Facebook is a horrible place to hold cogent discussions. In general, our social media veneer is thin and shiny, not a very accurate representation of what is beneath.
One of my intentions for my blog is to have a place to put my thoughts out for, at the least, those who know me and care to see where I’m coming from mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. By writing it down, it also gives me a chance to put some structure into what’s in my head, and so better examine it myself.
I’m tagging the series “Credo,” Latin for “I Believe.” It could also be “I Think,” or “I Know.” I’m not primarily talking about faith, though I’ll touch on that, but more circling around truth. We are living in a time of bullshit unprecedented in my lifetime, to the benefit of some and the detriment of most. It’s not easy to know what is true. But some things are. I’m not a person of hard certainties – I’ll admit that the universe might all be a simulation that’s indistinguishable from reality, or God may have created it all 6000 years ago with fossils in place, or 30 seconds ago with memories in place – but there are some things that I’m pretty sure of to every degree of certainty that practically matters. I’m an engineer, and that’s both good enough, and as good as it gets.
I was brought up in the Church of Christ, a conservative Christian church somewhat to the right of the Southern Baptists, best known for not allowing musical instruments in worship and for being the only ones going to heaven. My mother was devout, and I came up that way, too, serious, studious, and attentive. My father didn’t go to church, or at least only visited very rarely for special occasions. But he was always respectful. My siblings toed the line of attendance until they were out of the house and didn’t have to, but weren’t all that into church. The Church of Christ[1] tradition included questioning, discussion, and respect for a well-crafted argument or proof that I still respect very much. In college at Tennessee Tech University, I kept the Church of Christ foundation while participating in and learning from Baptist, Methodist, Intervarsity, and Catholic student groups. Out of school, working for NASA, I eventually felt “called” to examine the foundations of my faith. I didn’t find convincing answers on the primarily Bible-based faith I was raised in, or in other variations Christian or non-Christian. I’ve ended up a part of the local Unitarian Universalist congregation, which is welcoming of those who don’t have answers or a particular set of beliefs, as long as they adhere to some core principles, one of which is, “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” These blog posts are my search (and documentation of said search) for truth and meaning right in front of God[2] and everybody.
You are welcome to follow along, and to comment either here or on Facebook. Facebook, for its many faults, is where my friends tend to be. Any comments here will stick around, and will be moderated to keep them respectful and constructive. Facebook is transient and is Facebook.
[1] Another Church of Christ tradition is to insist that the Church of Christ isn’t a denomination, but credo it actually is, certainly for the purposes of having a pretty good idea what you’ll find on a building with that label, but without an “International” in front or a “Scientist” after.
[2] assuming He, She, It, or They read the internet, or my mind, or all of history, or something