(A video version of this post can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcEktecpZsp/)

Growing up, social etiquette dictated a rule – never speak of religion or politics in social settings. Up to about ten years ago, I was a good boy, but after turning 60, I discovered I didn’t really much care if people liked what I decided to write or post about.

Yes, as a storyteller, my hope is that the books I write offer a few hours of escape and enjoyment just as I was the thankful recipient of the stories from my favorite authors.

But one thing that was drilled into my head while studying for my Master of Fine Arts Degree was that writers observe and then package what we observe into our writing. We become the spokesmen for the human condition. It’s why books like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Of Mice and Men, and The Brothers Karamazov are such amazing classics.

Given the times in which we live, I, like many of my fellow writers, feel compelled to weigh in on the taboo topics of religion and politics. I posted a politically themed reel the other day, and as I suspected would happen, robust commentary from the questionably intelligent thoughts of some MAGA patriots began to flow.

See what I mean?

But religion is another focus of mine. Why? Because it was a central part of the first half of my life.

When I was eight years old, my parents informed me that my father was taking steps to answer his “calling” to enter the priesthood. Sure enough, he disappeared from my life for several years as he worked by day and went to Mercer School of Theology at night with the goal of being ordained in the Episcopal Church (that’s catholic-lite to the R.C.s amongst you or catholic with less guilt). Three years later, I rose from my bed with the flu to witness our bishops administer the laying on of hands at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, NY (yes, Episcopalians do retain the ‘authority’ of Apostolic Succession). From that day forward I became a PK. Shortly thereafter, we moved into a rectory and began a life that was heavily infused with religion – it was our daily existence.

And I did my part. I trained the acolytes, became a Sunday school teacher, joined the vestry when I was eighteen, and passed the requirements to become licensed as a Lay Reader and a Chalice Administrator. On rare occasions, when my father was sick, I even led the congregation in Morning Prayer. This continued well into my adult years.

One day, while showering, I had an epiphany (not to be confused with the Christian celebration) and answered a nagging question: why did I have so much trouble holding my faith? Answer: I never had it in the first place. It was stunning in its simplicity. Something clicked into place at that moment. I realized that most of the teachings of the church didn’t make sense, never did, but I was now free to explore alternatives, and not to stubbornly try for the forced acknowledgment of a faith I didn’t have. I embraced agnosticism for about a month. The exploration ultimately led to atheism.

Now, here’s the irony. Forty years of religious life, going to church weekly, if not semi-weekly, reciting and memorizing countless prayers and creeds, none of that ever came close to the profound realization I gained from becoming an atheist. Atheism is what provided me with an enhanced sense of morality.

Imagine, just for a moment that there is no God, that there is no life after death, that your time on earth is truly the only shot you have at living – just picture this for a second. Now imagine how much more the value of a life increases. How much more heinous is a murder, or a war, or neglect of our fellow man given that this is all we will ever have? It increases the magnitude of those transgressions beyond understanding. You would no longer be able to suffer life with the thought that – it’s alright, your reward will come after you die. You can no longer take solace in the concept that evildoers will suffer an indescribable fate when the Day of Judgment comes. It knocks the system of justice off its well-oiled tracks and trashes thousands of years of assumption. When you free yourself from the constraints that teach against the idea that it’s possible to have evolved into sentient creatures without benefit of divine influence, it liberates your thought process to imagine so many other insightful and meaningful truths.

Atheism taught me this. Atheism, not religion, taught me to honor the life of every deserving human being. It taught me restraint. It created in me a painful sensitivity to injustice – something which hurts more every day as I look at the news both here and abroad – from people being murdered by ICE to the arbitrary hanging of protesters in Iran, from the renditions of harmless immigrants to living in a society which creates more and more opportunity for the wealthy to obtain an obscene amount of riches.

Take a good hard look at our world – it’s insane and it’s getting worse. A fair share has to do with religion, that little thing which has been the root cause of more death, destruction, and misery over these many millennia. Religion, nationalism, and inequality are the dynamic forces driving humanity to the brink. Add to that a thriving cancel culture, unparalleled greed, and the narcissistic personalities of those in leadership positions and it’s a wonder if it is even possible to steer a course that might avoid an ultimate dystopia.

Just think about it…

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