Mythologizing the Bible

You’ve probably heard the phrase “seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.” It’s a nice metaphor for optimism… until you realize it applies to everything we believe. Because none of us, not one, sees the world as it actually is. We see it through filters—lenses shaped by our upbringing, culture, fears, hopes, and, yes… our faith. This bonus episode of Afterthoughts is one that I’ve put toget...

Have you ever noticed how rejection doesn’t just sting emotionally, it actually hurts? Like, physically hurts? It turns out that’s not just a metaphor. When you’re excluded, ghosted, or pushed out of a group, your brain reacts the same way it does when you touch a hot stove. It lights up the same pain centers. So yeah, being left out literally physically hurts! Humans are pack animals. Always have...

Inclusion isn’t easy—it’s work. But if we want to protect both people and planet, we have to choose cooperation over control, compassion over comfort, and curiosity over fear. This week’s reflections remind us that living our values isn’t about being right, it’s about being real, even when it’s uncomfortable! Have you ever noticed how often people talk about love, faith, and community, but then dr...

If your theology needs a wall to feel safe, it’s not protecting faith, it’s protecting fear. That’s our starting point. And yes, I know: walls feel simple, like buying the heavy-duty lock for your front door and calling it a security strategy. But we’re grown-ups; we can hold two ideas at once: we all want safety, and we also know fear shrinks our circle of care until there’s hardly anyone left in...

Who’s in? Who’s out? These readings from the Bible say, “Stop gatekeeping and start caring.” In other words, people first, identity tests never. But don’t forget to thank the real helpers who make care possible. We must widen care across borders, resist gatekeeping zeal, and aim gratitude at the people who actually heal! Have you noticed how often debates about faith and politics become debates ab...

Let me be blunt: People need to stop outsourcing hope to some supernatural guy in the sky. All it takes is a mustard-seed’s worth of conviction to take positive action: name harm, act with dignity, and build change right where you live. Agency beats passivity, intrinsic motivation fuels service, and belief becomes practical, measurable care! Have you ever noticed how often “just wait, God will fix...

The Challenge that I gave you in the main presentation is a difficult one: Pick one belief you hold strongly, set a 15-minute timer, and look for the best arguments against it. Most people won’t do it justice. They’ll either find shoddy arguments against their strongly held belief, or they won’t actually challenge a strongly held belief! I mean, let’s be honest—challenging our own beliefs is one o...

When certainty feels easier than humility, it’s tempting to stop learning. But what if wisdom means staying curious because it means you’re willing to change? The simple truth is that fairness, resilience, and humility matter more than being right… and they are the skills we need to build a life that keeps growing instead of getting stuck. Have you ever noticed how some sacred stories promise perf...

As I was working on this week’s main presentation, I was struck by some of the inconsistencies in the readings and also by some of the irony—like an all-loving God who was helping Joshua’s army slaughter the Amalekites. We see that sort of irony all throughout the Bible, so most people aren’t surprised by it… in their religious history book. But that sort of religious irony isn’t just relegated to...

When hope feels thin, miracles don’t fix it… people do. What most people don’t realize is that wisdom, patience, and perseverance are the real forces for justice. That’s why human connection, shared wisdom, and steady courage matter more than divine intervention when the world feels impossible! It’s interesting to note that LOTS of sacred stories promise quick victories if you just believe hard en...

Comfort without responsibility corrodes community. What we need is to widen the circle of care, help neighbors near and far, and choose people over power. But widening the circle means going beyond what’s comfortable. We must widen the circle of care beyond borders, not just across the street. It all starts by choosing values over wealth and control! Have you ever noticed how “blessed” can become...

When religion preaches generosity but chases power, the contradiction is glaring. These ancient stories call out greed and hypocrisy, suggesting that reason, goodwill, and compassion can reshape lives… even today. What happens if we strip away the pretense and live the values ourselves? Have you ever noticed how often religion preaches generosity while its loudest voices hoard wealth and chase pol...

Reason calms anger. Forgiveness heals wounds. Compassion lifts the marginalized. Reason, forgiveness, and compassion matter more than religious appearances. If churches won’t live these values, maybe it’s up to the rest of us! Have you ever noticed how often people talk about God as both endlessly forgiving and ruthlessly judgmental, depending on who they’re talking about? Forgiveness for themselv...

True growth means questioning easy answers, resisting harmful norms, and being willing to sacrifice for values that matter. It helps to understand why real transformation demands wisdom, courage, and sacrifice… and why clinging to the status quo only keeps us stagnant! Have you ever noticed how often people want the title of being faithful, moral, or principled, but they don’t actually want to pay...

Once you begin to think critically about religion, there’s a common question that you’ll end up asking: Why do so many people cling to divine “covenants” that can’t be proven? The short answer is this: They do it because supernatural certainty feels safer than real-life ambiguity. But is it really? Let’s look at why humans crave divine promises, how covenants become tools of control, and what it m...

Real humility isn’t about scorekeeping or eternal payoffs. It’s about becoming better people now, through mercy, kindness, and authentic generosity. Humility, mercy, and kindness become transformative when they’re not transactional but rather lived authentically in the here and now. Have you ever noticed how often humility gets twisted into something else, either self-criticism that tears us down,...

Stuck in a suffering loop? Use agency, not blame, to move again. Sort things into Control, Influence, and Accept, then use proven psychological tools that work in real life. This episode is a blunt-but-kind guide to swapping self-pity for small, deliberate moves! You can’t control what life throws at you, but you can pick the next right move. That’s agency. Not the lottery numbers, not the timing...

Ditch the afterlife scoreboard. Widen the circle of care and acceptance now to honor shared humanity, learn from hardship, and fix the narrow doors that quietly shut people out. It’s not complicated and it’s an ages old message! Have you ever noticed how often “narrow door” religion turns into velvet ropes and bouncers? Lots of talk about who gets in later, while real people are kept out now. Stri...

Good trouble beats fake peace… but you need to understand when to stand firm, what to negotiate, and then you need to identify one step you’ll schedule this week to protect your neighbors. Stick around and I’ll share a secular guide to principled conflict—ends vs. means, a “compromise compass,” and a practical step you can put on the calendar this week. Jesus said, “I didn’t come to bring peace bu...

Ditch the afterlife scoreboard. Widen the circle of care and acceptance now—honor shared humanity, learn from hardship, and fix the narrow doors that quietly shut people out. It’s not complicated and it’s an ages old message! Have you ever noticed how telling the truth out loud can shine a spotlight on what’s really happening… exposing what’s broken, revealing who stands with us, and forcing a cho...

What if blind faith isn’t a virtue but a tool for control? The simple truth is that unquestioned belief often gets weaponized, so we can do much better without it! If you had to pick one word that holds up the entire house of religion, especially Christianity, it’s probably faith . Not compassion, humility, or even obedience (although that one tries real hard). Faith is like the duct tape of relig...

Blind belief is dangerous because “faith” becomes a cover for oppressive behavior. But instead of feeding the bitter roots of oppression, we can choose to live with clarity and compassion to break the cycles of harm! Have you ever noticed how often religious belief is used to shut down questions rather than open up meaningful conversations? Whether it’s “God said it, I believe it, that settles it,...

What if living a good life didn’t require religion at all? Instead of blind faith in an invisible god, what if we learned to focus on the real power behind three timeless values: integrity, discipline, and compassion? Paul told the early Christians to get rid of stuff like greed, lust, and all that good-time behavior the philosophers also warned against. And then he said, “Do it because you’ve bee...

What if real wealth isn’t what you own but what you give away? Perhaps living a values-based life that’s based on generosity, not greed, is the foundation of a just and thriving world! Have you ever noticed how hard people work to accumulate stuff… money, possessions, titles… and then still feel like it’s never enough? From ancient parables to modern politics, it seems like we’ve always struggled...

What kind of God demands loyalty but punishes honesty? Maybe it’s time to talk about divine wrath, heresy, and what it means to challenge sacred texts with integrity. In this episode, we’ll take a fearless look at divine contradictions, ancient heresies, and why asking tough questions might be the most faithful thing you can do! In the main episode this week , we looked at a weird little story fro...