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What follows is not necessarily a cause for concern, but it is something I feel I need to clarify before it becomes complicated. For decades, like many people, I have sought deeper answers about existence and our relationship with the universe. The expected questions: where we come from, why we are here, and where we are going. Nothing unusual. However, perhaps because I have publicly expressed my interest in these topics, and because I am also a fiction writer, I believe I may have sparked curiosity or uncertainty in some who have read me casually or engaged more deeply with my work. For that reason, I feel this is a good moment to clarify what I believe and what I do not, what I am and what I am not.
I am closer to pantheism than to anything else.
In my life experience, God is the universe, and the universe is God. Because of this, I believe one can engage in direct dialogue with God verbally, that is, through prayer. At the same time, one can use the law of attraction or manifestation without turning these practices into religious acts.
My preferred church. My preferred religion.
I was born into the Catholic faith and, though I have not been a devoted Catholic, the Catholic Church remains my preferred church. I have also practiced Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism and have been a member of small Christian congregations in both the United States and Mexico.
My mental health
Religious fervor consumes many men who give themselves over with great faith, especially in times of hardship. I am not a man of fervor, and I will not begin lying about that today. I do not see myself as a prophet, a messenger, a chosen one, a messianic figure, or anything related. I am simply an ordinary man. I have never spoken with a deity in person, no voices have ever charged me with a mission, and I do not seek to participate openly in such claims as others do. I am only a writer. I write fiction, primarily through the talent God gave me, and I keep to my work.
I am not an openly religious man; therefore, I decline to participate in anything that crosses the line into activities involving adopting a religious identity or being identified as a religious figure. I respectfully ask that I not be included, invited, or associated with religious activities that would compromise my identity. I do not grant anyone permission to identify me in a religious context, especially when these actions irresponsibly play with others' faith and beliefs.
I am not an openly religious man, but I am grateful for what I humbly am and for what the universe allows me to be, and I have no aspiration to change my role. I know what I am: a fiction writer.