Life has been busy lately! No complaints, just constant priority-shifting... One thing I am grateful for, though, is that I have continued reading. I tackle this mainly while working out on the elliptical or walking on the treadmill but some reading (and exercise, for that matter) is better than none! :-)


My latest reading is from Chris Stedman's "Fatheist - How an Atheist  Found Common Ground with the Religious." It was truly inspiring to me. I am nearly compelled to write a letter to Mr. Stedman to thank him for his work, both in contributing to humanism and telling the world about it. I applaud him for sharing his story!


Several aspects of Chris' story appeal to me, but two passages in particular resonate with me and I will share here:

After reading a prayer to a patient, Marvin, who could not speak with whom he worked …

“I realized that though I couldn’t decipher why the prayer was so important to him, it was. It touched him in a profound way. And because I shared in this significant element of his life, our relationship was more honest and real. I could’ve found another staff member to do it, or I could’ve refused; it was well within my rights to say, “I’d rather not, Marvin.” But I realized that a relationship that didn’t account for this important piece of Marvin’s life was an incomplete one. Though I couldn’t fully comprehend the import of the prayer for him, sharing in it helped me understand him a bit more. Just as we had a communication barrier, this prayer was another difference between us. But like our different means of communicating, learning about our differences in this area brought us closer together.”

 “…it sounds like exactly what our world needs – people of all different stripes and convictions coming together to deal with things that matter, announcing our differences without fear, enthusiastically embracing our commonalities, and intentionally seeking out points of mutuality and understanding in the face of vastly different metaphysical commitments. The environment that IFYC (InterFaith Youth Core) worked to create has profoundly impacted my vision for a society in which people engage across lines of religious and nonreligious identity to improve the world through service…”

Chris later goes on to cite survey statistics regarding limited understanding of certain sects of life. His basic message is that although Americans admittedly have limited understanding of a variety of religious beliefs and gay lifestyles, in general they think of differences in a negative light. Chris drives home the point that by engaging everyone (knowledgeable or not), stereotypes will be deconstructed which will enhance protection and respect from others regardless of their backgrounds.


Though my spirituality and belief system is different from Mr. Stedman's, I agree with his rationale and goals for trying to make the world a better place harmoniously. I can't understand why people continue to fight to try to ensure that their beliefs are understood as "right" and, perhaps, the only way to believe. Maybe those folks are just trying to be heard and trying to open the door for others to share in their beliefs. For that, I respect them but do appreciate when those same people are open to understanding that my faith differs from theirs and that it deserves just as much respect.


At the end of the day (or beginning for me in today's case), I want to work for peace. Peace for all. And understanding. We've all had highs and lows, ebbs and flows, in life and all deserve to be respected equally. If we work together, this can be reality and in the meantime we can make the world a better place by serving all others. THAT is true inspiration!