Pacific Woes: A Secular Triptych

The Pierced Lady Waiting for the shuttle bus into San Francisco, the woman in leather shivered. Her sandy hair was tucked behind ears upholstered with gold rings and studs. On her neck, where her collar was short, climbed a tattoo’s red ink of wings or flames. Her amber eyes blinked as she excused her breath: “I have to have a beer before landing. I’m nervous about crashing. Did you ever circle around and around in the fog?” She climbed the … Read on…

Eulogy for Robert G. Ingersoll

An Original Poem by Jay R. Strisik O Ingersoll your crystalline words are stilled, And museumed away from daily discourse, While dishonest men crush virtue for power And invoke deities and fear to confuse.    O Ingersoll freedom is weeping, Truth sullied by grubby hands Of liars and purloiners of sense,     Misers in doling aid to ill and needy.  

A Humanist’s Declaration of Independence

Dearest Family and Friends, At a point in my life, it became necessary to honestly examine the religious dogma presented to me as fact, and upon finding it lacking, throw off its shackles and assume personal responsibility for my actions. A decent respect to the opinions of family and friends requires a declaration of the causes that prompt my rejection of religion. This decision required a lifetime to reach, certainly not something that happened impulsively with little thought. There was … Read on…

Night Sky

When Brian was young, he had looked at the moon as a magical place. Now, he saw the cool serenity of the lunar surface and the efforts that it had taken mankind to reach its surface. Although not even an amateur astronomer, Brian had always enjoyed the night sky. It had been a place of both mystery and discovery for him throughout his life. It was also a sight that inspired speculation. How far is it to that star? How … Read on…

Tests of My Lack of Faith

Atheists rarely understand that their lack of faith can occasionally be challenged by perfectly normal life events. I have come to think that those challenges do occur. Further, I believe that those occasions correspond almost exactly, in situation and intensity, to the tests of faith experienced by the religious. In short, I believe that regardless of the polarity of one’s religious philosophy, the random nature of the universe will find ways to challenge our beliefs. As one example, the death … Read on…

America’s Most Hated Woman: Remembering Madalyn Murray O’Hair

I would recommend, for those who have not yet read it, a biography of Madalyn Murray O’Hair: Ann Rowe Seaman’s America’s Most Hated Woman. O’Hair herself reveled in that appellation and used it to portray herself as the ultimate Outsider, a communist, freethinking female and victim of a capitalistic Christian empire. By doing so she made both money and history. O’Hair was apparently born to be a maverick. Her mother Lena had tried to induce a miscarriage, when she found … Read on…

An Interview with Frank Zindler

FRANK ZINDLER is Editor of American Atheists Press. A former university biology instructor, he is also a professional linguist with a specialty involving ancient languages. Zindler is the author of numerous articles and several books on Atheism and related history, including a special annotated edition of Part Three of The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine. He is a member of several learned societies including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, New York Academy of Science, Society of … Read on…