Letting God Unite, Not Separate

Bridge atheism and theism? Impossible? Well, they are only one letter apart, for God’s sake (or no god’s sake)!

Seriously, the bridge will never be as broad as the territory on both sides, but why will so few admit that it exists? Haven’t many of us crossed it, perhaps on a fairly regular basis?  

I don’t mean switching fully from believers in God to unbelievers necessarily, or vice-versa… but don’t we have doubts? Vascillate over puzzling questions? Perhaps anguish over emotionally charged “issues” with a God we hope (or fear) may exist? 

Many “believers” (theists) are practical atheists, and many atheists are practically theists. 

The first may be devoted church-goers who live six days a week as if there were no God.  They may even pray on many of those six days, but not feel any closer to the Answer-giver far away in heaven. 

Atheists who are practically theists are those, probably in the millions in America now, who believe in God/god as more a universal field or “ground of being” than a “person.”  This view is technically not atheism, perhaps.  But it amounts to atheism from the viewpoint of a theist.  Yet such people (myself included) may find it convenient or automatic to speak to their amorphous god as if it were a person (thank God!).   Or they may speak of their god as a person, even if genderless (”Mother-Father God”).

This blog grows out of both my personal experience and my professional interest in furthering an important mission related to all this theism/atheism conflict.  As I’ve hinted, the conflict is both internal and interpersonal.   The mission is to bring together leaders (as well as followers) of diverse spiritual belief systems on their common ground, and create dynamic cooperation toward world peace and meeting human needs.  (This blog has a commercial component, indirectly, so please see www.GoodNewsBetterNews.com for available products and more.)

Please post a response to my intentions and comments or just introduce yourself and your interests in this subject.

 Howard Pepper