Michaels World | Main / Spirituality

I am an Atheist, that is, I do not believe in the existence of a supernatural supreme being. I don't believe in magic either. However, I do believe that the natural universe holds some pretty fucking weird shit, e.g., Quantum randomness, boxes of cats that are both dead and alive and "spooky action at a distance" (Einstein's description of the implications of Quantum entanglement but which have been experimentally confirmed). Although I am an atheist I reserve the right to change my mind based on available evidence.

I am currently on the fence about the question of organized religion's ultimate good (defined as a useful adaptation). There's a hell of a lot of evidence that its evil (defined as a destructive adaptation); i.e., exploiting for wealth and power human beings' underlying need for knowing the unknowable, but I'm open to the idea that organized religion in and of itself is no worse than any other tribalistic system.

I was raised in the Jewish faith but rejected its concept of spirituality in my teens. Although of immeasurable importance to the development of the western mind I could not reconcile my understanding of Jewish law and spirituality with my post-enlightenment reason-based concepts of freedom and justice. I credit this realization, along with my long separation from any real Jewish community with my abandonment of Judaism. I did make Bar Mitzvah in North Miami Beach Florida as a token of respect to my maternal grandmother, Betty Kraus. Hence if I'm wrong about the god of of my mothers (Judaism is matrilineal) I hopefully stand a chance when all souls are called back. :)

I married a Catholic.

I dabbled with Flying Spaghetti Monsterism but found it carbohydrate-heavy.

I am an Ordained Clergy Person in the Church of Spiritual Humanism and the Universal Life Church, performing weddings, baby namings, committals, spiritual counseling, etc., in Central Maine. If you are in pain and in need of making confession, please try this online confession service. My status as a legally-recognized clergy-person does not conflict with my atheism because the legal definition of a church does not require a theistic doctrine; e.g. Buddhism.