There are several fear issues related to coming out as an atheist. Beyond the more personal, internal fears any person in the midst of graduating out of belief might feel – “What if God is real and sends me to Hell for doubting? If I give up believing in God and Heaven, doesn’t that mean I’ll never see my granddad again?” – there are some real-world fears worth thinking about. Fears that would spring to mind for any new atheist or atheist-to-be involve social issues — the fear of … [Read more...]
The Horrors of Fall
October 29, 2011 By 8 Comments
I have a notoriously sucky sense of direction. I still can't help but point and laugh. Family’s Corn Maze ‘Fun’ Ends In 911 Rescue Couple Lost in Apple Orchard Calls 911 … [Read more...]
A Different Kind of Prayer
October 29, 2011 By 3 Comments
This is probably old-verging-on-ancient. But it's new to me: … [Read more...]
Seven Billion Peeps: Thank You Jesus — and Oh, Shit!
October 29, 2011 By 14 Comments
[ Still feeling like hell, but I couldn't keep away ... ] Here’s a personal reaction to a recent bit of news: (And look at this BBC Where Do You Fit In? calculator. ) When I was born, there were 2.6 billion humans on the planet. Today there are 2.6 TIMES more. World population is expected to tip over 7 billion in the next few days. Speaking as an environmentalist (someone who cares about the ecosystem of Planet Earth), and a humanist (someone who loves human beings, and wants them to do … [Read more...]
Dealing With Fear: Side Note Side Note
October 26, 2011 By 9 Comments
The previous post came out of an answer to a comment by anthonyallen on Dealing With Fear — Part 1: Everyday Life. This post comes out of an aside to THAT answer, and actually has nothing at all to do with fear. It’s all a bit meta, I guess, but I hope worth reading. … [Read more...]
Dealing With Fear: Side Note
October 26, 2011 By 10 Comments
One of my readers, “anthonyallen” has submitted a couple of good comments on two other posts, The 30,000 and Dealing With Fear — Part 1: Everyday Life. Dealing With Fear was even written to address his first comment on The 30,000. But the reply I wrote to his second comment (which was long and also about dealing with fears), I thought I’d include as yet another post of its own. He inspired some thoughts that were, to me, well worth thinking, and then worth writing, and I hope the larger … [Read more...]
Dealing With Fear — Part 1: Everyday Life
October 25, 2011 By 20 Comments
The subject of fear came up in the comments on a recent post, one writer lamenting the life-freezing effects of it. Because the writer’s words felt soooo familiar, I both winced and chuckled. Winced because I’ve been there, chuckled because once again I realized that I’m not the only one who feels this sort of thing. Quoting Richard Nixon, “Let me just say this about that ...” … [Read more...]
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