My father was recently interviewed again (mp3 link, will start playing as soon as it loads; somewhat confusing page it is hosted on here), promoting his position regarding a proposed ballot initiative in the State of Washington which concerns what he would call “Assisted Suicide” or “Right to Life” but which I would call “Death […]

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We make sense of the world and our relation to it through the stories we tell.  Back in my young and wild Mormon days (riding bikes with the gang down the street of Japan, doing drive by conversions), I told the story of Joseph Smith to anyone who would listen.  The cool thing was that […]

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I did some bad things during my stint as a Mormon missionary in Japan.  I’d like to repent of one of them right now.
Some of my Japanese friends confided deep, personal spiritual experiences with me.  In several cases I coopted their experiences for my own ends, and using my words, contorted them so that they […]

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I was happy to receive a link from Rick Heller about the Humanist Contemplatives of Houston, who
focus on self improvement, introspection, and achieving eudaimonia. They gather to meditate or contemplate in a serene setting, offer mutual moral support in meeting personal challenges, experience the profound in the arts, and share new ideas and traditional inspirations […]

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(It’s that time again – guest post from Zach time.)

(Image from Bloomsbury Auctions)
Lots of people are talking about a newly-surfaced letter by Einstein, which seems to clarify his ambiguous views on religion with the following strongly-worded statements:
The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a […]

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(Hello, this is Zach Alexander — you may have read my Leaving the Garden post, and this is the first of a few guest articles I’m posting while John is otherwise engaged.)

“The stuff that really brings people together, and makes us happy to live together, originates from a caring and thoughtful mind that’s been exposed […]

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Welcome to the 17th edition of the Humanist Symposium! The Humanist Symposium is meant to be a celebration of the humanist life–its purpose “is not primarily to criticize religious beliefs or debunk the latest superstition, but to offer and discuss a positive alternative to belief systems based on the supernatural.” As such, these values […]

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Note: This is the third 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 to a […]

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You can gorge yourself on a smorgasbord of skeptical delights today!  Two blogging carnivals were posted yesterday:
Humanist Symposium #13 - Cheesy Holiday Card Edition
The 82nd Edition of the Carnival of the Godless
I submitted Mind on Fire posts to each, and plan to participate in them from here on out.  In fact, Mind on Fire will […]

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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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