Patheos Featured Writers

Roy Speckhardt
Columnist

Roy Speckhardt is executive director of the American Humanist Association where he actively promotes the humanist perspective on progressive political issues. He's appeared on CNN Headline News, Fox News, numerous national radio shows, and has spoken to dozens of local humanist groups across the country. He also serves as a board member of the Humanist Institute and the United Coalition of Reason and as an advisory board member of the Secular Student Alliance. He holds an M.B.A. from George Mason University and a B.A. in sociology from Mary Washington College. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Works by Roy Speckhardt
We can and do use the same scientifically-rigorous approaches of observation, analysis,......
Discarding Hate and Cultivating Empathy
Roy Speckhardt | October 13, 2015
By promoting increased dialogue between conflicting parties and attempting to address......
Atheism in America: 20 for 2020
Roy Speckhardt | August 19, 2015
Imagine an America where 20 percent of the U.S. population openly identifies as atheist......
Humanity Before Creed
Roy Speckhardt | January 07, 2015
Setting aside our interest in arguing doctrine, even for a time, in order to embrace......
The Rise of the Nontheist Voting Bloc
Roy Speckhardt | September 26, 2013
Media coverage of nonbeliever PAC shows new voting bloc has potential....
Can Humanism Heal the World?
Roy Speckhardt | August 07, 2013
Making donors feel better about themselves for giving without having lasting impact is......
Vaccinating Against Misinformation
Roy Speckhardt | March 24, 2013
The faith exemption to vaccinations is questionable, as our children's health shouldn't......
Humanists think that the Bible, the Quran, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Buddhist sutras, and......
Keeping Our Human Light Lit During the Holidays
Roy Speckhardt | December 09, 2012
HumanLight is about celebrating and expressing what fills our lives with love and......
God's Plan for Rape Victims
Roy Speckhardt | November 04, 2012
Christian conservatives are either ignorant of the pluralistic society in which we live,......
Let's Recognize and Reignite Humanism's Feminist Legacy
Roy Speckhardt | September 02, 2012
Today there are many fronts in this struggle that humanists are leading in favor of......
Theocracy Reigns When Seculars Are Suppressed
Roy Speckhardt | August 19, 2012
The best course of religious freedom is to support the secular core of society....
These principles -- without any specific religious creed -- form a strong basis on which......
Movie Theater Discriminates Against Atheists
Roy Speckhardt | May 22, 2012
While America has moved away from race-based discrimination, to continue on the path......
The Religious Right Plays the Victim
Roy Speckhardt | May 08, 2012
Hopefully a time will come where people can believe what they want to believe without......
Religious Right Wages War on Women
Roy Speckhardt | April 22, 2012
Legislatures across the nation are taking up issues that many thought were settled......
Adding Death with Dignity to Healthcare
Roy Speckhardt | April 02, 2012
Healthcare should also work to grant patients a pain-free escape from suffering after......
Time to Diversify the Judiciary
Roy Speckhardt | March 18, 2012
Our judiciary is being subverted by partisan judges, many of whom are now actively......
Public Schools: A Battleground for the Religious Right
Roy Speckhardt | February 06, 2012
The religious right clearly has a full catalog of methods being used at the state level......
Wishy-Washier Than Thou
Roy Speckhardt | December 20, 2011
Faith isn't possible for those who doubt, experiment, and accept the facts presented......
Catholic Leadership Needs a New Focus
Roy Speckhardt | November 29, 2011
If the Church wants to stem the tide of departing members they should recognize what de......
Eroding the Era of Discrimination with the ERA
Roy Speckhardt | October 23, 2011
We must all come together in order to guarantee equal treatment under the law and the......
Addicted to the Supernatural?
Roy Speckhardt | October 02, 2011
Do you live in a different world from fundamentalists?...
Why Are Politicians Pandering to the Religious Right?
Roy Speckhardt | September 18, 2011
We are facing a new age of fanatical conservatism and fundamentalist religion allied......
Modernizing Secular Addiction Recovery
Roy Speckhardt | July 18, 2011
Recovery can be a difficult journey, so if you need it, pursue it with a group that......
Government's Influence Makes Religion a Tool
Roy Speckhardt | July 04, 2011
Whether people identify with one religion or no religion at all, it's time to start......
Time for a Nontheist History Month
Roy Speckhardt | May 22, 2011
The claim that spiritual leaders and faith-based principles here were consistently the......
To Interfaith, or Not to Interfaith
Roy Speckhardt | April 03, 2011
Looking forward to a time when a person's religious faith is incidental to their status......
The Joy of Atheism
Roy Speckhardt | March 17, 2011
Emphasizing our present life and the lives to come is far more compelling than an......
Suffer the Little Children
Roy Speckhardt | February 28, 2011
Religious parents should not be allowed to escape prosecution for the preventable deaths......
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
Roy Speckhardt | February 14, 2011
Despite its eventual reverted language, the bill is still saturated with religious......