Staring into the abyss as a core life skill

Re:Staring into the abyss as a core life skill by stephenjayakar on Friday December 23, 2022 @05:50PM (#34111495)

I think you should give staring into the abyss another try on Christianity. Maybe though get it out of the dichotomy, and also expand your search beyond Evangelicals. I’ve found learning about Jewish history (Jonathan Sacks is a great author, Jewish Rabbi) or Biblical authorship has been really enlightening.

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Re:Staring into the abyss as a core life skill by physicles on Saturday December 24, 2022 @11:43AM (#34118471)

Do it again?

I’m resigned to the fact that no matter what, someone out there will insist that I misrepresented Christianity (as if it were obvious how to correctly interpret the Bible), that I “did it wrong,” that if only I could’ve read books XYZ or tweaked my epistemology then I would’ve reached a different conclusion.

Staring into the abyss involved putting my life on hold, basically doing nothing in my free time but reading and talking with friends and mentors. I read a pile of books from Dawkins and Sagan to NT Wright and Dale Allison. I stopped when, after 18 months, I realized that the next step would basically be to get a degree in New Testament studies.

It’s not an experience I’m eager to repeat, especially since the probability that I’ll reach a different conclusion is vanishingly small.

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