O.K., so where am I going here? What started me on this bent? Well it began a few weeks ago in small group where I raised some of these issues, but I don't think that I fully articulated what was really eating at me. In short, I need to expose the gist of my nub (it's O.K., this is an expression from Monty Python). I wanted to explore some things in these postings, hoping that some of my more learned and spiritually mature friends could help me out. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think that a learned sherpa is what I need sometimes (Paul I really miss you in this area). Perhaps I also need to clarify my background for those that don't know me. I am a research scientist, and in this world of the intelligentsia, nothing can be taken at face value or "on faith". Everything needs to be studied carefully, precisely, from multiple points of view. Totally quantifiable and objective at every turn. If "it" can't be measured or derived in a rigorous mathematical framework, then "it" is not real or not true. In my circles, faith and religion are (mostly) looked upon as the prattle of fools. I once told a colleague that I was a Christian, and he said to me "Oh no, don't let them get you" as if I had been brain-washed by some wacky Kool-Aid drinking, white bathrobe and sneaker wearing cult. (Wow Dan, you sure like to bloviate, get to the point already). O.K., my point is how do I defend myself and my religion and my beliefs from this onslaught? Christianity is not locking ourselves and our beliefs in a closet. We can't just walk away, avoid the issues, stick our head in the sand. It must be about confronting false beliefs and spreading the word and the truth. This is a skill that I am lacking, and this is shaking me to my core, causing me to edge toward very dark places (and also causing me to lose my hair). The finale is coming.
