Hello- I'm Mark Lynch, a 55 year-old professional musician (guitar & bass), music teacher, and part-time retail associate. I live in Flat Rock NC, which is about 30 minutes from Asheville, with my wife Debra. This begins my fourth semester at UNCG, where I am just a few credits away from a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, but I've decided to double-major in Philosophy.

     Does God exist... well, that's one of the central issues pondered by philosophers over the ages, isn't it? I was raised by my parents as a Southern Baptist, a church membership in which the existence of God was never open to debate. And there have certainly been times in my life when I've felt the presence of something "divine"; some force at work that was supernatural. But as I've aged and experienced five+ decades on this planet, I find myself with far more questions than answers.

     Since my early twenties I've felt the closest kinship with Zen Buddhism, which is more of a philosophy on how to be a good human and make the most of this life, as opposed to a religion that worships a god or anticipates an afterlife. So that's more or less where I'll be coming from, but I respect others' opinions and look forward to discussing these important topics with classmates. Good luck to all of you!