In this second episode of season two Shawn Brace and I clarify our intellectual foundations to start this ongoing conversation from as we work towards faith. In many ways this discussion feels like a spiritual discussion for atheists, or the "Doubting Thomas" in your life. So, if your religious and content and don't enjoy hearing things that may be unsettling, this is not for you...move along, there is nothing to see here for you. If you can believe without seeing you will have a higher likelihood of being at peace, take joy in that. But, I am rather antagonistic by nature which means this may also be reverse psychology that I'm using to challenge you into joining me on this journey...which may not be good for you. I've already lost my religion, so pray for me as you don't listen to this. This is my fight to find a reason to hold onto faith. OK, good, now that we have had a great shaking of viewership and only those who are willing to be so arrogant as to wrestle with God remain, we can move forward knowing that this discussion has no religion, team or tribe to protect other than the balanced interaction of Truth and Love...or God. Season 2 re-cap: Knowing & Believing aims to navigate the journey from skepticism to faith through conversations aimed at guiding listeners on a structured investigation of theological concepts one at a time. As the host I intend to delve into these topics as a self honest intellectual skeptic that emotionally wants to believe. My intent is to honestly engage in these conversations with the intent of moving towards belief while being intellectually stringent at each step. Conversations will be between myself and current co-host, Shawn Brace, previously the pastor of the Bangor Maine Seventh-day Adventist Church but now Portland Maine SD church and currently a PhD student in Theology at the University of Oxford in England. He has written five books, and is currently a columnist for "Adventist Review." I’ve known and interacted with Shawn off and on since the early 2000’s and in each of our interactions Ive been been impressed with his sincerity and intellect. Given our similar background of Christianity/Adventism he is someone whom I can put his feet to the fire when appropriate, but… he is someone intellectual enough to take it and give it back when appropriate. The goal of these conversations is to appropriately strip away the inaccuracies of human perception, bias & emotion by only allowing terms that can be logically and rationally defined & defended as we wrestle towards understanding and framing the term on the table in a matter that even a skeptic cant deny. Essentially building a rational faith where possible and clarifying the argument for where a stepping into “belief” is appropriate. I do not aim to dismantle faith but to build faith for those who find them selves in a skeptical posture towards organized religion and the culture surrounding it. Each episode will be conducted in almost a game-like format to ensure clarity and mutual understanding, with rules designed to keep the dialogue focused and deepen our mutual understanding of our positions while allowing for growth in our positions. The foundational rules are as follows: 1. Each episode will work towards finding a rational understanding of a single theological term or concept. 2. No term requiring belief is allowed without unanimous agreement and acceptance of the belief required to use the word as well as its clear definition. Basically, no religious words allowed other than the word we are working on or ones that we have already agreed upon in a previous episodes. This approach ensures the thorough intellectual scrutiny and mutual consensus of two interlocutors working on an understanding held between them so they only move forward in agreement. This approach will be one that encourages respect and trust as they will be working towards the same goal, faith/belief. The result is respectful and enlightening conversation that challenge even the staunchest skeptics while wrestling towards belief. Join us as we navigate the subjective chaos and difficult process of the objectification of spiritual belief, equipping listeners with a clearer path towards understanding and embracing faith. SUBSCRIBE: https://bit.ly/2H08RPU Connect with Vast Noodle: - Visit our WEBSITE: http://www.vastnoodle.com - Follow us on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vastnoodle/ - Follow us on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vastnoodle - Interact with us on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vastnoodle - Support us on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/vastnoodle
Here is the rough idea, but don't get to attached to it, change is constant: In season 2 of Knowing & Believing we aim to navigate the journey from skepticism to faith through conversations aimed at guiding listeners on a structured investigation of theological concepts one at a time. As the host I intend to delve into these topics as a self honest intellectual skeptic that emotionally wants to believe. My intent is to honestly engage in these conversations with the intent of moving towards belief while being intellectually stringent at each step. Conversations will be between myself and current co-host, Shawn Brace, previously the pastor of the Bangor Maine Seventh-day Adventist Church but now Portland Maine SD church and currently a PhD student in Theology at the University of Oxford in England. He has written five books, and is currently a columnist for "Adventist Review." I’ve known and interacted with Shawn off and on since the early 2000’s and in each of our interactions Ive been been impressed with his sincerity and intellect. Given our similar background of Christianity/Adventism he is someone whom I can put his feet to the fire when appropriate, but… he is someone intellectual enough to take it and give it back when appropriate. The goal of these conversations is to appropriately strip away the inaccuracies of human perception, bias & emotion by only allowing terms that can be logically and rationally defined & defended as we wrestle towards understanding and framing the term on the table in a matter that even a skeptic cant deny. Essentially building a rational faith where possible and clarifying the argument for where a stepping into “belief” is appropriate. I do not aim to dismantle faith but to build faith for those who find them selves in a skeptical posture towards organized religion and the culture surrounding it. Each episode will be conducted in almost a game-like format to ensure clarity and mutual understanding, with rules designed to keep the dialogue focused and deepen our mutual understanding of our positions while allowing for growth in our positions. The foundational rules are as follows: 1. Each episode will work towards finding a rational understanding of a single theological term or concept. 2. No term requiring belief is allowed without unanimous agreement and acceptance of the belief required to use the word as well as its clear definition. Basically, no religious words allowed other than the word we are working on or ones that we have already agreed upon in a previous episodes. This approach ensures the thorough intellectual scrutiny and mutual consensus of two interlocutors working on an understanding held between them so they only move forward in agreement. This approach will be one that encourages respect and trust as they will be working towards the same goal, faith/belief. The result is respectful and enlightening conversation that challenge even the staunchest skeptics while wrestling towards belief. Join us as we navigate the subjective chaos and difficult process of the objectification of spiritual belief, equipping listeners with a clearer path towards understanding and embracing faith.
So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. In this conversation I kinda found my doppelgänger...It was a really good conversation.
So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Tim was the 3rd person to respond. So we sat down for a chat. Tim knows his stuff and handed over a lot of “nuggets”, thanks Tim!
So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Ryan was the second person to respond. So we sat down for a chat.
So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Aviv was the first to respond...so we did chat and it was good.
I recently sat down with my good friend Jonathan Leonardo to discuss his faith that has both grown and simplified over the past few years. We have both grown up in the adventist system of belief...my faith has all but vanished while Jonathan's has seemingly deepened.
We recently got the chance to sit down with Science Mike, aka Mike McHargue, in his studio in Los Angeles California. We asked him about everything from his new book to spiritual experiences, determinism, dissociative disorder, Dyson spheres, Autism Spectrum Disorder to deconstruction regrets and so on. Mike has one of the most unique perspectives on faith and the human experience that I have ever encountered and it was a real treat to get to speak with him one on one.
In this episode of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Brenda Johnson, Pastor at the Saco Seventh Day Adventist Church to discuss her experience leading a congregation within an institution that does not freely ordain women. The conversation focuses on the challenges and unique opportunities presented in such an environment, while also discussing ways the church has evolved and continues to evolve under female leadership. What has been the impact on close family members and friends? How does the church pursue a more open stance on LGBTQ issues? These are just a few of the important questions we address in our interview with Pastor Brenda Johnson.
In this three-part series of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Taylor Lange for a discussion about faith deconstruction, his academic journey as it relates to religion, and his process of rebuilding. Currently, Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate that holds a Masters in Geography, with a Graduate Certificate in Evolutionary Studies. In part three of this episode, Taylor summarizes his journey of deconstruction and his renewed sense of focus moving forward into the future.
In this three-part series of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Taylor Lange for a discussion about faith deconstruction, his academic journey as it relates to religion, and his process of rebuilding. Currently, Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate that holds a Masters in Geography, with a Graduate Certificate in Evolutionary Studies. In part two of this episode, we look back on Taylor's journey through the lens of a scientific and evolutionary approach.
In this three-part series of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Taylor Lange for a discussion about faith deconstruction, his academic journey as it relates to religion, and his process of rebuilding. Currently, Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate that holds a Masters in Geography, with a Graduate Certificate in Evolutionary Studies. In part one of this episode, Taylor shares his journey of faith and the struggle he faces from stepping away from the community he was raised in."In the discussion about intuition and rationality, I say that we make a choice to follow our intuition and use our rationality to justify it. In reality, that is often not the case. We tend to rationalize our intuitions unconsciously if we are not cognizant of how our mind works. We can choose to be conscious of our intuitions and check our assumptions only after we train ourselves to do so through mindful observance." - Taylor Lange
In this episode of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Dr. David Livingstone Smith for a discussion around the topics of free will, determinism, hard determinism, and truth. Dr. David Livingstone Smith is a professor of philosophy at the University of New England, where he teaches courses on the philosophy of psychology, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, free will and determinism, philosophy of human nature, philosophy of race, and other topics.
Two different preacher’s kids experienced the same religion with the same problems and had the same options for changing it...one chose to become a pastor and improve the belief system from the inside and the other chose to distance himself and critique it from the outside. Why? Listen in on this two-part series as Trent talks with Seventh-Day-Adventist pastor Shawn Brace about his reasons for belief, answers to skepticism and why Adventism is still the right choice for him.
Two different preacher’s kids experienced the same religion with the same problems and had the same options for changing it...one chose to become a pastor and improve the belief system from the inside and the other chose to distance himself and critique it from the outside. Why? Listen in on this two-part series as Trent talks with Seventh-Day-Adventist pastor Shawn Brace about his reasons for belief, answers to skepticism and why Adventism is still the right choice for him.
In this episode of Knowing & Believing Trent sits down with Brian Beaudette to discuss the reality Brian experienced as a closeted gay man for the majority of his life. Recounting his journey from childhood to raising a family, Brian eventually comes to the realization of who he was and how he made it to where he is now.
In this episode of Knowing & Believing we sit down with my friend Caleb Johnson to discuss the experience, the reasons, the pitfalls and the advice he would have looking back on his own process of deconstruction thus far.
Life is easy when you agree with everyone around you, but unfortunately this is no longer the situation for my family since I have lost my faith. In this episode Amber Bell (my wife) sits down with me to discuss the difficulty and emotional roller-coaster of having your spouse go through faith deconstruction.