General thoughts

I like to periodically explain what I'm trying to do with this blog, for any newcomers. It also helps me refocus and may remind my long term audience of why I write a certain way.

First of all, I am not an expert in theology, history, or science. I'm an ordinary person with an interest in those subjects and how they relate to each other. I do have over forty years experience as a former protestant fundamentalist christian, and an avid reader. I was a very serious christian, intent on doing the right thing, and following the bible as correctly as possible. I studied the bible diligently and read many apologetics books. I would often be dismayed when I found that I knew more about a topic than a preacher or a bible class teacher. Eventually, I gave myself permission to read about the bible and religion outside of my tradition and came to be an atheist.

As an atheist, I find the bible more fascinating than ever. I discover things in its pages that would never have struck me as a christian. This blog is to record my thoughts as I read through the scriptures with the open eyes of a nonbeliever. I use many of the tools that are available to any ordinary person, an NIV study bible, an interlinear Greek New Testament, and Strong's exhaustive concordance. I also use online resources like Bible Hub- for many bible versions and other research tools; Bible Gateway- for searching through different versions of the bible for particular words or phrases; Wikipedia- for general knowledge; JPS tagged Tanakh- for a Jewish version of the old Testament; the searchable Jewish Virtual Library- as a reference.

Each post is my own original content. My discussions are informal and not meant to be authoritative. When using sources, I try to either mention them, quote, or give links. I base my topics on whatever strikes my interest at the moment. When reading through a portion of the bible I take note of obvious inconsistencies and questions that naturally arise in my mind. Those are the things I explore. I may miss obvious things that other people have discussed about the same passage. I contrast what I find and what comes to mind, with what I was taught in my past fundamentalist christianity background, and what is still being taught in the church I attend as a nonbeliever. I also contrast the fundamentalist point of view with the secular.

My audience continues to grow. I get daily views from most continents across the globe, except Africa. I do not get many comments. When I do, half of them are spam. The other half are very general comments that are complimentary, but contain no hints that the commenter has actually read the content. They boil down to "I like this blog." As a result, I am unsure whether those comments are spam also. Should you wish to comment, it would help if you would include the title of the post you read, or mention a particular relevant topic. That way I will know when a comment is an actual reader. I am very grateful for everyone who checks in here regularly.

My bias: I do not believe in any gods, demons, or supernatural entities. I do not believe in magic, witchcraft, prophecy, or other supernatural abilities. I do not believe in the holiness or sacredness of any texts. I accept evolution and the findings of modern science, as far as they have the preponderance of evidence in their favor. I believe in the power of education, experimentation, and research of what can be known. That which can not be known is not my god. It is not anything with which I concern myself.

As always, I encourage you to read and explore on your own.