If you identify with a religious denomination, researchers almost certainly know how many of you there are. Hell, they probably know how you like your eggs. But the most they usually know about me is that I’m a “None.” I’m an atheist, a word I use to indicate my confident opinion that no gods of any kind or number exist. (More in a later post on why I find more passive definitions less useful.) But most general surveys don’t include... Read more
Picture an atheist. If you’re like most people, you’re probably picturing a middle-aged white guy complaining angrily about religion. Even if you are an atheist yourself, one who is neither white nor a guy nor angry, you still might picture that and think of yourself as an exception. For years I fit that stereotype pretty well, and I still fit at least half of it. But most atheists don’t, and they often end up invisible, drowned out by the more aggressive voices.... Read more
Patheos is a house with 19 rooms. Twelve of those are devoted to individual worldviews, from Catholic to Pagan to Atheist. In each room, there are between three and 58 people who share the same worldview. Each is standing on a soap box, talking to a crowd, and sometimes the crowd talks back. Here’s one of our staff meetings: Once in a while, the speakers talk to each other, which gets very meta. Even more interesting is when they open the door and talk to... Read more
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