A message from Anonymous

i've just realised i've been following you for a long time and i know you are studying theology, but i don't know what your religious beliefs are! do you believe in God? Do you think there is value in faith and religion?

No, I don’t believe in God. I generally identify as an atheist, but I have days when agnosticism seems more reasonable. I used to be religious, as a result mostly of my upbringing, and I always found ways to reason my faith out. While belief in God isn’t something I can make sense of myself anymore, it’s forced me to realise that it really is a valid philosophical stance that should be taken seriously.

I don’t believe that religion is inherently good or bad; I think it’s about how it’s used. It’s certainly possible to be a moral person without any religious guidelines, but a lot of people find that religion pushes them to be always striving to be a better person - that kind of religion is wonderful. I see no reason to interfere with a person’s religion so long as they don’t use it to justify prejudice, and don’t force it on the impressionable.