Trouble is, there's no new beginning on an ancient issue: religion. And to that, I have only to say that there's a lot more to be said on such issues.
So, 2015, for me, will yield more commentary on religion and the counter-points surrounding it.
Let's get started then, shall we?
I used to be a Christian. Used to be an ordained minister to a small Lutheran community, too. Studied theology, philosophy, history, and a little bit of counseling. I'm not the world's smartest person. My head's not full of mud, either.
So, in that respect, I think I have a few relevant things to say about religion -- in particular, Christianity -- and the philosophical ideals that give them a voice.
In recent years, I've been exposed to a spate of odd, interesting, semi-convincing, but largely unreal ideas about reality. I say unreal because, after attempting to adopt them, experimenting with them, and pushing myself to take up a beginner's mind (an open mind as free from pre-formed conclusions as possible; a child-like willingness to learn), I haven't been convinced by them, and I've seen them provide key ingredients for damaging some of my most cherished relationships.
But this is par for the course when it comes to religious ideologies, isn't it? So if someone you love takes-up some notions that directly influence the atmosphere of your relationships, what are you to do? In my case, I attempted to see through that person's eyes what that person was seeing. I'm not all-knowing, and I know that. So perhaps there were things missing from my view that these soft-core religious notions were plugging in? Worth looking into if I consider myself a man of dignity, which I do.
