Mike Pence and I have something in common. We both attended the now-defunct Christian rock festival Ichthus (“the Christian Woodstock” or some nonsense like that) in Kentucky and had significant experiences in our religious development there. For Pence, Ichthus was formative in becoming an evangelical Protestant. Pence was raised Catholic, his siblings remain Catholic toContinue reading “Losing My Religion”
Category Archives: Atheism
A Mistake or Not
I’m an atheist, but there aren’t many websites or blogs on atheism that I follow and read because there’s not a lot of “breaking news” to deal with and, frankly, each person’s atheism is an individual thing, so one person’s experience may not really match up with mine. One I do read on occasion isContinue reading “A Mistake or Not”
The Non-Faith of Christopher Hitchens
Several years ago, riding Baltimore’s Light Rail to work, I was reading Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great. A group of black teenagers boarded the train and took seats near me. One asked what I was reading. I handed him the book. He almost physically recoiled at the title, black block letters on the yellowContinue reading “The Non-Faith of Christopher Hitchens”
Meaning in Life and What Atheism Is Not
An article on NPR’s website — “An Unkillable Myth About Atheists” — brings up a criticism of atheism that I encounter every so often — without god, where does the meaning and purpose of life come from? I’ve seen it described as the question atheism can’t answer. The thing is, the question is answerable, justContinue reading “Meaning in Life and What Atheism Is Not”
The Jerks of the Atheist Movement
I am sometimes asked what I think of today’s leading atheists, people like Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher, Sam Harris. I am saying this as someone who doesn’t own a Bible (I suspect the Smithsonian’s replica edition of The Jefferson Bible doesn’t count), but does have copies of Dawkins’ The God Delusion and Hitchens’ God IsContinue reading “The Jerks of the Atheist Movement”
Answering the Ten Questions for Atheists
I saw a link to this on Twitter — Today Christian posted 10 Questions For Every Atheist with this challenge: “Some Questions Atheist Cannot Truly and Honestly REALLY Answer! Which leads to some interesting conclusions…” I look a good challenge. Let’s take a look, shall we? 1. How did you become an atheist? I wasContinue reading “Answering the Ten Questions for Atheists”
On the Problem of Evil and the Comforting Lie
A few weeks ago a friend of mine from college wrote me. She was having a crisis of faith. There had been a particularly horrific murder of children somewhere, and she (the mother of two small children) was having a difficult time reconciling her faith in a loving god with the indifferent god that wouldContinue reading “On the Problem of Evil and the Comforting Lie”
On a Casualty in FOX News’ War on the War on Christmas
Were it not for Talking Points Memo, I wouldn’t have known that FOX News’ war on the War on Christmas had begun. I guess if Black Friday can creep into Thursday, then the War on Christmas can creep into mid-November. And what did I learn? Atheists are attacking A Charlie Brown Christmas in an elementaryContinue reading “On a Casualty in FOX News’ War on the War on Christmas”
On Opting Out of the Reason Rally
Yesterday afternoon a friend from northern Virginia sent me an e-mail. “Are you going to the Reason Rally this weekend,” she asked. “It’s your kind of thing. You really should go.” The Reason Rally. A gathering on the National Mall for the godless. Yes, it very much is the sort of thing for me. ButContinue reading “On Opting Out of the Reason Rally”
On a Choice of Rallies
Oh, to have First World problems…! On a single day in March — Saturday the 24th — there are two happenings in Washington, DC that I want to attend, but I have time for only one. :-/ The first? Shamrock Fest, a day-long Celtic rock/punk festival at RFK Stadium. I went last year, saw bandsContinue reading “On a Choice of Rallies”