Your Gift Helps 

• Spread truth about religion

• Recovery from religious trauma

• Protect society from misinformation

• Teach the world our common ancestry

• Focus our shared reality on sustainability

• Live in a more peaceful world

• Help our youth live in truth

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My Story 

I was in a bookstore, surrounded by a pile of volumes about world religions, philosophy and science… involuntarily sweating and trembling. I imagined that God might strike me down at any moment because I was starting to question things that I was being taught in church.  

The cracks in my faith began to appear when I discovered more about what the Bible actually said and what followers said they believed. I reasoned that if there is an all powerful creator God of the universe, he is certainly big enough to handle honest inquiry. 

The Bible literalists were especially disconcerting. I remember thinking, “in this modern era, are there  people really believing in a 6 day creation story or Noah’s Ark?  A surprisingly large number did. A select few had reverse engineered elaborate rationalizations regarding space-time and relativity to support their beliefs. 

The silos I had in my mind regarding religion and science were breaking down. I wanted intellectual integrity. Could both be true? Could I reasonably reconcile the differences? 

Looking back, I was starting to deconstruct and experiencing cognitive dissonance – the  psychological phenomenon that occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. 

The conflict was causing me anxiety because I felt out of integrity.  Until then I had put my trust in  spiritual and religious leaders the same way you might any other professional advisor- doctor, lawyer or CPA. After all, they were genuinely good people who had studied at divinity schools, seemed to have my best interest at heart, and spoke with conviction and authority. 

But for the first time, I was beginning to take ownership of my faith journey and that was a bit scary and exciting. I wanted to know what was true and willing to invest some time and energy to figure it out.  It would be a deeper dive than I ever imagined. My journey would take me into a number of disciplines including theology, sociology, psychology, philosophy and science. 

The going was slow. This was pre-internet and information wasn’t readily available. This meant reading books versus watching YouTube videos. Believers I encountered often claimed personal experience and revelation.  I wanted concrete answers but felt like I was trying to nail Jello to a wall. 

I discovered a number of things: 

1. A surprisingly large amount of diversity in religious beliefs.  There are some 30,000 variations of Christianity alone. And everyone seemed to believe their version or denomination was the most correct one.

2. Very few people had actually read the Bible…especially chapters like Leviticus or Exodus.  In fact, very few people actually read at all. Some 27 percent of adult Americans didn’t crack a book last year. And most of those who did…didn’t finish them.

3. Varied views on God . For some he is the condemning figure from the Old Testament (remember Sodom and Gomorrah). For others,  he is the embodiment of pure love (think Jesus and first Corinthians) God belief is a Rorschach test of sorts – people seem to see what they want to see.

4. Many people seemed to be attending church with their brains on autopilot – “dittoheads”. They were working off inherited worldviews developed when they were five. I know, because I was one of them. 

I was lucky.  I found thoughtful books on a number of topics that gave me real perspective…and comfort. I didn’t necessarily look at books that supported my previous paradigm – more kool aid. I wanted  perspectives that opened versus closed my mind and I found them. 

“Ask and you shall receive” …right?

The process of my deconstruction took several years. I would get an insight that filled in a missing piece…but that insight would often lead to a new and different question.  I was emotionally challenged  because I didn’t have a support group. 

At the time, I was married to a believer and she was confident that she knew the truth. She was not open to hearing anything that might create cognitive dissonance for her anc referred me to pastors and books. I stayed safely in the closet. 

Today, we live in a different world. The internet puts information at our fingertips.  Ask any question and you can receive answers in minutes.Want to know why followers see “Flat Earth” as a viable theory – just Google it.  But a challenge is understanding the questions to ask in the first place. 

Once I opened my mind to the possibilities, the resources and perspectives came flowing in.  I read a book by Richard Dawkins entitled “The Blind Watchmaker”. The elegance of this work was amazing! Other books on faith and science began to fill in the gaps. 

I believe that Ignorance is the enemy. But when it comes to faith, there is more  at stake including membership in communities, personal relationships and more. People want to stay in their silos..at least when it comes to their faiths. Wandering away from these mental partitions requires energy…and can be exhausting. 

Not only do we offer a solid framework with which to deconstruct your faith, we can help you rebuild. 

Religion is big business. Over $100 billion is given annually to churches. The Mormon church is rumored to have between $100 and $200 billion in its coffers. The Catholic Church has billions too. Religion is good at getting the word out because it has these resources.  There are church buildings and professional pastors and ministers. 

Our intention with NaturalView is to create one place that can give you perspective on both religion and science. We believe that truth is sacred. Please consider having a genuine and positive impact in people’s lives by supporting our cause. Pay it forward!