Daylight Atheism - Page 4 of 296 - Freethought in the light of the sun

Slashed by Occam’s Razor

January 9, 2019 By James A. Haught

By James A. Haught The Secular Age is snowballing in America, as in other advanced democracies. Year after year, more reports show church membership and attendance slip-slidin’ away. In the decades since the 1960s (while the U.S. population doubled), United Methodists fell from 14 million members to below 7 million. Presbyterians dropped from 4.2 million to 1.4 million. Episcopalians shrank from 3.6 million to 1.7 million. The Disciples of Christ sank from 2 million to 400,000. Just since 2007, the… Read more

Dystopia Journal #25: Shutdown Blues

January 7, 2019 By Adam Lee

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This will cause lasting damage, not just inconvenience. Read more

Friday Night Music: Songs of Resistance

January 5, 2019 By Adam Lee

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I’ve decided that 2019 is the year for feel-good music about fighting back and speaking truth to power. We’ve made it through two years, we can get through two more. On that note, here’s a classic from the George W. Bush years, when some of the same forces were in play. I remember when these women were pilloried for speaking out against the Iraq war, and wrote a defiant response: What are your favorite songs of resistance and rebellion? Read more

The Borgias: Holy Murderers

January 2, 2019 By James A. Haught

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By James A. Haught While they posed as pillars of piety, some medieval popes were depraved criminals. Sergius III (reigned 904-911) allegedly had two papal rivals strangled in prison. His illegitimate son later became pope. John XII (955-964) openly had mistresses, gave them church treasure, castrated one opponent, blinded another, and donned armor to lead the papal army. Benedict V (May 964-June 964) reportedly dishonored a girl and looted Vatican treasure. Boniface VII (974-985) apparently murdered a rival pope,… Read more

Threads of 2018

December 31, 2018 By Adam Lee

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The clock hand sweeps toward midnight, and the new year beckons on the horizon. But before looking ahead to 2019, let’s take one glance back at the themes of 2018 that was: The Coming Collapse of Christianity One of the most important, yet most underappreciated, trends is how rapidly the nation is secularizing. Whether they realize it or not, conservative Christians are hurtling toward a demographic brick wall. In January, I wrote about the least Christian generation in American history,… Read more

The Fountainhead: Workers of the World, Unite

December 28, 2018 By Adam Lee

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The historic presidency of FDR and the New Deal… is completely ignored by this novel. Read more

Holy Holidays Without Religion

December 26, 2018 By James A. Haught

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By James A. Haught Easter came on April Fool’s Day in 2018. No wisecracks, please. Across America, many communities hosted festive children’s Easter egg hunts with all sorts of games, treats, bunnies and hoopla. It’s wholesome family fun. But one aspect was absent: any mention of supernatural gods rising from the dead. Part of the reason for the omission is that local governments cannot endorse religion, under America’s separation of church and state. But another factor is the secularization process:… Read more

What I’m Telling My Son About Santa Claus

December 24, 2018 By Adam Lee

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Sometimes the smallest choices present the hardest dilemmas. I’ve been facing one such this year, which is the question of what, as an atheist parent, I should tell my son about Santa Claus. It sounds silly, but this was one of my biggest parenting dilemmas so far. It was certainly a harder decision than, say, vaccination, which presented no difficulty at all. I’m not usually bothered by peer pressure, but this is a special case. It seems cruel, in a… Read more