Chris Stedman Quotes

7 Sourced Quotes

Chance is a funny thing and it is easily mistaken for portent.

Chris Stedman
I imagine that a desire for purpose is innate for many of us. We presuppose that learning occurs within larger, cosmic narrative structures. Things matter because there is an implicit reason behind their occurrence, and it is our job to discern the organic meaning within. Constellating and creating our own sense of meaning from such moments can feel insufficient; discovering some preordained answer seems more compelling. In that moment I wanted to be handed a fate, not fashion my own.

Chris Stedman
In a universe where I believe meaning and purpose are not gifted from a divine source but are instead collectively assembled by humans, learning to live alongside and love others—all others—is perhaps our greatest task.

Chris Stedman
I couldn't pray the gay away, no matter how hard I tried.

Chris Stedman
Some theologians and religious practitioners tell me that dry spells happen and that perhaps I gave up on God too quickly, but years later I am surer than ever that I don't believe in God, and struggle to recall why I did in the first place. To be honest, the question no longer intrigues me—I'm much too interested in the complexities of being human to spend much time thinking about anything beyond that.

Chris Stedman
I was consumed by a sea of people with heaven-bound hands, their eyes full of adoration for the guitar-carrying man on stage who, from his gentle doe eyes to his scraggly brown beard and flowing hair, served as stock-image white Jesus placeholder.

Chris Stedman
As I tried to understand my desire to do good and where it came from, I decided I did it because Jesus commanded that we care for the needy. But after I lost the faith, I remembered that I had always tried to do good and help others, and that the desire to act selflessly for others transcends religion. Though I didn't have the words for it at the time, I was beginning to cultivate my Humanistic worldview.

Chris Stedman