Mythologizing the Bible

Let me be blunt: People need to stop outsourcing hope to some supernatural guy in the sky. All it takes is a mustard-seed’s worth of conviction to take positive action: name harm, act with dignity, and build change right where you live. Agency beats passivity, intrinsic motivation fuels service, and belief becomes practical, measurable care!

Have you ever noticed how often “just wait, God will fix it” becomes a polite way to do nothing, even while harm keeps happening? But the smallest honest conviction, even a mustard-seed’s worth, can help you do more in a week than grand promises do in a year.

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, we’ll explore why agency beats passivity, how intrinsic motivation becomes steady service, and why real humility insists on mutual dignity, not silent compliance.

What if we stripped away the divine timelines and focused on the values underneath? What if we focused on clearly naming harm when we see it, fanning our small sparks into dependable flames, and then turning belief into practical, measurable action? Because if faith (or ethics) is going to do any good, it should look like “neighbors protected” and “doors widened.” It won’t look like passive people waiting for permission… or waiting for a “higher power” to do the work for them.

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The Challenge that I gave you in the main presentation is a difficult one: Pick one belief you hold strongly, set a 15-minute timer, and look for the best arguments against it. Most people won’t do it justice. They’ll either find shoddy arguments against their strongly held belief, or they won’t actually challenge a strongly held belief!

I mean, let’s be honest—challenging our own beliefs is one of the hardest things any of us can do. It feels risky. When someone questions what we believe, it can feel like they’re questioning who we are. But here’s the truth: if we can’t test our beliefs, we stop growing.

In this episode, I want to talk about how to challenge your ideas without losing your sense of self. We’ll look at why this feels so hard, what’s really happening in our brains, and how we can separate healthy reflection from the cynicism that shuts everything down. This is the work of personal growth—because we don’t protect our peace by defending old ideas; we protect our growth by testing them.

So, get settled in for another episode of Afterthoughts!

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When certainty feels easier than humility, it’s tempting to stop learning. But what if wisdom means staying curious because it means you’re willing to change? The simple truth is that fairness, resilience, and humility matter more than being right… and they are the skills we need to build a life that keeps growing instead of getting stuck.

Have you ever noticed how some sacred stories promise perfect certainty while real life asks for something humbler and harder? Real life requires fair rules that we keep refining, values that we keep testing, and a willingness to say, “Help me understand” instead of “Change my mind.”

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, we’ll explore why impartial justice beats favor-seeking, how aligned core values fuel resilience even when support thins out, and how honest humility keeps us learning instead of locking in our own superiority!

In this episode, we’re asking an honest question: What happens when we set aside divine shortcuts and focus on the work underneath—building fair laws, living our values with integrity, and staying “teachable enough to change” when evidence shows harm? Because a faith (or a life) that helps people today should look less like winning arguments and more like growing wiser together.

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As I was working on this week’s main presentation, I was struck by some of the inconsistencies in the readings and also by some of the irony—like an all-loving God who was helping Joshua’s army slaughter the Amalekites. We see that sort of irony all throughout the Bible, so most people aren’t surprised by it… in their religious history book. But that sort of religious irony isn’t just relegated to history. There are plenty of ironic situations that Christians are in the middle of today!

Let’s start with a simple question: if your school chooses to take public money, should it be allowed to exclude certain families from those publicly funded seats?

That’s the heart of a case out of Colorado, where the state’s universal preschool program requires schools who accept state funding to follow basic nondiscrimination rules. Some Catholic preschools challenged that requirement, and a federal appeals court said the rule stands when it comes to those schools that accept public funding through this program.

In this episode, I’ll try to explain what that means in plain language, explore why some Christian institutions are bringing lawsuits like this, and then make the case for a principle we should all be able to live with: public funds mean public rules and equal access.

So, get settled in because it’s time for another episode of Afterthoughts!

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When hope feels thin, miracles don’t fix it… people do. What most people don’t realize is that wisdom, patience, and perseverance are the real forces for justice. That’s why human connection, shared wisdom, and steady courage matter more than divine intervention when the world feels impossible!

It’s interesting to note that LOTS of sacred stories promise quick victories if you just believe hard enough—but real life asks for something slower and much harder: help each other, learn and teach patiently, and maintain a resilient, steady courage when justice takes its sweet time!

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, we’ll explore how human interdependence outperforms miracle thinking, why wisdom shared with patience changes hearts more than criticism does, and how persistence—aimed at what is truly just—moves the world inch by inch.

In this episode, we’re asking an honest question: What happens when we set aside supernatural shortcuts and focus on the values underneath—mutual support, careful instruction, and resilient action? Because if faith is going to help anyone today, it should look less like waiting for lightning to strike and more like people holding one another up and sticking with it until the job is done.

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Comfort without responsibility corrodes community. What we need is to widen the circle of care, help neighbors near and far, and choose people over power. But widening the circle means going beyond what’s comfortable. We must widen the circle of care beyond borders, not just across the street. It all starts by choosing values over wealth and control!

Have you ever noticed how “blessed” can become a polite word for “comfortable,” even when someone is hurting on the other side of our proverbial gate? Slogans like “stand alone” feel strong until the storm hits and we find out that neighbors, not walls, are what keep communities standing.

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, we’ll explore why luxury without responsibility corrodes community, why values beat the chase for wealth and power, and why widening our circle, both across streets and borders, is both ethical and practical.

What happens when we drop the divine scorekeeping and use a simple human yardstick? Let’s ask: Does this policy help the vulnerable? Does it strengthen alliances beyond our borders? Does it put people over power? Because if your faith (or your ethics) is going to mean anything, it should look like open hands at the gate, not velvet ropes around the table!

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When religion preaches generosity but chases power, the contradiction is glaring. These ancient stories call out greed and hypocrisy, suggesting that reason, goodwill, and compassion can reshape lives… even today. What happens if we strip away the pretense and live the values ourselves?

Have you ever noticed how often religion preaches generosity while its loudest voices hoard wealth and chase political power? The gap between the values contained in their sacred text and the behavior of those claiming to defend it is hard to ignore. These ancient stories may be wrapped in divine language, but at their core they challenge us to ask: Are we using what we have to help others, or are we tipping the scales in our own favor?

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore how reason, goodwill, and compassion are meant to guide us toward fairness, and how chasing money and power only corrupts those values.

If so many churches have lost the plot, using faith as a cover for greed and control, what would it look like for us to pick up these lessons ourselves and live them as human values? Because if justice and compassion are going to shape our communities, they’ll come from people willing to embody them, not just preach them.

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Reason calms anger. Forgiveness heals wounds. Compassion lifts the marginalized. Reason, forgiveness, and compassion matter more than religious appearances. If churches won’t live these values, maybe it’s up to the rest of us!

Have you ever noticed how often people talk about God as both endlessly forgiving and ruthlessly judgmental, depending on who they’re talking about? Forgiveness for themselves, condemnation for the people they fear or don’t understand. That contradiction isn’t new, and it shows up in the stories we’ll be looking at today.

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore how reason can defuse anger, how forgiveness can break destructive cycles, and how compassion demands that we celebrate those who’ve been pushed to the margins.

If churches so often miss these lessons (or worse, twist them into tools of judgment and exclusion), what would it look like if the rest of us picked them up and lived them as human values instead of religious slogans? Because if we’re serious about building communities of compassion, it won’t be enough to claim the label… we’ll need to actually live the values.

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

True growth means questioning easy answers, resisting harmful norms, and being willing to sacrifice for values that matter. It helps to understand why real transformation demands wisdom, courage, and sacrifice… and why clinging to the status quo only keeps us stagnant!

Have you ever noticed how often people want the title of being faithful, moral, or principled, but they don’t actually want to pay the cost of living it out? Religious stories show this tension too. They talk about sacrifice, wisdom, and standing against cultural norms, but when the rubber meets the road, most folks (including many who call themselves Christian) would rather hold onto comfort than give something up for their values.

Welcome to Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore what it really means to grow: how seeking wisdom keeps us from stagnating, how going against cultural norms often comes at a cost, and how living by our values may demand sacrifices we’d rather avoid.

In this episode, we’re asking an honest question: If claiming a label is easy but living it is hard, what does it really mean to choose growth over comfort? Because the truth is, transformation doesn’t happen when we protect the status quo. It happens when we’re willing to pay the price for something bigger than ourselves.

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Once you begin to think critically about religion, there’s a common question that you’ll end up asking: Why do so many people cling to divine “covenants” that can’t be proven? The short answer is this: They do it because supernatural certainty feels safer than real-life ambiguity. But is it really? Let’s look at why humans crave divine promises, how covenants become tools of control, and what it means to live without guarantees!

In the Bible, a covenant is a binding agreement between God and God’s “chosen people.” Think of it like a contract. It’s a deal: “We’ll follow your rules, God, and you’ll bless us with land, prosperity, and protection.” On paper, it sounds straightforward.

But here’s the pattern that plays out over and over again: the people break the covenant, God withholds the reward, and somehow the people always take the blame. Imagine being in a contract where the other party never delivers, but you’re the one apologizing and scrambling to make it right.

Then the New Testament comes along and moves the goalposts. Now the covenant is still there, but the reward isn’t land or prosperity in this life, it’s eternal happiness in an afterlife that no one can prove or even explain in detail. That’s convenient, isn’t it? You can’t file a customer complaint if the reward doesn’t show up after you die.

Which brings us to the big question: Why are so many intelligent, well-educated people willing to buy into a contract they can never actually see fulfilled? What is it about this idea of a covenant that has kept billions of people locked in for thousands of years? Let’s take some time to really explore what’s happening in the human mind and heart that makes this so compelling.

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.