The Secular Spectrum
For more than 200 years, Québec was the most religious Canadian province. Now they are the least religious, by a lot. But one peculiar thing hasn't changed. Read more
For more than 200 years, Québec was the most religious Canadian province. Now they are the least religious, by a lot. But one peculiar thing hasn't changed. Read more
In the coma-dream from which I awoke after my six weeks of coma, I was a paleontology student studying in the American Museum of Natural History. This was a childhood dream on both accounts, though I never fantasized about being attacked by office equipment in the process, as I was in the dream. However, I’m not a scientist, as Republican presidential candidates so proudly proclaim when trying to avoid taking a stand on well-established science the rabid fringe of their... Read more
She was drawn to the intensity of his faith. When he said he didn't believe anymore, it was an earthquake in their marriage. By Dale McGowan. Read more
Shortly after my wife and I started dating, I knew I wanted to marry her. Compared to everything else she brought to the relationship, the fact that she was a believer and I was an atheist was a footnote to me. Honestly, if I’d learned she had a second head growing out of the back of her neck, I’d have bought it a little hat. I knew we differed on theological abstractions, but I also knew we shared the most important values and priorities.... Read more
Stuff can get lost in the packing process. In my case, it was a favorite pair of sandals that somehow got left behind as we packed up for the final time on our month-long vacation that was almost my trip to the graveyard. One of the souvenirs I brought back was Legionnaires’ disease, which lead to multiple strokes on both sides of my brain, failing organs, and a six-week coma. Talk about package deals. I SPENT A MONTH IN SICILY AND... Read more
The eyes of skeptics did a collective pirouette when, in 2012, neurosurgeon Eben Alexander’s published his account of his near-death experience (NDE) during his weeklong coma, caused by a severe case of E. Coli meningitis. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey Through the Afterlife reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and all told, spent more than 97 weeks on the list. On July 9, 2013, I fell into a deep coma, triggered by a severe case of Legionnaires’... Read more
When he was just 12 years old, Armin Navabi threw himself off the top floor of his middle school in Iran. His plan was to go straight to heaven. He lived, and took a very different path. Read more
By Dale McGowan Author, In Faith and in Doubt When I talk about red flags in the secular/religious marriage, somebody will reliably say, “Red Flag #1: You are in a secular/religious marriage.” It’d be a lot more clever if it were true. The supposed negative effect of mixed beliefs on a marriage has been grossly oversold for years, even as research continues to find that “the belief dissimilarity of spouses has little effect on the likelihood of dissolution” of a marriage. This applies... Read more
By Philip Rose – SecularProLife (SPL) has a site called AbortionSafety.com. It’s designed to give the appearance that SecularProLife is concerned about the well-being and safety of women seeking abortions. The reality is the page was created to spread uncertainty and fear to women who use the site. The scenario plays out as follows; a woman sees AbortionSafety.com, looks through it, and based on what she sees comes to the conclusion that an abortion is such an unsafe procedure that she’s better off... Read more
By Stephanie Savage – The first play my boyfriend Keith and I attended together was Julia Sweeney’s thoughtful, sad, and hilarious, Letting Go of God. We both loved it, but Keith got something extra from it because Julia’s journey from believer to atheist paralleled his own in so many ways. And many of her objections to biblical stories were the very ones that gave the young Keith pause. I, on the other hand, was raised an agnostic, and my background... Read more
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