Status Updates From When "Spiritual but Not Rel...

The creature knocking over the trash cans: "It was a Pall Mall-smoking, lace-bathrobe-wearing grandmother, sneaking out every few months at three in the morning to knock over her neighbors' trash cans and avenge the memory of [her dog] Amos. Years after his death." Wow, what a character.

"That kind of thinking, that reluctance to ask God for what we really want, is arrogance posing as humility. It seems humble to not ask God for our own desires, and to put other larger matters first. But doing that seems to imply we have power in all this. As if by asking God to cure diabetes before asking for a raise, we might actually affect God's priorities."

"I am guessing that this family gives to charity and has a good supply of PBS tote bags. But when you witness pain and declare yourself lucky, you have fallen way short of ... what God would have you do, no matter what religion you are called to ... I think God wants us to witness pain and suffering and, rather than feeling lucky, God wants us to get angry and want to do something about it."

"His dad was happy to stop with the self-made religion of gratitude, like a person who fills up on the deep-fried appetizers and doesn't order anything else from the menu. He may not feel hungry now for dinner now, but that snack will not sustain him for anything like real exertion. It tastes good, but it's just not enough."