Comedian Pete Holmes would like you to know the title of his new book is not "Comedy Sex God". It's "Comedy (pause) Sex (pause) God." Because he's not a man describing himself, but rather one describing his three favorite things.

The host of the popular podcast "You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes" and creator and star of the HBO series "Crashing" may best be known for comedy, but on "Salon Talks," he opened up about how his relationship with sex and God has evolved.

Raised in a deeply Christian household, Holmes walked away from the faith after his first marriage crumbled. He says, "My friends who were gay or had abortions or did drugs or were alcoholics - these were the people Jesus would've kicked it with. He was with the thieves and the prostitutes and the tax collectors and lepers. When I was a Christian I was judging those people. Once I lost my faith I realized, that's just me with a different story."

But while he says that "really liked being an atheist," Holmes also found himself missing the mystical connection, eventually forging his own spiritual journey. "Now I'm just trying to share some of the thoughts, the teachings, the philosophies, the practices and some of the story that helped me lighten up, become more spacious and joyful. That came from identifying, for lack of a better word, as a soul or as consciousness itself."

And although believing in something can be tough, as Holmes says, "Somebody pooped in the punchbowl. So if somebody pooped in the punchbowl, there are other people who are like, come on over here; we're making our own. It's still going to nourish you, and there's no poop in it."

Watch the episode above to hear more about Holmes' book "Comedy Sex God" and how he discovered that being nice isn't all that great.