The Swerve, a book review

Stephen Greenblatt’s THE SWERVE, How the World Became Modern, tells an important story and has won the National Book Award for non-fiction and a Pulitzer. The story is of particular interest and importance to atheists and secular humanists because it validates us as main-stream, primary players in the flow of Western Civilization and casts the Abrahamic religions as the major bump on the long road to modernity. Read on…

“Atheists Lose Ground”

The Economist has printed a disturbing article about the growing respectability of Evangelism in the United States. “The Bond Between God And Power” discusses religious encroachment in three areas: government, business, and education. President Bush has his White House prayer circle and we may assume his “Higher Father” has sent him on a Holy Crusade in Iraq. God has become the “Businessman’s Partner” in some companies, and a Texas law now has thousands of pupils reciting a new pledge to … Read on…

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…