Anyway, I haven\u2019t read all of\u00a0The Skeptical Believer<\/em>. For my tastes it\u2019s a bit long (almost 400 pages) for a book with a popular vibe. Still, I\u2019m enjoying it so far (about 80 pages in) and I wanted to share a few paragraphs with you from pp. 30-31.<\/p>\n Rather than type it all out as I usually do,\u00a0I thought I\u2019d explore new territory and snap these\u00a0pics with my new\u00a0iPhone\u2013because I can\u2013and throw them up onto\u00a0the world wide interweb<\/a> the way the young people do. If hope it\u2019s not too irritating to read this way, but at least you won\u2019t find any typos.<\/p>\n This excerpt is about the power of stories for\u00a0\u201cmaking sense of human experience.\u201d\u00a0Taylor tells us we are not so much \u201ctruth-seeking creatures\u201d as we are seeking meaning and significance<\/em>, which come from the stories we embody. My favorite line is:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a metaphor. Life is not\u00a0like<\/em> a story. Life\u00a0is<\/em> story. Your life is not like a novel. Novels are like your life\u2013and that\u2019s why we read them.\u201d<\/p>\n I resonate with this idea. I suppose I see myself as a \u201cskeptical believer\u201d similar to what Taylor describes (with some disagreements), and I\u2019ve come to see \u00a0in my own way\u00a0how\u00a0stories inevitably shape us and how we see our world.<\/p>\n Taylor\u2019s thoughts sync somewhat with what I wrote in\u00a0The Bible Tells Me So<\/a><\/em> [Note: the italicized portions in parentheses below are Taylor\u2019s \u201cinner atheist\u201d arguing with him. It adds both a funny and honest tone throughout.]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/peteenns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Dan-Taylor-1.jpg\")
<\/a>I just came across Daniel Taylor\u2019s 2013 book The Skeptical Believer: Telling Stories to Your Inner Atheist<\/a><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n