An Epilogue?

I love life!

It has been some time since posting here; time to play a little catch-up. Since last posting, I have changed jobs, and greatly enjoy my new position, my new law firm, and my new partner. We get along famously-sharing a similar attitude toward the practice of law, while complementing the areas we practice. I am one of those weird people that enjoy going to work. Even on Mondays.

My children continue to grow. The oldest is getting married this year to a wonderful person, while embarking on her career. The second will be graduating from college next year, and the youngest is completing her second year of college. My wife and I are seeing the Empty Nest right around the corner.

So….with that thought firmly in mind….we bought a lake house in 2016. In Michigan, the most common place to vacation is "Up North." (Showing my prejudice, there is nothing prettier than Northern Michigan in the Summer. Lakes, hills, sandy beaches, dunes, pines, rivers, falls, pleasant days and cool enough evenings for campfires make for heaven on earth). For some, "Up North" is a ½ hour drive in the northerly direction; for others it is an 8-hour drive. Doesn't matter (although there is quite a bit of debate as to what truly constitutes Up North), as long as one is getting away from the residential property, it qualifies. We ended up with a place 2 hours north-close enough to get there quickly if need be, far enough to feel "away."

Now we own a place on a lake, with a boat, where we find ourselves every weekend in the summer, and as many as we can manage in the other seasons, travelling north on I-75 to relax, and play and drink and laugh and enjoy being us. New friendships are forming, and wonderful memories are being logged.

I still regularly play soccer, irregularly run, rarely race and stopped refereeing-it was taking up my weekends. (See above.). I have also taken up board gaming, and enthusiastically play as much as I can.

And I still review some theistic discussions and websites, although I very, very rarely post, and even then, it quickly fades to nothing.

In many apologetic debates, we often see the statement, "Why are you posting on a Christian Site? If all you have is to 'live, eat and die'-shouldn't you be spending your time doing so and not bothering us?" Sometimes this is coupled with the complaint that it appears ALL atheists are busy bothering Christians on their websites.

They are not. I am one of those deconvert atheists who is busy living, eating and dying and enjoying immensely every minute of it. There are quite a few of us. You don't see us-because we are not posting!

I stopped arguing because I became bored. It was interesting for a while, and I had a huge passion for it. I still miss the people- NinjaBoo, Vinny, Barefoot Bum and He is Sailing-but not the fight. It all became the same thing. "A Tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Look, in my life I get to argue every day. With people who are sometimes at least as brilliant as I, and often even more. And the arguments are fun! But at least we eventually get to an ending point-either the Judge rules for/against us, or we resolve the matter. Eventually we hear, "Your argument prevailed" or "Your argument failed miserably" but there is a finality to it. And we move on to the next project.

In theistic debate, the same arguments get dredged up, droned on, and then drowned, time and time and time again. "Disciples would die for a lie." "Without objective morality, you cannot call anything evil." "Romans 1:20." "Census at Jesus' Birth." There is never any finality-no winners, no losers, only the constant hum of discord.

And even that was bearable-until the internet became a cesspool of vicious war where it was no longer sufficient to have the best argument; you MUST call the enemy (and every person who disagrees in the slightest is an enemy), every name conceivable, the worst vermin who ever lived, and the most idiotic person walking the face of the earth.

It is not enough to disagree-you must destroy. Facebook, twitter, YouTube, forums, blogs. Politics, marriage, Republicans, Democrats, guns, common core, immigrants. I have lost more Facebook friends in the past year than any other time-and I don't even debate on Facebook! My existence and failure to immediately agree with their position was sufficient reason to defriend me.

So I have moved on from the internet. Still enjoy lurking and keeping up to date. Still read the memes and the pithy snopes-debunked quotes on Facebook or twitter. But I stay out.

Because this life is wonderful, but precariously precious. Time is that natural resource no matter what we do, we cannot acquire more. I am sure my ears would perk up, or my fingers get to itching upon a debate surrounding the Resurrection of Jesus, but after a few minutes, I quickly recognize my malaise and boredom overcoming any initial interest I had.

Because the weekend has beer, campfires and water-skiing. My wife has laughter, my kids have sharp witticisms, and my golf clubs are aching to hit a small white ball into some water somewhere. There is a board game to scream about and laugh over.

There is wonderful, glorious life to fully embrace, that the internet only seeks to slowly steal away with small sips of passing self-gratification, designed to consume as much time as possible to little personal value.

Why I have disappeared from internet Christian debates? Because I am busy pursuing other interests with my wife, my family, my friends and my life.