are you TORN?

Jim Shaul: MA, JD. With 25 years of experience teaching world religions at various colleges, I hold a Bachelor's in Religion and History, a Master's in Classical Languages with minors in Latin, Religion, Philosophy, and a Law Doctorate. I'm Jim - I stretch people's minds. First and foremost, I am a listener, and secondly, a communicator. Over my career, I have taught more than 1500 credit hours at the college and graduate level, fostering critical thinking among students to encourage them to think more carefully, act more responsibly, and serve more compassionately. Additionally, I have been a professional mediator for over twenty years, which has equipped me to create a safe and comfortable space for online religious discussion about sometimes highly charged issues. We live in a time when the art of kind and respectful disagreement seems a value long since forgotten. In a world where many people believe that religion and faith are at best useless and at worst harmful to society, we aim to dispel those notions whenever possible. If not, we at least enjoy engaging in dialogue to promote spiritual growth by getting to know others' ideas and experiences.

Dustin Pennington: BA in Philosophy. Based in Nebraska, I am an educator passionate about religion, philosophy, and ethical issues. I am committed to fostering truth and compassion in teaching sacred texts, arguments, and history. I’m Dustin – I grapple with the gods. I live in Nebraska with my super cool wife and two super cute daughters. I hold a BA in Philosophy with a minor in Religion, though my passion for studying religion has grown stronger than my love for philosophy. This stems from the understanding that the consequences of false beliefs in religion can be dire, unlike in philosophy, where no one faces eternal damnation or unfortunate reincarnation based on their beliefs about universal properties of objects, like the color red. However, my enthusiasm for philosophy remains robust alongside my dedication to exploring religion, sacred texts, argument and apologetics, ethical issues and politics, and history. I approach these topics with a hunger for critical thinking and, especially, for important information that has real-life consequences and affects how we live and relate to each other and to the 'spiritual realm'—assuming there is such a thing. I engage with people grounded in truth and dedicated to love, believing everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and care, regardless of fundamental belief disagreements. I’m also keen on fostering online religious discussion that encourages spiritual growth. Please feel free to contact me!