You said you had a big announcement coming today. What is it?

The announcement is this: Right now you are reading the final post on this blog. Ever.

Ever?

Ever.

So you’re shutting this blog down?

Well, I’m going to stop writing any new posts for it. But the blog will still be here. There’s no deletion or anything. If, at some date in the future, you want to know some stuff about Harold Camping or what I think about the “Farewell, Rob Bell” carnival and/or Love Wins or why one of the most controversial things I did was when I blogged about taking back a snap judgment, you will always be able to find those posts. As long as Beliefnet stays around, I guess.

Well, that’s good news. Because I like to start each day by reading your “Family Portraits with Jesus” post.

That’s weird.

So are those photos.

You might also want to browse through the archived Conversions series and “Voices of Doubt” posts. People seemed to like those.

Why are you shutting down the blog?

Three reasons. The first is that I started this blog — in fact, I joined up here at Bnet — around the time O Me of Little Faith released. I wanted to support the release of the book by blogging about it. So I did. That was last May, and it’s been a year. No one wants to spend his or her entire life writing about doubt, so it seemed a good time to bring this season to a close.

What’s the second reason?

Being a religious blogger is tiresome. I love religion and theology and all those things, but it’s such a divisive topic. Regardless of what you say, people start yelling.

You don’t like when people yell?

I don’t mind the yelling in general — bloggers need to develop a thick skin for that kind of stuff — but there comes a point when I’ve begun to wonder if it’s doing any good. A friend of mine on Facebook compared religious chatter with a dog she used to know who barked non-stop at the wind. THE WIND. Sometimes religious blogging feels like a big pile of barking at the wind. All light and no heat. (To mix metaphors extravagantly.)

At any rate, I’m not just closing the door on doubt-blogging but blogging about religion in general. It’s probably not permanent, but I need a break from it. I’ll keep doing some stuff at FaithVillage and will likely contribute to On Faith on an infrequent basis, but not so much here at Beliefnet.

And…

And…now you can commence with the weeping?

No one’s weeping. You said there were three reasons. You’ve only listed two.

Oh. The third reason is that I’m starting a new blog.

Your personal blog at jasonboyett.com? That’s not news.

No, not that one. It’ll stay around, though. Actually, I’m starting a new blog about an entirely new subject.

Cats? Ferrets? Michael Bublé being stalked by a velociraptor?

No. It’s about fatherhood.

Gasp. A daddy blog?

Well, it’s about being a dad and a writer. My kids are almost too old to call me “daddy.” Instead, they call me “Captain.”

I’ve never read a Captain blog before. Is that a Star Trek reference?

I’m just kidding about the Captain thing. The new blog is called Dadequate: Ordinary Adventures of a Write-Brained Dad.

What’s it about?

Me. Being a dad. Thoughts on dad stuff. Things I try to do. Miscellaneous daddage. And maybe some writing-related stuff, based on the subtitle.

Why the fatherhood topic?

Because blogs are only good when you’re passionate about the subject. And you know what I’m passionate about at this stage in my life? It’s being a good dad.

And ferrets. Don’t forget ferrets.

True, but ferret blogs are a dime a dozen. Also, there are bajillions of mommy blogs in the world but a much smaller number of fatherhood blogs. Beliefnet and I thought it would be a good fit.

Ugh. You’re staying at Beliefnet? Everyone hates those ads, remember?

Yes, but the new leadership at Bnet are good people and they are working hard to make it a better destination online, including making the ads less intrusive. I am cautiously optimistic.

When does the new blog start?

Today. Here’s Dadequate.

Do you have any closing thoughts?

Just that I’m very grateful for so many readers who created a fun, fulfilling community here at OMOLF. I loved getting to know you and sharing your stories. The thing I’m proudest of is having created a safe place for people (including believers and non-theists alike) to ask hard questions, explore the topic of faith and religion, and be encouraged. I’ll miss that.

But I hope you’ll follow me to the new blog, even if you’re not a dad. If you do, you’ll probably get to know me a bit better.

Will the new blog have self-interviews?

Of course. Why would it not?

Watch it, buddy. I’m the one asking questions here.

Fine. See you at Dadequate.