I'm a novelist in El Cajon, CA (San Diego County) currently working on the first book in a science fiction series. When I'm not writing I enjoy coffee, craft beer, good food, reading, fine and performing arts, Philadelphia Eagles football, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, and Tottenham Hotspurs soccer.
I'm also an open minded but very liberal politics junkie. I tend to lean towards Progressive/Democratic Socialist ideology but I recently left the Democratic Party after recent revelations of corruption within the party (although previous revelations of corruption also bothered me).
I am by no means a militant agnostic and prefer that term to atheist. My basic philosophy is to live and let live as long as beliefs held do not harm or limit the freedoms of others. I define atheist as one who believes there is no god, but agnostic as one who believes there is no proof of god. I also want to be clear that I don't believe any proof exists that there is not a god. Simply put, there might be a god but humans are unable to know him/her/its nature or intentions.
I personally believe all religions are human constructions to justify sociopolitical ideologies. They are not necessary for morality to exist (although they may once have been) and some contemporary expressions of religious belief seem to act in opposition to morality.
I should also mention that my father is a pastor and I grew up in a Christian home. This makes me uniquely capable of identifying inconsistencies in beliefs and actions. While I have chosen not to believe I do not believe there is anything inherently wrong with a belief in god as long as that belief remains consistent with a person's behavior. I avoid generalizations about religion and do not tolerate outright attacks on beliefs but encourage healthy skepticism.