WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS BLOG?

This blog has been created in order to share an ongoing conversation among three friends -- Bob, John, and Steve -- who hope to stimulate thought and discussion among interested others. This "trialogue" addresses topics that are seldom candidly debated between lay individuals: their private beliefs about God, faith, Jesus, spirituality, dogma, death, afterlife, the Bible, heaven & hell, non-western religions, prayer, miracles, free will, and many other related subjects.

The authors became interested in each other's belief systems and mutually agreed to discuss and debate their differing beliefs and ideas in a regular written exchange. Finding this spiritual adventure rewarding, they decided to share it with all who might be interested, in hopes of encouraging others to embark upon or continue their own spiritual journeys.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

The authors wish to remain anonymous at this time, preferring that any interest in this blog should focus entirely on the content. However, anticipating that some readers may require certain basic information in order to feel comfortable reading our opinions, we offer the following:

Bob, John, and Steve are the real first names of three friends. For a time, we worked together in the same office, where we did research of a completely non-religious nature. All three of us have college degrees (in various non-religious disciplines) and are married with children.

BOB:
Largely in negative reaction to fundamentalist Christianity, Bob was a skeptical agnostic in his twenties and early thirties, but he then came to believe in God, in part through greater exposure to non-fundamentalist God-affirming ideas. He believes in the value of applying reason and experience to spiritual issues, and rejects what he sees as the unthinking blanket embrace of any religion's humanly written scriptural content.

JOHN:
John was raised a Baptist, but left the church during his college days, and now (though rarely) attends a Unitarian church. Something of a hippie during the 60s, he became interested in non-western spiritual teachings, meditation, and paranormal experience. He believes strongly in God, yet that belief is tempered with skepticism regarding many issues.

STEVE:
Steve was raised in a Christian home and continues as an active participant in a Protestant church (of another denomination than the one of his youth). Steve embraces the Bible as the foremost source for his understanding of God and for his guide in daily living.

HOW DID THE TRIALOGUE GET STARTED?

The genesis (no pun intended) of this exchange was a series of emails between John and a long-lost college friend with whom he became reacquainted after many years. In catching up with his friend, John suggested they each summarize how their belief systems had evolved over the years. A part of these summaries dealt with religious beliefs and how they had changed. John showed these emails to his friends Bob and Steve, who were inspired to put their own beliefs in writing, and a "trialogue" on spiritual issues was begun.

At the beginning of this trialogue, the three writers pledged to be candid and "pull no punches" in their essays, yet to be courteous and open-minded in their consideration of others' beliefs and opinions, which have turned out to be quite different and sometimes incompatible. The trialogue has thus been a challenge on several levels -- testing our willingness to reveal our personal experience and beliefs, our willingness to subject our thoughts and opinions to scrutiny, our ability to withstand criticism or handle misunderstandings of deeply held views, our willingness to risk potentially irritating or offending a friend with our candid comments by abiding in a trust that no lasting harm could thusly be done to the friendship, and the limits of our words to adequately express subjective phenomena. The patient reader will undoubtedly notice an evolution of thought in these exchanges from their fairly simple beginnings.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED...
...that none of us seeks to speak for any church or denomination. Although our belief systems have undoubtedly been shaped to varying degrees by our upbringings, it is probably accurate to say that each of us (again to varying degrees) is something of a freethinker.

HOW IS THE MATERIAL POSTED?

The exchanges (or "pieces" as they are sometimes called herein) are simply numbered, given a short title indicative of content, and identified as to who is "speaking." They are posted sequentially in the order in which they were written. Usually, a given piece is responding, at least in part, to the previous numbered piece or (because there are three speakers) the one before that. However, sometimes references are made to ideas or assertions that go back further into the exchanges. And sometimes one trialoguer is silent for a period due to vacations or work-related interruptions. Still, the thread of the trialogue should be clear to anyone who simply reads the pieces in order.

Interested readers are advised to take note of the number of the last piece they read. Upon returning to this blog, they can then simply search for the next sequential numbered piece. Alternatively, the latest posting will show as the first item under "Recent Posts." However, a posting may include several "pieces," with different authors.

Note: The size of the type on the screen can usually be enlarged by going under the "View" tab at the top of the screen.

CONTACT AND RESPONSE

Any reader so moved is invited to create a “sister” blog to share reactions, comments, etc. (please let us know!). And we promise to regularly check the email address below to read your reactions, criticisms, and suggestions. If you write us, keep in mind that we may post your response on the site.

trialoguers@gmail.com.

We thank you for your interest!