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“The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.” - William Sloane Coffin
How Do You Imagine God?
God in America and USA WEEKEND Magazine are partnering to explore Americans' images of God.
How do you imagine God?
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I don't really. I sometimes hope there is a God, but for the most part I'm pretty sure God is just a man-made thing.
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My Beliefs
I believe ...
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In the golden rule
My greatest moment of doubt was ...
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I've never really believed. Even as a very young girl, I knew religion was not right for me.
The biggest misconception about my faith/belief system is ...
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That I am missing out on something. Or that by choosing no religion, or because I have no faith I am a selfish, bad person. That just seems wacky to me. I love my family, try to be a good person, swerve to avoid squirrels in the road...I have a pretty good and fulfilled life that is not singularly about me.
What seems far wackier to me is that you would be good only because there is a payoff for you for doing so.
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My spiritual role model is ...
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I don't have a spiritual role model, however I've always been impressed by people of (seemingly) heartfelt convictions that lead lives of real service. People like Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King are far more impressive to me than someone like Rick Warren.
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My Faith History
As a child I believed ...
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I tired to believe, I was raised in community and family that were strongly Catholic. But it just never took. To the very core of my being I knew I wasn't a believer.
My spiritual journey has been ...
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Surprisingly rocky given I am not religious. I knew I didn't believe at a young age but others insisted on rituals and rites of passage that I had no interest in performing. I was going through the motions to appease someone else and that just seemed ridiculous to me. It also seemed to me to be somewhat insulting to the people who were going through these things in true faith. That argument seem to fall on deaf ears though.
I was raised as ...
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Catholic
Are your beliefs or practices different from your parents? If so, how and why?
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When I was younger, yes. I think over the years they have come around more to my way of thinking. I think the larger difference has been with older generations of my family.
Religion & the Public Square
Should courses about religion be taught in public schools? Why or why not?
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Yes, but not in a religious manner. Students should be taught about the world's religions, what they believe, how they came into existence, where and how they are practiced.
Should the Bible, Torah, Quran or other religious texts be taught as works of literature in public schools? Why or why not?
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As works of literature, sure. And all of them. The idea that only the Bible should be taught in this country (because it is a Christian nature) is such a strange thought to me.
Is interfaith dialogue important? Why or why not?
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Yes, but it always seems to somehow devolve into people getting heated and more entrenched in their beliefs. I think generally the people that have the most productive dialogues are those that "believe" the least.
Do you feel comfortable discussing your faith with others? Why/why not?
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I don't have a faith, and I am sometimes hesitant to discuss that. Although people who have religion seem to never be hesitant to tell me about their faith.
Do you feel that you have a duty, because of your faith, to put your beliefs into action? What are some of those actions?
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Faith doesn't motivate me, just trying to be a decent person does.
Are religious beliefs compromised by engaging in politics?
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I don't think so. I think the religious folks who get into bed with politicians are largely opportunists and I wonder about their core beliefs. It seems to me that anyone who aligns themselves closely with any politician is mostly interested in the chruch-of-what's-in-it-for-me.
Has 9/11 had any impact on your thoughts about religion? Are you more/less interested in learning about other religions? Do you feel more/less comfortable expressing your religious beliefs?
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9/11 didn't impact my beliefs. I am however unsettled by the anti-Islam, "other" sentiment that seems to be rampant these days.
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