Hello all. I actually signed up for this forum something like a month ago but was drawn away almost immediately. I keep getting the emails though and some of the discussions have looked interesting enough to draw me back (I hope).
To speak a little about myself... Back when I was an undergrad I studied religion, which is where my fascination comes from. Currently I'm a graduate student studying bioethics and my academic studies normally revolve around questions about human enhancement, how ought we die, when does life begin, brain death, the limits of medical technology etc. etc. and how religion gets mixed into these big questions.
I'm here because I wanted a space to discuss religion outside of the context of bioethics (though, should the space exist to speak about religion inside that context here I'd be just as interested in discussing it). Seems like there's a good mix of politics and recent world events along with debates that have more of a theological or philosophical vibe. I hope to join in the conversations already being had and contribute something that adds value.
Also, I feel like I should say something about my own beliefs... For years I identified as a Deist, though now a days I don't really call myself anything. I'm not an atheist, though my studies in religion put me in the habit of constructing all my arguments with the assumption that there is no god or divine, and that religion is a form of human social activity (i.e. I'm a big fan of Durkheim... If only being "Durkheimian" was a religion...). I also tend to be what you might call very pro-religion (or you might say I'm an apologist, but I like to think I'm just as critical of religion as I am willing to argue it is a necessary institution).
Despite all that, I continue to maintain a somewhat flirtatious relationship with something akin to religion/spirituality/the supernatural. Sometimes I find our arrangement turns into a friends with benefits kind of thing before subsiding back down to making googly eyes at one another.
Anyways... Sorry for the long introduction. Lengthy posts are a bad habit of mine. Hope to learn from you all, discuss topics, etc!
To speak a little about myself... Back when I was an undergrad I studied religion, which is where my fascination comes from. Currently I'm a graduate student studying bioethics and my academic studies normally revolve around questions about human enhancement, how ought we die, when does life begin, brain death, the limits of medical technology etc. etc. and how religion gets mixed into these big questions.
I'm here because I wanted a space to discuss religion outside of the context of bioethics (though, should the space exist to speak about religion inside that context here I'd be just as interested in discussing it). Seems like there's a good mix of politics and recent world events along with debates that have more of a theological or philosophical vibe. I hope to join in the conversations already being had and contribute something that adds value.
Also, I feel like I should say something about my own beliefs... For years I identified as a Deist, though now a days I don't really call myself anything. I'm not an atheist, though my studies in religion put me in the habit of constructing all my arguments with the assumption that there is no god or divine, and that religion is a form of human social activity (i.e. I'm a big fan of Durkheim... If only being "Durkheimian" was a religion...). I also tend to be what you might call very pro-religion (or you might say I'm an apologist, but I like to think I'm just as critical of religion as I am willing to argue it is a necessary institution).
Despite all that, I continue to maintain a somewhat flirtatious relationship with something akin to religion/spirituality/the supernatural. Sometimes I find our arrangement turns into a friends with benefits kind of thing before subsiding back down to making googly eyes at one another.
Anyways... Sorry for the long introduction. Lengthy posts are a bad habit of mine. Hope to learn from you all, discuss topics, etc!
