When people ask me about my religious background, I often describe myself as growing up Jewish but that I’m currently “between religions at the moment.” If that response peeks the asker’s interest, I will usually go on to say I’m an Agnostic Theist and explain that while I hold the belief that there maybe some divine supreme dude or dudette (or something else entirely) watching over me, I just don’t know who or what they are just yet.

I grew up in what I would describe now as a Humanistic Jewish family. We identified ourselves as Jews in the sense of culture and history but attending temple or practicing Judaism’s religious customs were a rare occasions. I attended Hebrew school not as a matter of learning about faith, but preparing for my Bar Mitzvah. In fact, the last time I spoke Hebrew was at my Bar Mitzvah. Still, not being content with being told by others what to believe, I did explore what it meant to be a Jew to some extent. Even today, I consider a part of myself Jewish in a historical sense, just not in a religious sense.

I have a deep respect and curiosity for religious faith and sometimes feel a little envious of those who have found and settled on their spiritual path. From my observations, religion can be valuable tool in shaping someone’s overall wellbeing and sense of connection with those around them. Organized religious faith does help quite few people find meaning in their lives and provides avenues for deep personal growth. This is wonderful thing.

At times during my forty and half year journey to find meaning and value in my life (a wonderful journey that never hopefully will never end), I’ve actively sought out one religion or another. I’ve toyed around with Judaism as a youngster, explored Christianity in its many forms, read books by the Dali Lama and spent some time studying the religious beliefs of Native Americans. I have found