Friendly Atheist Podcast Episode 10: Dale McGowan, Author of In Faith and In Doubt

Last updated on: August 18, 2014 at 12:57 pm By Hemant Mehta

***Update***: We’re now on Stitcher!

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Our latest podcast guest is Dale McGowan, the author of In Faith and In Doubt:

Dale is the author of a number of excellent books about atheism. His books Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers are all about bringing up children without religion. He’s the author of Atheism for Dummies, a book that surprisingly didn’t exist until 2013. He began Foundation Beyond Belief to encourage atheists to give to charity. He’s the manager of the Atheist Channel here on Patheos. And his latest book, In Faith and In Doubt, is all about relationships between atheists and believers.

We spoke with Dale about how to make mixed-faith marriages work, the biggest surprise he uncovered during his search, and the importance of a hand squeeze between loved ones.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. If you have any suggestions for people we should chat with, please leave them in the comments, too.

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Dale McGowan’s New Book About Interfaith Relationships Now Available for Preorder

Last updated on: January 10, 2014 at 12:11 am By Hemant Mehta

I’m so excited to announce this: My friend Dale McGowan, who has already written two incredibly popular books on raising children as an atheist parent — Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers — will soon release his third book about atheist families.

It’s called In Faith and In Doubt: How Religious Believers and Nonbelievers Can Create Strong Marriages and Loving Families:

Interfaith marriages fail more often than same-faith partnerships. So what are the chances of survival for the ultimate mixed marriage — one between religious and nonreligious partners? Nearly 20 percent of Americans now self-identify as nonreligious, including millions who are married to religious believers. Despite the differences, many of these marriages succeed beautifully. In this landmark book, popular author and secular humanist Dale McGowan explores some of the stories of these unions, whose very endurance flies in the face of conventional wisdom, including his own marriage to a believing Christian — a loving partnership that remains strong after three kids and 22 years. Drawing on sociology, psychology, and real-life experience, he shares: negotiation tips that set the stage for harmonious relationships; strategies for dealing with pressure from extended family; profiles of families who have successfully blended different world views; insights for helping kids make their own choices about religious identity; and advice for handling holidays, churchgoing, baptism, circumcision, religious literacy, and more. The first book of its kind, In Faith and In Doubt helps partners navigate the complexities of their situation while celebrating the extraordinary richness it affords their relationship, their children, and those around them.

The book doesn’t come out until August, but you can order it now before the first printing sells out 🙂

Dale McGowan: How to Raise (Actual) Freethinkers

Last updated on: July 5, 2013 at 3:20 am By Hemant Mehta

At the Oklahoma Freethought Convention a couple of weeks ago, Dale McGowan, author of Parenting Beyond Belief, spoke about raising actual freethinkers (instead of kids who just echo your own non-religious beliefs).

Quick note: I have heard Dale speak a number of times and his wisdom never gets old. If you’re an atheist parent, listen to what he has to say; he talks about so many of the dilemmas non-religious parents face with their kids and his answers seem so obvious in hindsight. I feel fortunate that I can hear him talk about all of this before I have any of my own.

If any moments stand out to you, please leave the timestamp and summary in the comments!

(via TheThinkingAtheist)

What Dale McGowan Learned When Writing Atheism for Dummies

Last updated on: April 7, 2013 at 11:14 pm By Hemant Mehta

Last month, the Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison held their second annual Freethought Festival. Videos of the event are now going up and they’re definitely worth your time to watch.

In the following video, author Dale McGowan talks about 20 things he learned when writing the book Atheism for Dummies:

The first point alone (at the 3:16 mark) is one you want to see 🙂

I think Dale’s book is fantastic, for what it’s worth. If you haven’t done it already, you can read the introduction here.

Dale McGowan Announces That His Next Book Will Focus on Religious/Non-Religious Marriages

Last updated on: February 9, 2013 at 1:13 am By Hemant Mehta

Dale McGowan — who has already cornered the market in writing about atheist parenting — just announced his next book project. It’s one a lot of you may appreciate:

Many of the most common questions I get from secular parents are about issues around this kind of mixed marriage. Though there are several books on marriages between partners of two different religions — including half a dozen titles on Jewish-Christian intermarriage alone — there’s nothing for the biggest belief gap of all.

Sounds awesome. I’ve heard so many stories of atheists who end up dating (or marrying) religious people. There are all sorts of obstacles those couples have to overcome — can you have mutual respect for each other’s beliefs? How would you raise your children? What would the wedding look like? Would your in-laws know about your beliefs or would you keep those to yourself?

I also can’t wait for what I assume will be Dale’s next project after this one: How to handle mixed-religion divorces.