Knowing & Believing

In this second episode of season two Shawn Brace and I clarify our intellectual foundations to start this ongoing conversation from as we work towards faith. In many ways this discussion feels like a spiritual discussion for atheists, or the "Doubting Thomas" in your life. So, if your religious and content and don't enjoy hearing things that may be unsettling, this is not for you...move along, there is nothing to see here for you. If you can believe without seeing you will have a higher likelihood of being at peace, take joy in that. But, I am rather antagonistic by nature which means this may also be reverse psychology that I'm using to challenge you into joining me on this journey...which may not be good for you. I've already lost my religion, so pray for me as you don't listen to this. This is my fight to find a reason to hold onto faith. OK, good, now that we have had a great shaking of viewership and only those who are willing to be so arrogant as to wrestle with God remain, we can move forward knowing that this discussion has no religion, team or tribe to protect other than the balanced interaction of Truth and Love...or God. Season 2 re-cap: Knowing & Believing aims to navigate the journey from skepticism to faith through conversations aimed at guiding listeners on a structured investigation of theological concepts one at a time. As the host I intend to delve into these topics as a self honest intellectual skeptic that emotionally wants to believe. My intent is to honestly engage in these conversations with the intent of moving towards belief while being intellectually stringent at each step. Conversations will be between myself and current co-host, Shawn Brace, previously the pastor of the Bangor Maine Seventh-day Adventist Church but now Portland Maine SD church and currently a PhD student in Theology at the University of Oxford in England. He has written five books, and is currently a columnist for "Adventist Review." I’ve known and interacted with Shawn off and on since the early 2000’s and in each of our interactions Ive been been impressed with his sincerity and intellect. Given our similar background of Christianity/Adventism he is someone whom I can put his feet to the fire when appropriate, but… he is someone intellectual enough to take it and give it back when appropriate. The goal of these conversations is to appropriately strip away the inaccuracies of human perception, bias & emotion by only allowing terms that can be logically and rationally defined & defended as we wrestle towards understanding and framing the term on the table in a matter that even a skeptic cant deny. Essentially building a rational faith where possible and clarifying the argument for where a stepping into “belief” is appropriate. I do not aim to dismantle faith but to build faith for those who find them selves in a skeptical posture towards organized religion and the culture surrounding it. Each episode will be conducted in almost a game-like format to ensure clarity and mutual understanding, with rules designed to keep the dialogue focused and deepen our mutual understanding of our positions while allowing for growth in our positions. The foundational rules are as follows: 1. Each episode will work towards finding a rational understanding of a single theological term or concept. 2. No term requiring belief is allowed without unanimous agreement and acceptance of the belief required to use the word as well as its clear definition. Basically, no religious words allowed other than the word we are working on or ones that we have already agreed upon in a previous episodes. This approach ensures the thorough intellectual scrutiny and mutual consensus of two interlocutors working on an understanding held between them so they only move forward in agreement. This approach will be one that encourages respect and trust as they will be working towards the same goal, faith/belief. The result is respectful and enlightening conversation that challenge even the staunchest skeptics while wrestling towards belief. Join us as we navigate the subjective chaos and difficult process of the objectification of spiritual belief, equipping listeners with a clearer path towards understanding and embracing faith. SUBSCRIBE: https://bit.ly/2H08RPU Connect with Vast Noodle: - Visit our WEBSITE: http://www.vastnoodle.com - Follow us on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vastnoodle/ - Follow us on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vastnoodle - Interact with us on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vastnoodle - Support us on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/vastnoodle

Here is the rough idea, but don't get to attached to it, change is constant: In season 2 of Knowing & Believing we aim to navigate the journey from skepticism to faith through conversations aimed at guiding listeners on a structured investigation of theological concepts one at a time. As the host I intend to delve into these topics as a self honest intellectual skeptic that emotionally wants to believe. My intent is to honestly engage in these conversations with the intent of moving towards belief while being intellectually stringent at each step. Conversations will be between myself and current co-host, Shawn Brace, previously the pastor of the Bangor Maine Seventh-day Adventist Church but now Portland Maine SD church and currently a PhD student in Theology at the University of Oxford in England. He has written five books, and is currently a columnist for "Adventist Review." I’ve known and interacted with Shawn off and on since the early 2000’s and in each of our interactions Ive been been impressed with his sincerity and intellect. Given our similar background of Christianity/Adventism he is someone whom I can put his feet to the fire when appropriate, but… he is someone intellectual enough to take it and give it back when appropriate. The goal of these conversations is to appropriately strip away the inaccuracies of human perception, bias & emotion by only allowing terms that can be logically and rationally defined & defended as we wrestle towards understanding and framing the term on the table in a matter that even a skeptic cant deny. Essentially building a rational faith where possible and clarifying the argument for where a stepping into “belief” is appropriate. I do not aim to dismantle faith but to build faith for those who find them selves in a skeptical posture towards organized religion and the culture surrounding it. Each episode will be conducted in almost a game-like format to ensure clarity and mutual understanding, with rules designed to keep the dialogue focused and deepen our mutual understanding of our positions while allowing for growth in our positions. The foundational rules are as follows: 1. Each episode will work towards finding a rational understanding of a single theological term or concept. 2. No term requiring belief is allowed without unanimous agreement and acceptance of the belief required to use the word as well as its clear definition. Basically, no religious words allowed other than the word we are working on or ones that we have already agreed upon in a previous episodes. This approach ensures the thorough intellectual scrutiny and mutual consensus of two interlocutors working on an understanding held between them so they only move forward in agreement. This approach will be one that encourages respect and trust as they will be working towards the same goal, faith/belief. The result is respectful and enlightening conversation that challenge even the staunchest skeptics while wrestling towards belief. Join us as we navigate the subjective chaos and difficult process of the objectification of spiritual belief, equipping listeners with a clearer path towards understanding and embracing faith.

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. In this conversation I kinda found my doppelgänger...It was a really good conversation.

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Tim was the 3rd person to respond. So we sat down for a chat. Tim knows his stuff and handed over a lot of “nuggets”, thanks Tim!

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Ryan was the second person to respond. So we sat down for a chat.

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Aviv was the first to respond...so we did chat and it was good.

I recently sat down with my good friend Jonathan Leonardo to discuss his faith that has both grown and simplified over the past few years. We have both grown up in the adventist system of belief...my faith has all but vanished while Jonathan's has seemingly deepened.

We recently got the chance to sit down with Science Mike, aka Mike McHargue, in his studio in Los Angeles California. We asked him about everything from his new book to spiritual experiences, determinism, dissociative disorder, Dyson spheres, Autism Spectrum Disorder to deconstruction regrets and so on. Mike has one of the most unique perspectives on faith and the human experience that I have ever encountered and it was a real treat to get to speak with him one on one.