Dr. David Bell has been fascinated with religion his entire life, and has come down on the side of being a "post-religious believer." He believes in the beauty of religion, but not in what he calls the supernatural. He challenges his students -- and his fellow faculty members -- to prove to him empirically that we have a soul. He loves taking his students on a journey of pulling out their intensely held religious beliefs that are mostly unexamined. All he asks is that we all strive to do the same. 

Besides being a senior lecturer, David is a father of three kids all under ten years old. He's taken on the task of being an ultimate do it yourself-er. He's deep into flipping houses and designing his own. From social construction to house construction, how did he get here? How does he manage it all? 

Do males feel more burdened to provide? Are there parts of us that are essentially instinctual? David takes us on a ride where we examine many of our beliefs -- both examined and unexamined.

Time Stamps:

2:18 David gives us a high-level overview of how our religious identity influences our being
5:20 The experience that caused David to question his beliefs surrounding religion and explore other philosophies
10:08 an objective look at Biology and science vs Mysticism
14:52 Shelley explains her reconciliation with her own spiritual beliefs and how it's ok to have these hard conversations.
17:13 How David Strives to make an impact as a professor
20:31 Our conversations shifts to how becoming a father has impacted David's beliefs and work.
24:08 David talks about his latest project--building his own home.
30:00 Shelley shares some great insight into finding and doing your Big Work
32:37 We ask David how he stays balanced
36:12 The conversation turns political and David shares an intriguing take on what's going on in our country and the western world
44:08 We wrap up our conversation by asking the 3 Big Self podcast questions we ask all of our guests.

Thanks for tuning in to the Big Self Podcast. We are a learning community for people at a career crossroads ready to rejoin their soul and their role. We have long-form conversations about self-awareness, relationships, tapping into your inner genius, and building sustainable habits. 

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