Tag Archives: religion

The Bizarro World of the 2016 religious conservative

Any fan of Superman (or Sienfeld or Buffy, for that matter) is familiar with Bizarro World — where everything is “weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations.” Although the 2016 presidential election has been the most bizarre election in American history, perhaps even stranger is the way in which we have seen an entire political party (one with […]

Dealing With Death In A Secular Age

“I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” – Woody Allen Human beings are both blessed and cursed in that we evolved the awareness of our own mortality. We are cursed in that this awareness, combined with our fierce instinct of self-preservation, is the source of a […]

Are Secular Parents Denying Their Children The Opportunity To Be Religious?

There’s a good joke about Unitarian Universalists. Q: “What’s a Unitarian Universalist?” A: “An Atheist with children.” Religious jokes, like any jokes, are funniest when there’s an element of truth. I don’t speak for Unitarian Universalists, but I have been to Unitarian Universalist services before, and I enjoyed them. Mostly because it was church without all […]

Celebrating Christmas as a Non-Believer

As a former Christian who now identifies as non-religious, I’ve heard wisecracks from my Christian friends as my family and I gear up for the holidays. The cracks are all in good fun: decorating the Darwin tree, singing science carols, Sagan Claus, etc. While these are just friendly jabs between friends, they say a lot about society’s attitudes […]

The State of Religion In Maine: Takeaways From The Pew Research Survey

Americans are becoming less religious, especially young adults. That’s the takeaway soundbite from The latest Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study. But what about Maine? The Almanac of American Politics describes Maine as “a state with a distinctive personality,” labeling us as “ornery” and “contrary minded.” Does this hold true with regards to our changing […]