You have a gift. You see things most don't and for your voice I am grateful. You make it so cheeky that I wish I could do the some instead of being serious all the time. I was just thinking about emotional 'reasoning' and the fragility inculcated in women because I was told in group therapy yesterday essentially that I'm expressing my pain incorrectly. Because I give structural analysis with it, I "lose people". Fucking insane.
I am not at all religious. I've always been a skeptical scientist. I don't know if God exists (though I'm sure that Christ lived), and if I were a Christian, I would be a wayward Christian, but I respect the faithful and those who hold themselves accountable to a higher power. What you've described, dear Writer, is what I imagine atheism to be ---> Self-worship.
I try to walk a careful bridge between Christian thought and all spiritual backgrounds or lack thereof. I draw on familiar Bible stories to reveal deeper truths that can resonate universally.
I was a fierce atheist for much of my life (up until 3 years ago), so I understand that many atheists are deeply rooted in something beyond themselves—whether it’s a love of science, a craft, or a philosophy that offers them something true and worthy to honor and shape their life around.
I believe the people most prone to narcissism are those who never felt safe enough to be their true selves. In losing that safety, they lost their virtue in the fire. In other words, they never learned how to suffer well.
By "self-worship", I mean the buck stops with the individual. When I get into it with activist atheists, the one question I will ask that always causes a ruckus is when I ask: "Do you believe in a soul?" or "Do you have a soul? Does your wife have a soul? How about your children?" If the answer is no, then the question about God is over. If the answer is yes, then where does the soul come from and where does it go after death? Or is the soul as fleeting as life?
That’s a great way to uncover the core issue. One thing to keep in mind is how the word “soul” is culturally interpreted. For some, it simply points to something that transcends the self and for others, it’s directly tied to belief in a higher power or a specific faith.
Another good question to ask is if they believe in the power of virtues like compassion, justice, or integrity and how they define them. Because when viewed through an ego-centric lens, virtues become tools for self-righteousness. But through a soulful lens, they become something to surrender to, something larger than the self. Often people say they don’t believe in the soul, but believe deeply in virtues.
The pathway to enlightenment and a truly just world is what people long for but don’t know how to achieve. The buck never stops if you know where to look.
I'd push back a little and say that virtue is learned, whereas a soul is inherent. I believe each of us is born with a good soul and if lucky, have good parents, friends, and mentors to teach virtue and light the way... and that perhaps, if the soul lives after death, we will know each other from life to life and each time we meet, we try to make it better than the last time we met. My Appalachian-American roots compel me to call this "Reintarnation".
For me, the pathway to enlightenment seems to be as simple as "chop wood, carry water, make fire, feed the hungry, be humble and of good faith, and love as much as I can".
As for religion and in particular, Christ, as he lived and died, I believe his message was misinterpreted by his disciples who wanted to believe him to be a superior & supernatural being. When they heard Christ tell them that he is the son of God, I believe he meant that each one of us is a son and daughter of God and that we should treat each other accordingly. So, whether you believe in God or not, you can't lose by going with God.
I really appreciate what you shared. It’s thoughtful and sincere, and I think there’s a lot of wisdom in the way you see life. That simple approach to chop wood, carry water, feed the hungry, feels really close to the heart of what Jesus taught too.
The only thing I’d add is that when Jesus said he was the Son of God, I don’t think he meant it in a “we’re all kind of divine” way. I think he was inviting us into something deeper, like not just being good people, but letting something bigger than us transform us from the inside out. Not just trying to live with a good soul, but letting ourselves be changed by grace when we fall short, which we all do.
So yeah, I agree, you don’t lose by going with God. But it’s not just about being good, sometimes it’s about being willing to be broken open and made new.
Not a single extra or missing word, simply brilliant 👏
You have a gift. You see things most don't and for your voice I am grateful. You make it so cheeky that I wish I could do the some instead of being serious all the time. I was just thinking about emotional 'reasoning' and the fragility inculcated in women because I was told in group therapy yesterday essentially that I'm expressing my pain incorrectly. Because I give structural analysis with it, I "lose people". Fucking insane.
Ah yes, the classic “If it’s not rooted in personal experience, it’s invalid.” That’s performative wisdom to dismiss the truth.
People with this flavor of Gnosticism are deeply threatened by logic because it delegitimizes the sanctity of their narcissism.
Never stop writing your structural analysis. It’s pure light.🖖
The feminization of society. 🙏🏽
Amen.
I am not at all religious. I've always been a skeptical scientist. I don't know if God exists (though I'm sure that Christ lived), and if I were a Christian, I would be a wayward Christian, but I respect the faithful and those who hold themselves accountable to a higher power. What you've described, dear Writer, is what I imagine atheism to be ---> Self-worship.
I try to walk a careful bridge between Christian thought and all spiritual backgrounds or lack thereof. I draw on familiar Bible stories to reveal deeper truths that can resonate universally.
I was a fierce atheist for much of my life (up until 3 years ago), so I understand that many atheists are deeply rooted in something beyond themselves—whether it’s a love of science, a craft, or a philosophy that offers them something true and worthy to honor and shape their life around.
I believe the people most prone to narcissism are those who never felt safe enough to be their true selves. In losing that safety, they lost their virtue in the fire. In other words, they never learned how to suffer well.
By "self-worship", I mean the buck stops with the individual. When I get into it with activist atheists, the one question I will ask that always causes a ruckus is when I ask: "Do you believe in a soul?" or "Do you have a soul? Does your wife have a soul? How about your children?" If the answer is no, then the question about God is over. If the answer is yes, then where does the soul come from and where does it go after death? Or is the soul as fleeting as life?
That’s a great way to uncover the core issue. One thing to keep in mind is how the word “soul” is culturally interpreted. For some, it simply points to something that transcends the self and for others, it’s directly tied to belief in a higher power or a specific faith.
Another good question to ask is if they believe in the power of virtues like compassion, justice, or integrity and how they define them. Because when viewed through an ego-centric lens, virtues become tools for self-righteousness. But through a soulful lens, they become something to surrender to, something larger than the self. Often people say they don’t believe in the soul, but believe deeply in virtues.
The pathway to enlightenment and a truly just world is what people long for but don’t know how to achieve. The buck never stops if you know where to look.
I'd push back a little and say that virtue is learned, whereas a soul is inherent. I believe each of us is born with a good soul and if lucky, have good parents, friends, and mentors to teach virtue and light the way... and that perhaps, if the soul lives after death, we will know each other from life to life and each time we meet, we try to make it better than the last time we met. My Appalachian-American roots compel me to call this "Reintarnation".
For me, the pathway to enlightenment seems to be as simple as "chop wood, carry water, make fire, feed the hungry, be humble and of good faith, and love as much as I can".
As for religion and in particular, Christ, as he lived and died, I believe his message was misinterpreted by his disciples who wanted to believe him to be a superior & supernatural being. When they heard Christ tell them that he is the son of God, I believe he meant that each one of us is a son and daughter of God and that we should treat each other accordingly. So, whether you believe in God or not, you can't lose by going with God.
I really appreciate what you shared. It’s thoughtful and sincere, and I think there’s a lot of wisdom in the way you see life. That simple approach to chop wood, carry water, feed the hungry, feels really close to the heart of what Jesus taught too.
The only thing I’d add is that when Jesus said he was the Son of God, I don’t think he meant it in a “we’re all kind of divine” way. I think he was inviting us into something deeper, like not just being good people, but letting something bigger than us transform us from the inside out. Not just trying to live with a good soul, but letting ourselves be changed by grace when we fall short, which we all do.
So yeah, I agree, you don’t lose by going with God. But it’s not just about being good, sometimes it’s about being willing to be broken open and made new.
Those are beautiful and wonderful thoughts and I thank you deeply for them.
That's a nodding-my-head "YES!" from me.
This was great!