There’s something remarkable that happens when you finally allow yourself to look at the universe without filtering it through religion. For most of my life, faith demanded that I accept ideas I could never see, never test, and never fully understand. God was always “out there somewhere,” hidden behind ritual, doctrine, and the insistence that questions were a threat instead of a pathway.
But when I stepped away from all of that, something unexpected happened:
The world became bigger.
The universe became more honest.
And for the first time, awe didn’t require belief – only observation.
The deeper I look into the cosmos, the more I learn about the vastness of space and the speed at which the universe is expanding, the more my mind lights up with excitement. This isn’t imaginary. This isn’t symbolic. This isn’t a metaphor. It exists – unapologetically.
You can point a telescope at Saturn and see it.
You can watch a video of the sun’s surface and feel the raw power of reality.
You can trace the chemistry that creates stars, planets, and eventually life.
And all of it is right there, open to anyone willing to look.
Religion never gave me that. Religion offered mystery dressed as revelation, hiddenness masquerading as holiness. I was told to seek God, yet he always remained invisible. I was told to feel his presence, yet nothing tangible ever arrived.
But the universe? The universe makes no promises and hides nothing.
It is what it is – vast, real, breathtaking – and I don’t have to deceive myself to appreciate it.