Faith

Is faith arrogant, delusional, or uninterested with the truth? I can't say the things that are good about it are not unique or that the things that are unique are not good. Faith promises eternity and a chance at paradise. I do miss that feeling. I know people whose lives improved when they joined a cult but I don't think it's worth what it cost me and others.

My father died for "Jehovah." My mother shuns me for "Jehovah." If you don't think that's enough you should read Mentally Diseased.

I can't prove that gods don't exist. I can't prove the Big Bang. There are many things I don't know. I am open-minded and I have questions. I'm not afraid to believe -- I experienced firsthand decades of abuse because of belief.

Caution isn't fear.

If every religion has members with faith then how is faith a path to truth? How can it be differentiated from the belief I had? The night my son was born he was flown by helicopter to another hospital. His mother wasn't stable enough to travel and I was too upset to drive. As my mother drove me she told me to "remain loyal to Jehovah." She offered to call the brothers to send a liaison committee to support me in case I had to martyr my son for "Jehovah."

Cynicism is seeing evidence and refusing to believe it. Skepticism is asking why you should, if it's demonstrable. I don't claim to know -- I'm comfortable with never knowing.