The name of the blog is taken from a book by Alison Osius about Hugh Herr, a young rock climber who was one of the best in the early 80s. One winter he got lost in a snowstorm in the mountains of New Hampshire and ended up losing both of his legs below the knee. But instead of giving up, he went on to be an even better climber afterwards than he was before. He is now leading changes in the science of bionic limbs (prosthetics) at MIT.
I can identify with Hugh, in much different circumstances. I was a zealous Christian who went through a tragic experience of being caught up in a religious cult. It took a long time to come back. But I came back wiser, stronger, and with a broadened perspective on the world, and religion. I don’t have aspirations to change entire fields of study as Hugh has, but I do hope that my story can give strength to those who are seeking answers – who take the step to ask the hard questions.
From my guest post on the churchtrauma blog series:
The rabbit hole went deeper than I ever could have imagined. Like Indiana Jones taking a step into nothingness, I gulped and took the step. And found solid footing, where many others had before me. “The answer” to the question was simpler and more freeing than I could have imagined. Four little words. “There is no god.”
“And that’s Jenga” – Paul
A few resources that have been helpful for me in hearing others with similar stories:
How We Let Go
A Better Life: Joy & Meaning in a World Without God (and film on Amazon)
To be continued…
