About

Want to help support this endeavor, check out my Patreon page. www.patreon.com/thecuriouschristian

Got questions about religion?
Who doesn’t. I know I certainly do, which is how I ended up pursuing a degree in Religious Studies. Through that process, it became more clear why I had so many questions, because I simply didn’t know as much about religion as I thought. Much of what I thought I knew was only representative of a small group. 

Part of the problem is that many who try to answer questions about religion either want to preach at you, or have lofty explanations that lead to more questions than answers. 

My goal with this project is to help break down those questions into easily accessible answers which strip away the sermon. 

I have some big plans for this work, from doing a series on breaking down the Bible, to answering questions sent in by others. Much of this will focus on Christianity, but we will also venture off into other major religions. 

So why did I decide to start this page?
For the last few years, I was pursuing a Master’s in Theology. That I would go into theology was probably a bigger surprise to me than anything else, as I never had an interest in theology. I was more focused on either comparative religious studies, or history of religion. 

But that slowly started to change, and I found myself diving head first into theology. However, due to health concerns, I ended up having to put my schooling on hold. Not wanting to give up on all the work I’ve done, and this passion, I decided that I would explore a new way to continue this journey. 

I figured the best way forward would be to help answer some of those questions people have about religion in a fair and balanced manner. 

My background.
I grew up in an evangelical household, where I had a deep fascination with religion. I studied everything I could. I read the Bible cover to cover, multiple times, through different translations. I read everything I could get my hands on, wanting to know everything. 

As I neared my teen years, I began rebelling against my parents, and part of that was because I had so many questions that weren’t being answered. This was capped off when I watched the movie Stigmata. 

It wasn’t that the movie was earth shattering, but it introduced me to “lost books” of the Bible, in particular the Gospel of Thomas. Not having a very good foundation when it came to religion, everything eroded away. From there I went down a rabbit hole. I ended up being introduced to Dan Brown’s books, and the sources behind them. I became obsessed with the idea of the Priory of Sion and Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene. Which in hindsight was just a lot of bad history. 

This led to more questions, and eventually, those questions led me to becoming a militant atheist, who was determined to show everyone just how dumb religion was. I rejected the idea Jesus even existed, and was convinced all religion was evil, and just a tool to control people. Simply put, I was angry, uninformed, and annoying. 

But this fascination I had with religion never really left. It was just how I approached it that changed. And as I grew up, that hatred I had started to fade. I explored other religions, even converting to Judaism. But it was Christianity that I would eventually find myself back to, just a different type of Christianity. 

That fascination I had then led me to going to college and pursing a degree in Religious Studies, which I never imagined was a possibility, just as I never expected I’d be interested in theology. 

With that background, I lost that anger, I became informed, and hopefully am less annoying. In discussion religion, I’ve also found myself working towards a middle ground. 

My Approach
My belief is that there are multiple ways to approach religion, and in order to be productive, open discussions are a must. Because of that, I tend to try to find a middle ground, a moderate’s approach. 

In that, I also tend to steer away from addressing my own beliefs, in order to try to keep my own biases in check. I don’t want to preach at people, because for many, that’s off putting. Especially when they just want a simple answer. 

While I was pursuing a degree in Religious Studies, I doubled down with studying History. I figured that knowing the historical background in regards to the Bible was incredibly important. As was learning the languages in which the Bible was written. 

I try to incorporate this background in a lot of the work I do when it comes to religion, as having the proper foundation is often very important. It helps us see what the text really is saying as we can get a more complete picture. 

At the basis of all of this though comes one idea, and that is understanding. Understanding that others will have different views, different beliefs, different backgrounds. With that understanding comes respect, which makes these discussions so much more fruitful.