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Behind the Veil: My Experience with Hijab

May 18, 2012 in Interviews

Let’s welcome Parvati Tyler to the blog today for a guest post about how her experience within Islam shaped her novel! Parvati is a fellow thriller author, who just released her debut thriller novel, Shadow on the Wall.  Periodically, I feature a specific writer or reader who contacts me through my Get Featured! page. I want to feature YOU, my loyal and new readers, here on the blog!

And here’s Parvati on her experience within the religion of Islam…

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Behind the Veil: My Experience with Hijab

Hijab is the headscarf some Muslim women wear.  There is great debate over the need, use and appropriateness of the hijab, which has fueled cultural debate and conflict.  In Islam there is a cultural practice of covering a woman’s hair and neck, this is considered modest dress and the roots of the practice are based in the Qu’ran.  There are multiple surahs (verses) and hadiths (oral histories) which are used to explain the need for men and women to dress modestly.

 

The specifics of what needs to be covered is controversial.  Some say only the hair must be covered, others say everything but the eyes and hands should be.  From Burquas in Afghanistan to hijabs in France, it seems everyone has an opinion.

 

In 2001, right after 9/11, I participated in an event called “Sisters for Solidarity.”  The sponsoring group was an interfaith movement for social awareness.  Over 200,000 women in the US donned hijab for Eid Al-Fitr, a celebration that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

 

Somewhere in the depths of my basement there is a picture of me with a beautiful red-and-gold scarf covering my hair and neck. For three days in November, 2011, I went to work, the grocery store, church and everywhere else with my hair covered.

 

I could discuss the political reasons for doing this, or my own religion beliefs, but what I learned during those three days has nothing to do with either. I donned a headscarf for very personal reasons, which I believed deeply and still hold dear.  And every moment I wore it, I felt stronger in my convictions.  Something about a physical declaration of my beliefs was empowering and liberating.

 

I also felt a part of something.  Other women in hijab would stop, smile and speak with me no matter where we were.  It was a kind of sisterhood I haven’t experienced in other parts of my life.  Even when they found out I wasn’t Muslim, the kind response I received for what I was doing was deeply touching.

 

Simultaneously, I found the covering very oppressive.  It was hot under there, and kept slipping.  This was probably mostly due to my inexperience, but I found it physically cumbersome and something that needed constant monitoring.  I was also very surprised to find that a number of co-workers with whom I had been close to did not speak with me during the days I was wearing hijab. I received sideways glances on the bus and subway, not the usual smiles and commuter camaraderie I was accustomed to.

 

There are three female characters in my novel, Shadow on the Wall.  Each has an opinion of and relationship with wearing the hijab.  I pulled on my short experience to inform how I wrote these characters. Rebekah, Darya and Maryam – each of them represents a different archetype of Middle Eastern women.  While it’s certainly not an exhaustive representation, the issues of gender and the veil are explored in depth through the course of the story.

 

What I learned during the Sisters for Solidarity movement – and what I hope Shadow on the Wall conveys – is that covering is a deeply personal experience. Ideally each  woman would be able to decide for herself without the pressures of politics, family or cultural assumptions.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world, which is what makes the discussion so volatile.

 

I’m curious as I move into publishing Shadow on the Wall how readers will feel about these women.  Which will they respond to?  With which will they identify?

 

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Author Bio:

Parvati K. Tyler - Thriller AuthorPavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway.

 

Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry as a freelance accountant for several international law firms.  She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs.  When not preparing taxes, she is hard at work as the Director of Publicity at Novel Publicity and penning her next novel.

 

Pav’s blog is all ages: http://www,fightingmonkeypress.com

Pav’s tumblr is 18+ only: http://pavartidevi.tumblr.com/

Pav’s Fan Page needs your likes: https://www.facebook.com/#!/FMPress

Pav’s Twitter likes friends: http://twitter.com/#!/PavartiKTyler

Pav’s Google+ is random: https://plus.google.com/?gpinv=JFSVnKSj7Uk:FdjR-3NCJW8#me/posts

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Readers:  Do you have any questions for Pav about religion, specifically her experience within Islam?  Leave your comment below.

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Author Mark Yost – Is Your Next Character Sitting Next to You at Work?

May 10, 2012 in Interviews

Let’s welcome Mark Yost to the blog today for a guest post about writing great characters! Mark is a fellow thriller author, who just released his debut thriller novel, Soft Target.  Periodically, I feature a specific writer or reader who contacts me through my Get Featured! page. I want to feature YOU, my loyal and new readers, here on the blog!

And here’s Mark…

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Is Your Next Character Sitting Next to You at Work?

 

It’s perhaps a sad commentary on our culture that the written word seems to have less and less value. As such, many of us have “real” jobs and write when we can. But for me, it was that “real” job that proved the inspiration to finally write my first novel.

I was a professional writer for many years at The Wall Street Journal and always felt I had a novel in me (no Christopher Hitchens quotes, please). I also always knew that if I wrote a novel, it would be some sort of political thriller. I had been in the military, had written about defense/NATO/Bosnia/Iraq-Iran for the Journal, and I’m not the kind of guy who was gonna write the male equivalent of “Eat, Pray, Love.”

For the past 10 years I have been a firefighter/paramedic. It’s been a great career and day-to-day more satisfying for me than journalism. I wished I’d discovered firefighting when I was 25 instead of 40.

As my novel continued to rattle around in my head, I looked around at the genre — Clancy, Le Carre et. al — and realized that thriller heroes had run the gamut from gumshoes to spies to soldiers. But there had never been a thriller where the hero/protagonist was a firefighter. That’s how Nick Mattera was born.

He is the main character in my new novel, “Soft Target,” the first in a four-book series I have planned. In “Soft Target,” two al Qaeda operatives, Abdullah and Jhalil, get tired of dodging drones in Afghanistan and come to the North Shore of Chicago to open up a new front in the War on Terror. Until, of course, they run into Nick Mattera.

Ripped from the headlines, as Dick Wolf would say, Abdullah and Jhalil are what Western intelligence agencies are calling “Nike Terrorists.” Instead of planning the next 9/11, al Qaeda and other radical Islamic groups are encouraging followers to “Just Do It,” hence the name “Nike Terrorist.” Instead of figuring out how to steal an airplane and crash it into the nearest symbol of gluttonous capitalism, Abdullah and Jhalil plan smaller missions that only require readily available weapons and simple explosives that can be found at most construction companies (hint, hint).

But as “Soft Target” builds an audience, it’s clear to me that the real-life aspect of the book that most readers are interested in and enjoying is my experiences as a firefighter. Indeed, if I take a bow for any part of “Soft Target,” it’s how I have written about life in the firehouse. Like the most of the characters in the book, the firefighters are not one-dimensional. They’re not the “every one is a hero” caricature that seems to fit with the national narrative on firefighters. Even Nick Mattera has flaws, because that’s real life.

In Highwood Station 37, which is both my real firehouse and the fictional setting for “Soft Target,” there are definitely stereotypical firefighter/hero types, but there are also firefighters who are selfish, manipulative, lazy, stupid, gay, straight, honest, liars, big, small, fat and ready for the buff-boy calendar. In other words, they’re real people. And, yes, all the guys in my firehouse are trying to figure out which character is based on them. The truth is, they’re amalgams of firefighters I’ve known over the years. But more to the point, they’re not people I created because I’m such a great writer, but people I’ve run into outside my life as a writer.

The same is true for some of the fire and EMS calls I write about in “Soft Target.” Some of them are almost word-for-word real-life fire calls that I have been on over my career. Others are calls that I’ve read about, heard other firefighters talk about, etc. etc.

The point of all this, I guess, is that, yes, as writers we’re creative people. And many of the plot lines, twists, turns and characters that we develop are manufactured out of whole cloth. They are a direct result of our creative talents. But for me, someone who had struggled writing his first novel, the perfect characters weren’t in my imagination, but staring me in the face every day at my job outside of writing. Maybe the lead character for your first — or fifth — novel is somewhere in your life, just waiting to be put on the page.

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Author Mark Yost - Soft Target

Author Mark Yost

About Mark Yost: Mark Yost has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. He worked for The Wall Street Journal full-time for 10 years. He was an editorial page writer in both New York and Brussels, and also wrote for the Journal’s Leisure and Arts pages, in the U.S., as well as Europe and Asia. For the past 10 years, he has been a full-time freelance writer.

In Spring 2012, Mark Yost completed his first novel, “Soft Target,” featuring firefighter Nick Mattera as the hero/protagonist. The book is the first in a four-book series revolving around the North Chicago firefighter and former Marine EOD TEch who runs into al Qaeda agents hellbent on killing Americans, Mexican drug lords determined to protect their turf after a newly elected Libertarian president decides to legalize drugs, and a disgruntled airline passenger who decides to take his anger out on the FAA and the members of the House Transportation Committee.
In addition to being a writer, Mark Yost is a firefighter/paramedic in both Highwood and Lake Bluff, on Chicago’s North Shore. He’s also a CPR instructor and certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, International Trauma Life Support, and as a Fire Apparatus Engineer and Hazardous Materials Operations.
Mark Yost is originally from New York, served six years in the U.S. Navy, and lives on the North Shore with his son, George.

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Thanks, Mark, for being our guest on the blog!  We wish you the best of luck in your writing efforts for your four-book novel series!

Readers:  Name one of your favorite characters in fiction. (One of my favorites is Snape from the Harry Potter series.) Leave your comment below.

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Creating Creepy Horror Novels – House of Sighs by Aaron Dries – Author Interview

April 10, 2012 in For Writers, Interviews

Welcome Aaron Dries, a fellow writer/blogger/author, who just released his first novel with Samhain Publishing. Aaron is an engaging storyteller – - I already bought his book because of his guest blog post (below).  His debut novel, House of Sighs, is on my TBR (to be read) pile, and I hope to get to reading it within the next few months.

Periodically, I feature a specific writer or reader who contacts me through my Get Featured! page. I want to feature YOU, my loyal and new readers, here on the blog!

Aaron Dries - Horror Novel Author

Aaron Dries - Horror Novel Author

About Aaron:

Former pizza boy, retail clerk, kitchen hand, aged care worker, video director and copywriter, Aaron Dries was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. When asked why he writes horror, his standard reply is that when it comes to scaring people, writing pays slightly better than jumping out from behind doors. His second novel, The Fallen Boys, is just as—if not more—twisted than his debut. He is currently hard at work on a third book, a collection of short stories and numerous paintings. Feel free to drop him a line at www.aarondries.com. He won’t bite. Much.

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Creating Creepy – How a Horror Novelist Writes

Looking back to look forward

 

I had many friends come and stay at my old house when I was a kid. Sometimes we just chilled out and watched television. Other times we played murder in the dark. I remember getting in trouble when we ripped oranges from the tree outside and thwacked them at passing trains with our tennis rackets … There were many such occasions, and although many were good —if not magical— one particular time sticks out in my memory. It lingers, resonating more and more the older I get.

I don’t remember what age we were, only that were old enough to be left unsupervised for the night but were too young to be left alone for any longer than that. I remember that my friend wanted to watch something scary—this he told me in advance, hence our frenzy of expectation.

You see, I had a reputation: if someone I knew wanted to get scared, and I mean real scared—I was the guy they hit up.

Reputations swing both ways, but this was one I was ready to not only accept, but also encourage.

I had my fair share of battered VHS horrors tucked away in every nook and cranny of my room. They chocked up my desk, were piled under my bed. They lined shelves next to books that were, for a horror fan, pretty incongruous—R.L Stine thrillers and dog-eared Stephen King tomes (really, could things get more transitory than that? It was like even my interests were going through puberty).

I wanna watch something scary.

So horror film it would be. We watched Tobe Hooper’s 1979 adaptation of King’s novel, Salem’s Lot. We were scared (especially in the scenes where the vampires were floating outside the boy’s windows, scratching to get in). But that was a good thing. That was the best.

The following morning my Mom came home from work and my friend’s father came to pick him up. I remember going to the door and listening to our parents talking.

“Yeah, the boys spent the night watching horror movies,” my mother said.

“I used to love them myself, back in the day. But you outgrow it. They will too one day.”

And with that my friend was whisked away, swallowed up by Sunday only to have the bones of our enthusiasm spat out at quarter-to-nine the following morning. Pre-class, weekend reminiscing—damn, it was good.

I used to love that stuff. But you know, you outgrow it. They will too one day

Ah, man. That makes me smile.

My debut novel, House of Sighs, was released in March this year, and now it’s me doing the scaring. I’m the vampire outside Mark Petrie’s window, scratching to get in … And though things have changed, my reputation remains the same. I’m the guy people turn to for a fright.

I don’t question people’s urge to be scared any more than I question my desire to scare others. We’re happily in business here. The only snag in this seemingly strong handshake is time.

The time it takes to write a novel can be all-encompassing. Writers need only ask their partners about this. I was often accused, and rightly so, of not being ‘there’ in the moment. My head was in the clouds when it should have been in the kitchen as dinner sat smoldering away. Balance. But the naturally occurring self-absorption that comes with sitting down to work on a novel (and the way it robs the time of your loved ones too) isn’t the only hurdle to leap. Work often gets in the way.

“To avoid fainting. Keep repeating … It’s only a day job. It’s only a day job…”

But these pressures aren’t negatives. Your work and relationship commitments are not drawbacks on the road to creativity; they are your fuel. If you’re a plumber then make your main character a plumber — and then pit him against the monsters at the end of the street.

Draw on your memories and flesh out your stories. We all have issues, and if you want to write the kind of stories that linger, you have to be brave enough to bare all and dig deep into your history. Confront what you’ve ignored and write as though your parents will never read it.

Creating creepy is a hell of a lot easier if you remember all this. The more of you there is in your character the richer your work will be. Horror fiction works best once belief has been honestly suspended — but you have to work to do that. But do it right, make me love your characters and believe in them, and I’ll willingly follow them into unbelievable circumstances. This is why Stephen King is so successful at what he does. That’s why the town of ’Salem’s Lot survives, even if its inhabitants do not.

Now with all of this in mind, remember the beginning of this blog. You received a glimpse into my childhood. The old VHS tapes; the orange tree; scaring yourself stupid with horror films. You haven’t just read a blog, you’ve lifted off the top of my skull and probed around in my memories (I hope you washed your fingers beforehand…).

Remember what happened next in the story? My friend’s father came around to pick him up the following morning.

Imagine hearing the knocking on the door, echoing throughout my house. My friend rolls up his sleeping bag and quickly shoves his frayed toothbrush in the pocket of his Levis. We shuffle down the hallway toward the front door, which is wide open.

Now, what if it wasn’t my friend’s father standing there?

What if it was someone else?

Knowing that we’re children like you once were, and knowing what we stand to lose, would you feel scared for us?

That creature at the door is staring in at us with eyes that don’t seem to be living. We can smell his diseased breath from where we stand. His teeth are looking awfully sharp in that light, don’t you think?

Knowing all this, would you fear for us? And being curious, would you follow us further?

 

…That’s finding the creepy in the creative.

At the end of it, it’s about you.

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Thanks for the fantastic post about writing horror, Aaron.  We wish you the best of success as you launch your debut novel into the world of books.

Here’s Aaron’s book trailer to get you horror fans excited about his book:

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Connect with Aaron Here:

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Freethinking Fashion with Robert Affinis

February 22, 2012 in Cult Survivors, Interviews

Please welcome freethinker entrepreneur and social media mogul, Robert Affinis, to the blog today.  I met him through this blog. I am thoroughly impressed with his own blog, The Heretical Reader.  I also am loving his apparel business for freethinkers.  I asked him if he would be willing to answer some questions about his experience with religion and how his path has led him to freethinking.  Here’s the interview…

atheism, atheist apparel, freethinking clothes, freethought

Robert Affinis

 

Q & A with Robert Affinis

M.A.: Tell us a bit about your background.  Did you grow up with faith or religion?  What type?  How did that affect you as a child?  Did you feel it was beneficial to your upbringing?

R.A: I grew up in a predominately Christian family; Baptist to be specific. To be honest Mindi, my entire family are Christians; passing down from generation to generation. Ever sense I could remember; I was exposed to church life. Every Sunday, I would accompany my mother to church; singing in the choir and attending children’s bible class was routine and systematic. At the time of my adolescence; looking back in retrospect, fear and misconceptions bombarded my mind; allowing to prolong my allegiance to the church and pastor; without inquiry; without suspicion. At the time, I believed attending church, reading the bible, and praying to Jesus was pleasing to him; not to mention, appealing to my family. I was told that children; especially African American children, should praise god for bringing our ancestors out of slavery; when ironically; it was Christianity that mentally and physically enslaved my ancestors…a historical aspect I would soon enough be exposed to.

 

M.A.: What event/thought/discovery sparked your exodus from faith?

R.A.: Well, when I reached the age of 13, Islam became attractive to me. Reading books by Elijah Muhammad and inquiring about the Nation of Islam, my cultural appetite was soon satiated. Learning about the exploitations of Africans and how their contributions were exploited to benefit America; all the while, their legacy being re-written by the victors entrenched my yearning to know more about my culture. I have to say; although, my mother was/is a staunch Christian, her perspective about me believing in some higher being was better than an atheistic mind. She took me to mosques to explore the Islamic religiosity of Muslims. I even began to learn to articulate prayer in the Arabic tongue. Although, a transition had been made from Christianity to Islam, at the age of 18, I realized a pertinent aspect within Islam: Africa was not Islamic until the Arab invasion; forcing the African indigenous people to submit under similar systematic controls of forced slavery. A strong thought occurred to me through all of my findings and research: all religions possess the same type of exclusive ideology and slave tactics; be it physical, mental, or both. Whether it was Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, etc., the exclusive nature and common aspects to exploit the arrogance of exclusive claim amid humanities eagerness to believe in a higher power were all too common and ordinary. I realized Mindi that possessing cultural appreciation is a health aspect; especially in this country; however, mental slavery encompasses all minds; regardless of race, color, or creed. The comparisons of religions inculcated a spark of skepticism and the courage to speak out about my concerns.

 

M.A: What was the first step you took away from faith?  How did it feel for you?

R.A: My initial step towards possessing a liberated mind was exploring the writings of Frederick Nietzsche and Ludwig Feuerbach. The two books that are memorable to me are the Genealogy of Morals (Nietzsche) and The Origins of Christianity (Feuerbach). Philosophy was a pertinent aspect for my mental growth in my late twenties. I realized that our educational institution was teaching our youth what to think and not how to think. Once the question of morality entered my mind and how ethics transcends morals; without the belief in a divine artificer, it felt like a 50lb weight was lifted from my shoulders.

 

M.A: If you could only name one major struggle about leaving faith behind, what would it be?

R.A: The biggest struggle was the non-appeal that I would have to my family and friends. It is not easy to disappoint loved ones; especially when I am the only child of my mother. She has been disappointed for some time now; however, she has come to grips with my lack of belief and just wishes me to live an ethical life. People may say they don’t care about people’s opinion of them, but in reality, depending on the person, we really have our concerns.

 

M.A: Did leaving faith revolutionize your life in any way OR did it pretty much stay the same?

R.A: Actually; yes, it did. I never thought about starting an apparel line for freethinkers. I never imagined that I would be a pro-gay black male. Homophobia reared its head when I was connected to Christianity. I believed that gay and lesbian people were damned to hell and needed salvation. Becoming a freethinker; specifically an atheist, freed me from the indoctrination of medieval ignorance.

 

M.A: Tell us more about your business of freethinker and LGBT apparel.  When did you start it?  What was the spark of the idea?

R.A: Expression is an essential part of life Mindi. It takes more than lectures in the halls of the intelligentsia to promote change and reverse the conditions of indoctrination. The idea was entrenched in me in 2007 to establish Affinis Apparel. The etymology of the word Affinis stems from “Affinity” meaning a natural liking based on similarity and connection; in this case, similar minds wanting freedom from indoctrination. In 2007, it was just an idea; however, after witnessing the injustices to those who lacked belief, an eager motivation consumed to become an activist for the freedom of religion. One interesting historical aspect that captivated me was the lack of belief W.E.B Dubois possessed. In the black community, Dubois is regarded as a commendable black intellectual male; first black male to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard. To be poignant; Dubois was an atheist.

African American actress Butterfly McQueen; known for her role in Gone with the Wind declared this sentiment:

“As my ancestors are free from slavery, I am free from the slavery of Christianity.”

 

James Baldwin; a prominent journalist and gay African American man stated this in 1987:

“Christianity has operated with an unmitigated arrogance and cruelty—necessarily, since a religion ordinarily imposes on those who have discovered the true faith the spiritual duty of liberating the infidels.”

 

The LGBT (lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender) was an additional component to the apparel line. The connection between religion and homophobia is too blatant. The talk of worshiping and loving god (whatever interpretation that is) in the spirit, I thought; well, spirit possesses no gender; leaving god as A-sexual (genderless). So; if spirit has no gender, then love also transcends gender. Woman and man are only created for means of procreation; however, love possesses a separate function; with no bearing on procreative yearnings. The LGBT are being ostracized for loving one another and it is nothing, but religious sexual bigotry fueling it Mindi. Thinking about the coorelation between religion and homophobia, I figured, why not couple the two perspectives and advocate both: the freedom from religion and the promotion of gay rights.

With these findings amid others, the motivation and tenacity to establish an apparel line for free thinkers across the world was satiated. No more did I feel that I was alone in the world; no matter what the obstacles, fashion was now going to exemplify meaning and not just empty trends.

 

M.A: Do you feel that you now have a mission in life because of what you have been through?

R.A: Yes I do. Individuals that have gone through the muck and mire of life possess the greatest perspectives on resolve. I mean; how can you articulate to someone about the follies of religion when one hasn’t been religious themselves. The best drug counselors or alcohol counselors are the ones who were ex-users. Can you imagine Mindi; telling a child not to drink or smoke weed when you haven’t smoked a joint in your life? I believe the respect level increases when one has been exposed to life’s trials and tribulations.

 

M.A: If you could go back in time to the day you realized you could not trust in faith/religion, what would you tell yourself?  What advice would you give to anyone struggling with belief in God, a religion, or a church?

R.A: I would tell myself wake up and become an ardent proponent of mental liberation. I would possess the courage to free people from the bondage of mental slavery. For those struggling with fleeing the strongholds of societal religiosity, I give this advice: Without courage and risk, there is no reward.

There is a euphemism that I wrote years ago; however, it is still applicable to this very day:

The freeman is the thinking man; his voice the instrument of conviction. However, courage becomes absent when betrayal mimics the sound of silence.

 

M.A: Any closing thoughts or anything you would like to share that I did not ask?

R.A: Never allow silence to prevail and stunt your progressive mind. Never live your life through the appeasements of other people’s eyes; in turn, you’ll never find happiness for yourself.

I thank you for the opportunity of having me here, M.E. Anders. It was a pleasure. I want to add I appreciate and I’m astounded by the work you do; manifesting to the world the problematic woes of religion and how to break free from cult strongholds. It is courageous and admirable the energy and passion you put forth aiding individuals to awaken to a new existence; without boundaries; without fear. I applaud you!

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Robert Affinis’ Bio: 

Robert Affinis is a writer, advocate, and entrepreneur exemplifying aspects of the religious and gay community. Originally from North Jersey and currently residing in Phoenix Arizona, Robert is founder of AFFINIS Apparel; promoting freethinking and advocating the universality of human rights through fashion. He is also a member of Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

His current academic credentials involve Industrial/Organizational psychology; the crux of any healthy and productive company system is to disclose the relations between human felicity and corporate policies and procedures—a redundant; yet, overlooked matter.

Robert has two beautiful daughters to his credit; ages 10 and 7 and I quote him:

“There is nothing like the bond that is possessed between a father and his daughters; it is indeed a special kind of love that transcends all that is tangible”.

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 Readers:  Do you have any additional questions or comments for Robert?  Does your journey parallel his in any way?  What one take-away did you benefit from in this interview?  Leave your comment below.


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Being Atheist Ain’t So Bad

February 17, 2012 in Interviews

Hop on over to my Parvati Tyler’s Blog today for her Series on Religion: Roots of Faith.  She will be featuring people from various perspectives about faith and religious belief for the next several Fridays.  She asked me to contribute a post, and of course, I heartily agreed to do so!

Here’s why she is covering this controversial topic of faith:

Religion is a difficult topic. It’s one of those “never talk about on a first date” taboos like politics and abortion. Watch the television and election coverage – you’d think that religion was something on the forefront of people’s minds, but in casual conversation these days it seems like G*d has become a dirty word.

When did it happen that the discussion of religion is avoided because of the possibility of conflict? It seems that despite all the emphasis of multi-cultural understanding and diversity as soon as people begin to talk about the things that really separate us it gets heated – fast.

So we avoid it, we look the other way and miss the opportunity to know each other in a meaningful way.

 

Today, I’m her guest in this religion series…and I’m an atheist. :)

Here’s the beginning of my post:

 

I confess:  I am one of those.  An atheist.  You know, those angry people who wear conspiratorial red “A’s” on their ballcaps, and they’re not referring to the Atlanta Braves.  It’s the dreaded A word, not to be discussed in polite company.  Please, don’t confuse me with the anti-theist: one who is anti-everything religion.  I believe that religion can play a positive role in many lives.

 

Was I born an atheist? Some say that all babies are born atheist by default till they are spoon fed doctrine mixed with their Gerber’s sweet potatoes.  On the contrary, I was a pastor’s daughter of a burgeoning independent fundamental baptist church.  I was destined to become a spiritual leader, even a pastor’s wife myself.

 

What happened to me?  I broke up with my aspiring preacher boyfriend in Christian college.  Yeah.  Says it all.  This act severed my ties to my cultic independent fundamental baptist sect. I began my journey to discovering the truth about my beliefs.  I promised myself to follow that road wherever it led…

 

Show some blogging love by clicking here to read the rest of my post.

 

Leave a comment here on my blog below or there.  I’ll be answering questions in the comments sections.

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