User:HereticOnAStick

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Hello. I am HereticOnAStick, the original user of a Bible-related wiki back in 2006. Since then I have not been involved with what this wiki concept has evolved to.

My Background
For all intents and purposes, I was raised as an Atheist. Though my parents were raised as Christians, by the time the stork dropped me they were Atheist/Agnostic. While they never "pushed" their Atheism on me, they never taught me about religion, either --- I was more or less raised in a "religious void." I consider this neither good nor bad.

I've read portions of the Bible before, but never really "earnestly."

My Bible
I'm using the NIV Study Bible, 10th Anniversary Edition. As far as Bibles go, it's awesome. Notes, maps, literary analysis. It has it all.

Faith
To be honest, faith makes me a little uneasy. It shouldn't exist: if I have enough reason to believe something is true, then that's not really faith, and if I don't have enough reason to believe something is true, well, then why should I believe it's true?

Having said all that, I understand the importance of faith, and I realize that I cannot make it through the Bible without it. I have faith that if something was documented in the Bible, some aspect of it is important and true. Do I believe woman was literally created from man's rib? Not at the moment (maybe this will change, I don't know) - but I have faith that these details mean something, and that their meaning will be revealed to me if I let them.

Science
All things considered, I fully trust science. It explains the world around us and provides useful, tangible, measurable information for us. It is exciting to me, venturing into the unknown and attempting to explain it. I enjoy all fields of engineering and science, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, astronomy and so on.

I don't see science as an attack on religion, or an attempt to "remove God" from our lives - however, I must admit I'm a little uncertain how to reconcile science and religion, when it comes to things like Genesis and Creation. I suppose this is where Faith comes in....for now, I just have to have faith that eventually the two will play nicely together.

What I'm Currently Reading
Books
 * The Bible
 * Genesis
 * Romans
 * The American Way of Death, Jessica Mitford

Magazines/Periodicals
 * Scientific American (science news)
 * New Scientist (science news)
 * Wired (technology news)
 * The Economist (news/politics)
 * Make (how-to/do-it-yourself/hack stuff magazine, one of my favorites)
 * Lenswork (black and white photography, another favorite)

Other Interests

 * Writing
 * Photography
 * Composing (music)
 * Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, etc.
 * Anything related to computers
 * "recreational" science, math, electronics, etc.