Religion, SF, and Other Speculative Fictions.


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Leaving the Garden: Jana’s Journey

January 4th, 2008 · by John · 6 Comments

Note: This is the first in a weekly series in which we ask someone to reflect on their journey from religious conviction to uncertainty, from dogmatism to doubt. Religion is filled with stories of faith; here we will collect narratives of unbelief. It is my hope that Leaving the Garden will give voice […]

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Tags: Leaving the Garden

Ten Books for Atheists and Skeptics (and Theists Who Like to Ask Questions).

January 4th, 2008 · by John · 11 Comments

Note: Please recommend other titles in the comments! 
I decided to make a list that was a sort of refreshing alternative to the recent bestsellers. I have several reasons for this. First of all, Harris, Dawkins, Hitchens and Pullman are getting so much media attention that you don’t need me to tell you about […]

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Tags: Atheism · Book Reviews · Doubt

How can we console others (and ourselves) without heaven or an afterlife?

January 4th, 2008 · by John · 14 Comments

There are probably as many answers to this question as there are opportunities for consoling the bereaved and encouraging the fearful.  Here’s one example from my own experience:
I can’t remember whose death was involved–it might have been a relative, grandma’s bichon frisé or the body of a small animal we discovered outside.  All I know […]

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Tags: Atheism · Death · Humanism

Fun Quotes for MoF

January 4th, 2008 · by xJane · 6 Comments

I ran across these at the bottom of emails I was reading this morning and wanted to share:
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty.
-Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate […]

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Tags: Atheism · Doubt

Book Review: Peter and the Starcatchers

January 4th, 2008 · by John · 5 Comments

by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
#1 of 100, folks! Only 99 more to go. I started with an easy one. I promise to pick up a heavy book by someone with a Russian name or a biography of President Bush to balance out this light escapist fantasy.
This is a perfect book for junior […]

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Tags: Book Reviews · Fantasy