One lesson I never learned at the university was you can drop a major, so I ended up with two doctorates, one in philosophy and the other in psychology. While I am a professor, my passion is writing about Muslims, Islam, and Jewish-Christian-Muslim relationships. We hear a lot of hate about religions, especially Islam, but having travelled around the world and lived among people of all faiths, I have seen the wonderful side of religions when they help fellow believers embrace hope, love, justice, and friendship even toward those of other faiths.
There is an ugly side to all faiths because they are made up of broken, fallible people who sometimes act out their hate rather than talk it out. Analyzing the ugly side of faith is an area in which I use my skills as a philosopher and a psychologist. I can be challenging, confronting, and humorous but I always try to be truthful in sharing my experiences and thinking.
I had a philosophy professor, the best professor I ever had, who at the end of each lecture would laugh, throw up his hands and say, "But I could be all wrong." I loved that humility from a very learned man. As I write, I try to keep in mind my fallibility and realize, "I could be all wrong."
