YBM. x Religion

The Space Between Faith and Fear

I have to be honest—originally, I viewed You Before Me. as an escape from the dogmatic teachings of religion. I saw people become rigid, calcified in their interpretations of scripture, unable to see beyond the exact words in front of them. And because I had done the same, I began to villainize religion entirely. (Ah, the irony.)

But at its essence, religion is an important step along the path of life. It offers social camaraderie, an introduction to the unseen, and a knowing that something greater exists—that we are not alone. Whether a person chooses religion as their sole framework for life, integrates it as a part, or rejects it altogether, the intersection of faith and self-awareness is unavoidable. So, where does You Before Me fit in?

The Three Stages of Reconciling YBM. with Religion

At first, we recognize the similarities between You Before Me and religious teachings—the call to self-awareness, the necessity of surrender, gratitude and humility.

Then, we create the differences. We frame religion as external salvation and YBM. as internal. We see YBM. as an introspective, self-absorbed process versus the surrender of faith. This is when the debates begin—one camp builds its case against the other, arguing whether truth lies within or beyond oneself.

Until, finally, we reach the unavoidable: faith.

Faith is ultimately what determines whether someone can integrate YBM into their religious beliefs—or whether they reject it entirely.

The Root of Faith: Fear, Guilt, or Pride?

What is faith? This is the fundamental question. And it is not for any of us to define for one another. Because convincing leads to argument, and in argument, we are not listening; we are fighting to keep our current perspective intact.

YBM. approaches faith like this: shedding guilt, fear, and pride allows us to venture into all things with gratitude and humility. Faith isn’t blind, prideful refusal to explore—it’s exploration itself, knowing you are connected to something (God, the universe, source, etc.) that is always there with you.

If faith is built on fear—fear of the afterlife, fear of punishment, fear of questioning—then YBM. will be the very thing that feels like a threat. Digestive aid that looks like poison. If faith is built on guilt—shame over human nature, over the animal instincts we all have—then YBM. will look like moral relativism. If faith is built on pride—if it becomes an identity to defend rather than an experience to be lived—then YBM. will seem like heresy. YBM. irronically is the perfect integration to help with these loops but will be the most difficult. Pride is not the antidote to shame—only humility is. If you are ashamed of your nature, if you fear the afterlife as a destination you must prove worthy of, if you feel guilt for questioning, examining, and observing—then YBM, ironically, is the very thing you will reject. You will see it as a humanist, hippy, devil-worshipping t-shirt brand.

And that is precisely why it can be such a great addition to the mental library and to show you what your foundation of faith is built from. Or not, and that’s okay too. Honestly, I could be completely wrong, and if that’s the case, I’ll face the consequences and end up exactly where I belong, with the people I’m meant to be with. And I’m at peace with that.

Anyways back to it...

The journey isn’t linear.( I know..."no shit Michael") It isn’t about abandoning beliefs, nor is it about reinforcing them blindly. It’s a spiral. A constant return, with a deeper understanding each time. Reading a passage from scripture one year apart and experiencing a completely different meaning—that is the space where YBM. exists. If meaning changed based off self change, then I feel that is an example that the self is worth observing to a certain degree. (to which degree is up to the individuals specific life, and variations of experience.

Think about vitamins. (Stay with me.) You don’t just take iron or magnesium alone; you take what helps them absorb like vitamin C, D etc. YBM. isn’t a replacement for belief—it’s the digestive aid.

Because if faith is rigid, then through the YBM. lens, it isn't a strong exercise of faith—it’s certainty disguised as faith but ultimately is the enemy of fluidness. Faith is movement, like water, not a solid word to bury yourself under. Perhaps life itself is an act of faith. Maybe faith is your row boat. We could keep going here but you get the point (read previous blog post to get that row boat reference)

The 33.3% Framework: Balancing the Ego

Which brings us to the 33.3% framework. (I know, I haven’t gone too deep into it yet—bear with me.)

Simply put, when the ego rises above 33.3%, we become incapable of hearing, absorbing, or growing. Faith becomes synonymous with pride, and pride is rooted in fear. And when fear is the foundation, nothing built upon it can last.

When we fall below 33.3%, we become passive. We jump from belief to belief, never rooting down long enough to experience transformation. We avoid challenge, never learning the process of questioning and re-rooting with a deeper understanding.

Recognizing where our ego sits in any given moment allows us to rebalance. If we are too attached, we must be willing to explore. If we are too detached, we must be willing to anchor. It is not about abandoning beliefs—it is about understanding why we hold them.

The Hypocrisy of Tradition vs. Change

Some will say this process challenges tradition. But the irony is that every modern expression of religion is itself a change from its origin. Every reformed church, every new interpretation, every shift in doctrine was once considered radical. The only difference is time.

At some point, each of us lands on a specific place in that timeline. (And that’s fine—I’m not knocking that.) But knowing why you landed there is essential. If your faith is real, it can withstand the questions. If your faith is true, it will not dissolve in the presence of exploration. In fact, it will only deepen.

And to me, that process—that willingness to step into the unknown and return with a more harmonized understanding—is faith itself.Ultimately, the purest way to view YBM. is not as an ideology, but as a means of recognizing the experiencer behind the experience. It is the awareness that moves through everything, engaging with beliefs, systems, and teachings not as absolute destinations, but as tools that reveal where we are in the process. When we resist incorporating something into our framework, it tells us more about the framework itself than the thing we resist. YBM is not here to dismantle faith—it is here to refine the lens through which we engage with it.

This is a tough one to write and I'm sure read for some. Hopefully if any triggers happened, a person can find the courage to realize maybe this is where "the work" so many self-help trendy nonsense refers to these days, is at.

As always, these are the thoughts of a 30-year-old man from the Western world, doing my best to live authentically while trying to share 3 words that I believe can help shift the collective in an individualized organic way. I believe YBM. is capable of being apart of all belife systems and I'm, dare i say, proud of that.

In other words deep down I don't know shit so don't take me to seriously.

This is just my perspective at this moment. Hope it helps.

Thanks for reading.