I haven’t wanted to say this, but the more I’ve written the more I must admit it’s true: This is a blog about religion. But before you click that “X” in the corner of your screen, let me explain what I mean by religion.

For me, religion is what we turn to for help with the big questions about the intangibles in life: Why am I here? What’s my purpose? How can I lead a fulfilling life and suffer less? How can I grow my soul? What can I do for others? What becomes of me when I die?

If you believe in a creator God and original sin, that’s OK with me. But I don’t. I believe that God is a name we give to a something we don’t understand – maybe a force of some kind. I don’t think we’re sinful, but I do believe that we’re all broken in some way – all looking for wholeness.

At its best, religion helps us toward grace, toward wholeness. We may find religion in prayer, meditation, music, nature, reading. Our religion may be in the way we do our job and fulfill our roles with our friends and family. Our religion doesn’t have to have a theology, but I’d say that it needs a belief system, whether we’re conscious of our beliefs or not.

Religion helps us through life’s tragedies, and life’s tragedies help us understand our religion.

Although I grew up Jewish and had a bar mitzvah, I never felt comfortable in Judaism, and I left it around the age of 18. Buddhism has called to me from around the age of 20, but my active church affiliation since I was in my late 30s has been Unitarian Universalism, which encourages its members to develop, and constantly reexamine, their own belief systems.

Most of my professional career involved writing and editing in the interest of others. As I write this, at the age of 69, I’m ready to write for myself, and for the good it may do you. This is the legacy I want to leave.

— Mel Pine (Fearless Lotus)

Copyright 2015 © Mel Harkrader Pine