First of all, I am decidedly a vague monotheist. Something is out there, and I choose to call that entity God (really only because that's the common name that most other theists [and atheists!] refer to as well). I believe in this God because I am alive. I exist as an entity, and that might be due to a domino effect that has lasted for years upon years, and will last until the sun blows up. Maybe God simply created the first two dominoes, and suggested that each domino must create the next domino in line before it falls down, pushing that domino it just created. (If you understood that last sentence, you're smarter than the average bear.) And perhaps God simply allowed this process to go on its own, letting each domino do it's own thing before pushing the next domino. Maybe that's all garbage, and maybe I'm rambling... maybe not.

I am somewhat of a freethinker, which is someone who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief. To the freethinker, orthodoxy is no guarantee of truth. Truth is the degree to which a statement corresponds with reality. Reality is limited to that which is directly perceivable through natural senses or indirectly ascertained through the proper use of reason. Reason is a tool of critical thought that limits the truth of a statement according to the strict tests of the scientific method. For a statement to be considered true, it must be testable (what evidence or repeatable experiments confirm it?), falsifiable (what, in theory, would disconfirm it, and have all attempts to disprove it failed?), parsimonious (is it the simplest explanation, requiring the fewest assumptions?), and logical (is it free of contradictions, non sequiturs, or irrelevant ad hominem character attacks?).

Now, freethinkers are opposed to religion by definition, and that is where I am not completely a freethinker. I call myself a psuedo-freethinker. I am somewhat religious: I believe in a God, and I identify with Judiasm at least on a cultural level -- but I choose not to practice my religion, for various reasons of time, priorities, and personal values. Religion has indeed done tremendous good in the world, and many religionists are good people -- but they would be good anyway. A downside to (organized) religion is that most religions have consistently resisted progress -- including the abolition of slavery; women's right to vote and choose contraception and abortion; medical developments such as the use of anesthesia; scientific understanding of the heliocentric solar system and evolution, and the American principle of state/church separation.

God is a god of oneness, not sameness. Religion should promote unity with diversity. Religion should not promote diversity with dissension. Religion should promote discussion.

There are different denominations in Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist), and Reconstructionism seems to be the most liberal. A Reconstructionist Jew has strong commitments both to tradition and to contemporary life. Reconstructionists encourage all Jews to revisit shared heritage and take part in the building of the Jewish future. Reconstructionists define Judaism as the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people.

Judaism has changed over the centuries of its existence; the faith of the ancient Israelites in the days of Solomon's Temple was not the same as that of the early rabbis. And neither of those faiths was the same as that of our more recent European ancestors.

The starting point of Reconstructionism is understanding the historical and spiritual Jewish experience. We believe "the past has a vote, not a veto." What might old customs and ideas mean to us today? What can we borrow to create a new tradition that is more significant for us? We reconstruct and find new meanings in old forms or to develop more meaningful, innovative practices.

"The Reconstructionist philosophy emphasizes our obligation as Jews to work for social justice: the repair of the world. Reconstructionists reject any distinction between religious life and real life, and our commitment to social action is broad and deep. That kind of philosophy and commitment is particularly attractive to me. I am very proud of the leadership we Reconstructionists have taken in preserving and protecting the environment."
-- Daniel Cederbaum, Evanston, Illinois

I also agree in theory with some specific teachings of the Unitarian Universalist Association. I affirm and promote:

• the inherent dignity and worth of every person
• justice, equity and compassion in human relations
• acceptance of one another
• a free and responsible search for truth and meaning
• the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process in society at large;
• the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
• respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part

All of this is not meant to be offensive, profane, and disrespectful of religious belief. It's just my opinion; my thoughts and ideals.

The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance provide factual, reasonably unbiased information about dozens of religions (62 at last count), their beliefs and symbols, and ethical positions on hot topics. Their essays on religion are reviewed by believers to ensure that each faith is represented accurately. It's interesting reading, and you may find that you have more in common with some religions than you might think!

I can understand the perspective of atheism, although I am not an atheist. Many atheists challenge theists to prove the existence of God (or a God), and other atheists go one step further: atheists claim to have proven, with the general use of scientific historical process, that there never was a God. For example, suppose a group of people believes in a tooth god, that they worship this god, communicate with the tooth god by mastication, that they know our prayers are answered, and that in the next life they'll become lower bicuspid molars if they live an ethical life now and worship the tooth god as we should. Now, prove that this is not true. Theists can't prove that isn't true, although it certainly sounds bizarre. You can erect any kind of god idea and god system of worship in your imagination and then turn to someone else and say, "Prove that this isn't so." Or, you can say, "Do you deny the existence of (my) god?" There must be some criterion for the proof...

"I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am. I did not make it, nor it is making me. It is not the invention of any man."
-- adapted from Rich Mullins

"If God knew what He was doing, then Man is the Essence of God. If Man, in turn, halfway knows what he is doing, then Machines are the Essence of Man. God. Man. Machine. A strange, but certainly not an unholy Trinity... God clones Himself in Man. Man clones himself in machines. Machines, if properly built, can carry our most fragile dreams through a million light years of travel without breakage. Such machines ... are the armor of our Life Force.... with it we shall wrestle gravity, capture light, shrink Time, measure Space, and survive, man within machine within God."
-- Ray Bradbury, "Triangulation"

"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you -- to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think."
-- Margot Adler, "Drawing Down the Moon"

"I believe in the hospice movement, which says: 'No one should die alone.' A loved one should hold your hand and comfort you as you transition from one plane of reality to another."
-- Mark Victor Hansen