© 2024 KOSU
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Agnostic Michael Krasny Has 'Spiritual Envy'

As a boy, Michael Krasny believed God was watching him. That faith gave him comfort when he was lonely and even helped him endure a furious beating at the hands of a grade school teacher.

But in his teen years, Krasny discovered science -- and skepticism. And when he lost his faith, he also lost the comfort it provided.

In his memoir, Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest, the public radio host writes that he has longed for a God he could believe in.

"I simply wanted to have God in my heart," he writes. "But at a certain point he simply was not there."

As host of the popular KQED radio program The Forum, Krasny has interviewed hundreds of thinkers, writers, philosophers, atheists and believers. But despite discussing countless controversial issues with his guests, he has yet to find satisfying answers to life's biggest questions.

Krasny talks to NPR's Neal Conan about his book and his personal exploration of spirituality, morality and mortality.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

KOSU is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.