Hello world! Welcome to you theists and atheists alike. I can imagine as naturally curious people you are rightly concerned with the source of the information within these pages. I’ve had that question about a book or two myself… *badum tssss*

In all seriousness I imagine the question you really have about the origin of these writings is: in which way are they biased? Whose opinions are they and what over-arching point is trying to be made. So to whom it may concern I submit the following…

I was raised in a loving household by two still-married parents and a stereotypical older brother (boy did he love fulfilling his older brother duties…) My family never practiced any religion organically however much like my approach in the mission of this website, there was never any hostility towards believers or any faith itself, it simply was a non-issue in our home. My brother and I were both baptized, my family and I would join in at prayers at the dinner table when visiting relatives, and of course tag along to Christmas mass. Heck, I’d even go to mass with my friends’ families after sleepovers on regular Sundays! Still, as my friends got older and became confirmed in the Catholic faith, or had their bar mitzvahs, I didn’t undergo any ritual to affirm my faith in God.

My childhood at home was not one sheltered or exclusive of religion, it was the exact OPPOSITE! My father’s bookshelves were lined with all sorts of creation myths, philosophies, religious holy texts, and inquiries into their historical accuracy. I had the blue prints for life from every major culture throughout history at my finger tips! Come to find out, through a series of “but why dad” questions at the dinner table, my own father had once had dreams of a life as a man of the cloth. Hmm, perhaps investigative spirituality is a gene?

I can best distill my parents’ lesson down to this: that the historical significance of these stories is undeniable, their lessons have transcended time, and to comprehend God could possibly be a life-long task that doesn’t require a decisive declaration. At least in my opinion not a declaration made without due diligence. I had internalized my gratitude for this raising pretty early on, and still consider it my “blessing”. But after two failed attempts to read the Bible, and only elementary run-ins with the Quran through YouTube videos and lectures, it was evident that I was merely paying my parents lip-service. I hadn’t put in any serious effort to take advantage of my spiritual and religious freedom. This power, if you will, to decide what I TRULY believe in.     *Prepare for two epic quotes*     I had forgotten that “with great power comes great responsibility“, as uncle Ben Parker (of Spider Man fame) put so eloquently. Or as the Olympian Steve Prefontaine declared “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” So, in the spirit of Uncle Ben and Steve Prefontaine, I created SKEPTIC-ish to hold me accountable.

Given this gift of spiritual agency, I’ll refrain from associating myself with any label of spiritual opinion here. Instead I’ll choose to reiterate my respect and envy for those who can find peace and fulfillment in faith. It’s with spiritual diplomacy I decided to make my own category for these writings: SKEPTIC-ish.

Finally, you’ll encounter many references to psychology in my writings. I want to be clear that psychology is currently only a passion of mine and not yet a profession. Though I have befriended a few varieties of people, lived in a few foreign countries, and done a few exciting things that many would think twice about, and its with those insights that I comfortably craft my opinions. I hope you find them to be logical, at the most: helpful, and at the least: entertaining.

What are my intentions?

• To distill practical wisdom from the thinkers who have come before us and share that with you
• To create an active community of diverse spiritual identities with whom we can discuss and play with these transcendent ideas