better husband.
Then, last August, I discovered that I'm #ActuallyAutistic. I'm still in the throes of this change, but it's been a huge improvement to my quality of life. It's explained all sorts of things about my present and my past; it's given me permission to be who I am, rather than constantly feeling defective, deficient and fraudulent; and it's helped me find accommodations to my autistic mind, my own strengths and weaknesses, rather than thinking that, if I just tried harder, I could be like everyone else and do what everyone else does. Now I understand that you can never do what I do, I can never do what you do, and no one is well served if I wear myself out by pretending to be you, rather than using my unique autistic skills and qualities.
In a sweeping package of stories, photos and video, The Associated Press Religion Team takes an in-depth look at how the "none" phenomenon is playing out in the United States, South America, Nigeria, India, Middle East, Japan, Italy and Israel.
The Nones (projects.apnews.com)
In a sweeping package of stories, photos and video, The Associated Press Religion Team takes an in-depth look at how the "none" phenomenon is playing out in the United States, South America, Nigeria, India, Middle East, Japan, Italy and Israel.