99: Jeremy Steele: The Skeptic Pastor, Balancing Faith and Doubt

Liminal Living

takeaways

• Jeremy identifies as a skeptic pastor, balancing doubt and faith.
• Choosing beliefs that promote love and acceptance is crucial.
• The role of a pastor is to help people connect with the divine.
• Deconstruction is a lifelong process of questioning inherited beliefs.
• The damage caused by rigid belief systems is often pervasive.
• Philosophy and theology are distinct fields with different tools.
• Authenticity in spirituality can lead to personal growth.
• Spiritual beliefs can provide mental health benefits.
• The importance of critical thinking in faith matters.
• Community and shared mythology are essential in religious contexts. Apologetics can be harmful and create a combative view of faith.
• Faith should not be positioned as something under attack.
• Teaching apologetics can lead to indoctrination into narrow viewpoints.
• The Lord, Liar, Lunatic argument is a false dichotomy.
• Churches often prioritize institutional survival over genuine faith.
• Control and manipulation are central to maintaining religious institutions.
• Skepticism can coexist with pastoral roles in certain denominations.
• Community can thrive outside traditional church structures.
• Honesty about doubts is essential in spiritual discussions.
• Personal experiences shape one's understanding of faith and belief.

Links:

https://jeremy-steele.com/links

https://www.tiktok.com/@skeptic.pastor

https://jeremy-steele.com/suck-book

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All Music for this episode composed by Axeltree