Just need to share...

By Matthew ~
This was sent in prior to the debate...

So I'm going to see Sam Harris this Thursday night debate William Lane Craig at the University of Notre Dame. Upon hearing about the debate, I was thrilled to find out that Notre Dame is only 4 hours away from me, and even more thrilled when I found out that there were still tickets left (6 tickets left, to be exact. I'm way in the back, but at least I'll be there).

So getting a ticket to this thing really made my day. A lot. I love watching debates, and I'm glad that people like Hitchens and Harris are making noise and standing up to religious dogma. I feel like if I had heard some of their arguments sooner or if someone had stood up to my religion sooner maybe I might not have suffered all the ill effects of religion in my life.

It is the natural tendency of humans to share exciting things with others, usually in the form of friends and family. And it's true that I have friends to share things with. Like the fact that my business is growing I share with my friend who also owns a business. Or the fact that I'm enjoying being a father and learning from my 4 year-old I share with my own brother who also has a family.

But who do I share this with? As a recently de-converted Seventh-Day Adventist I find myself in that raw, bitter, and fearful time that immediately follows apostasy. I'm not exactly inclined to share my excitement about attending this debate with my facebook (mostly Adventist) friends only to be met with judgment and ridicule. I'm left in that strange and lonely place where the one thing I am most passionate about is the one thing I'd better not be open about.

So that's why I'm coming here. I wanted to tell you all something:

I'm going to see Sam Harris at Notre Dame this week, and I'm going to have a fucking good time!

Filed Under: Letters