Jeff Stilwell
Jeff Stilwell (born June 21, 1967) is an American humanist thinker, author, and illustrator. Background Stilwell was born in the Midwest and went "searching for God" at the age of ten on his paper route. His search continued throughout the next decades. He investigated several denominations of Christianity, then classical Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. He lived in Asia for a number of years to observe those belief systems in action. He claims to have been influenced by the Chan master Huineng, the Taoist storyteller Zhuangzi, and the Confucian thinker Mengtzu. Returning to the United States, he attended the Christian seminary at Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry, focusing heavily on the writings of thinkers such as Augustine, Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and Karl Rahner. He earned a Master's in Pastoral Studies but did not pursue ministry because he felt that he "was helping no one." After seminary, he pursued studies in Hinduism, particularly the writings of Adi Shankara and the Bhagavad Gita. He also studied Islam, particularly the thoughts of Sufi poet Rabia Basri. Thrashin' Jack Comics Stilwell's first cartoon character "Bosatsu" was featured in My Edmonds News in 2013. Stilwell soon made some changes, saying, "My character threatened to