"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." The Buddha

   This is why Truth is more important to me than faith. This is why I left Christianity - because I found Truth in Eastern, Native and Aboriginal spirituality, as well as in Science.

   I would rather wander, eternally searching for Truth, than pay lip service to a creed that negates my human birthright - Reason.

   I don't claim to have found the answers to all my questions, and I doubt I ever will. But that's okay with me, because I'm content with the Mystery. It awes me.

   Do I believe in God? That depends on how God is defined. I, personally don't like the term. I prefer Tao, Dharmakaya, Brahman, Ground of Being, Ultimate Reality, Supreme Truth. My favorite, however, is the Native American term, Great Mystery.

   My spiritual practice is Zen, although I respect and draw sustenance from other Buddhist schools, Hinduism, Taoism and Native American teachings.

   Therefore, I believe in the interconnectedness of all beings, the unfathomable vastness of the cosmos, and the sacredness of human relationships. All else is window dressing.