Welcome: A Confession

Welcome: A Confession

I have to make a confession: I’m scared to write for this blog. It’s one thing to encourage others to be brave, share their journeys, and live their truth. It is quite another to share my own.

This blog is my truth. An ever-evolving, subjective truth. My choice to disclose my honesty here with you is one I make consciously knowing I will offend. I am embracing the challenge - indeed, the responsibility - to write anyway. I cannot ask of you what I am not willing to do myself. I have found healing in the vulnerability of others’ stories. I have found growth in the provocative stances of those braver than myself who share what some might call unpopular opinions. I strive to be a writer who gives nothing less. Though it is never my intention to cause hurt, the right to offend and be offended is one I cherish deeply. I would have never left my former belief system if I thought otherwise.

Though I wish I could say that I will never let my biases get the better of me, I will. Though I wish I could make everyone feel welcome here no matter where they’re at in their faith journey, I probably won’t. Though I would rather not reveal my true feelings on faith (see 'The A-Word'), I feel I must earn your trust by being completely transparent about where I find myself today. My personal experiences are just that.

It is my ponderings on faith and life after faith that I will offer here. In an era where people lose their careers for sharing perspectives others are offended by, and tweets from years ago are grounds for social shunning, I feel more timid than ever to put my thoughts and feelings out there for the world’s judgement. It is because I hold the tenets of free thought and free speech so dearly that I am compelled to live the example I wish to see.

Dare to Doubt is born out of my own wrestlings with life after spirituality. It is the site I wish I had found when I could no longer pretend Christianity was real to me, when I felt utterly alone and overwhelmed by the loss of my life’s compass. Because I'm the main blog contributor for now, you’re gonna be stuck reading mostly my musings. I look forward to featuring guest bloggers of different backgrounds (contact me!), and in the meantime, I hope you’re not too scared away by the honest reflections of my own personal views. I’m a big advocate for embracing what’s true for you as well as accepting what is not.

So thank you for being here. Truly. This is my first public blog post in years, and I have missed it. I am choosing not to hide behind a fear of causing offense. I am choosing not to hold back by trying to cater to everyone. I welcome respectful disagreements - the whole point of writing, for me, is about exchanging ideas in effort to grow. Thank you for growing with me as I take my own advice and continue daring to doubt.

~ Alice