I used to believe. That's what makes me laugh about these conversations, the assumption that the non-believer knows nothing about faith. I know about faith. I've experienced it. But, over time, I realized that just because you believe in something doesn't make it real.

I don't have faith in many things: Jesus Christ, pink elephants that fly, the spaghetti monster, cthulhu, hari krishnas, religious leaders who fleece their congregations, holy books of any stripe, and sheep.

I do have faith in: The redeeming power of love. The tendency of people to live up or down to our expectations of them. The healing power of laughter and humor. The capacity of humans to aspire to amazing heights of goodness and appalling depths of evil. The possibility of heroism in the most unlikely places. Courage. The sacredness of breaking bread with people.

I don't need God to be happy.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.