Rant & Reason

If You’re Reading This, The World Hasn’t Ended–Yet

Jennifer Bardi — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:28:36 +0000

This article, written by Michael I. Niman, originally appeared at ArtVoice, on 12/20/12 Recently, a friend in a small Mayan village where I once lived in southern Belize, invited me to attend the wedding of his daughter, who was marrying a boy from a neighboring village. We’ve known the bride and her family since she [...]

If Italy Can Do It …

lgranados — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:06:01 +0000

Last month’s headlines certainly looked exciting: “Italian church to be stripped of tax exemption,” “Catholic church to lose historic property tax exemption in Italy.” Wow! If such a heavily Catholic country like Italy can start making God experts pay property taxes like everyone else, then why can’t even less-Catholic countries – like this one – [...]

Paul Kurtz has died

Jennifer Bardi — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:13:06 +0000

(Washington, DC – Oct. 21, 2012) – Humanists and atheists are mourning the death of humanist Dr. Paul Kurtz, former editor of the American Humanist Association’s Humanist magazine and founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, who died on Oct. 21, 2012 at the age of 86. His death means the loss of one of [...]

The Church’s Real Contraception Agenda

lgranados — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 18:05:29 +0000

To hear the Catholic bishops talk, you’d think today’s hot-button issue of contraceptive coverage in healthcare plans is one of “religious liberty,” where the government is denying Catholics the opportunity to practice their religion as they see fit. It’s all a question of personal freedom, they say. Of course they are not trying to take [...]

Goodbye, Mr. Honorary President

Jennifer Bardi — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 06:17:49 +0000

It’s too hard to list all the appropriate adjectives and accolades that could proceed Gore Vidal’s name. Gore Vidal died tonight and the enlightened world mourns. But what a life he lived! Please read the American Humanist Association’s obituary for Mr. Vidal, who was AHA’s honorary president since 2009. I had the honor of interviewing [...]

Godless Comfort for National Grief

ngoodwine — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:40:37 +0000

I had my first experience with godless comfort when a woman at my job lost her father. I found her in the break room crying uncontrollably, the pain seeping from every inch of her. Embracing her, I encouraged her to express her feelings–her confusion, her anger, her sorrow. I held her in silence as she sobbed for [...]

Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and God’s Mixed Messages

ngoodwine — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 23:05:13 +0000

The man upstairs likes sending mixed messages. George Zimmerman, the man charged with the Feb. 26 death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, insisted during a television interview with Sean Hannity that the shooting was “all God’s plan.” Martin’s father Tracy replied, “We must worship a different God. There is no way that my God wanted George [...]

Yes to MAAF Church Alternative

ngoodwine — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:15:04 +0000

Although I’m a happy humanist, I must admit that there are certain things I miss about church. I miss gathering with friends and family, swaying to the band, and feeling inspired. I also miss going out to eat afterwards, but I can do that anytime. So, I’m delighted to hear that the Military Association of [...]

The End of Abortion in Mississippi: Who Pays?

ngoodwine — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:54:07 +0000

I was shocked the first time I saw a pregnant teenager. I was in the ninth grade, and a girl I had known for three years came back from summer vacation with a big, hard belly. She walked the halls quietly with her dark eyes downcast, making sure to not to speak what was already [...]

Frank Ocean and the Changing Tides of LGBT Acceptance

ngoodwine — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:33:09 +0000

It’s uncommon, to put it mildly, for an R&B singer to admit he’s gay. While rumors abound for certain beloved crooners, no popular contemporary artists have come out of the closet. Well, one brave guy changed all that last week. Singer-songwriter Frank Ocean posted an eloquent account of his first love–who just so happened to [...]

Higgs Boson: One More Step toward Grasping the Universe

ngoodwine — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:31:40 +0000

After 50 years of research, scientists are more than 99 percent certain they’ve found evidence for the Higgs boson, or “God particle,” the elementary particle that explains why objects in our universe have mass. The finding may complete the standard model of physics and give us greater insight into our existence. Peter Higgs, professor emeritus [...]

African Americans for Humanism: A Long Way to Go

ngoodwine — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:36:26 +0000

For many African Americans, to deny the Christian doctrine is to reject one’s heritage. Some consider not only leaving the church but professing unbelief in its core principles heresy of the highest order. Our ancestors, believers argue, endured years of slavery only because of their faith in God. If it weren’t for the church, they [...]

Against Democracy

lgranados — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:11:55 +0000

Turkey was in the news last month, for putting on trial the two surviving generals who helped lead a successful coup against a popularly-elected government in 1980. Terrible thing, isn’t it, for unelected generals to undermine democracy like that? Or is there more to the story than meets the eye? The story begins at the [...]

The Pope and the Cristeros

lgranados — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:13:12 +0000

The most meaningful stop on the Pope’s recent Latin American swing was not Cuba, as the press would have it, but Guanajuato, Mexico, the symbolic heart of Catholic violence in the Americas. His presence there honored the Cristeros, who slaughtered 50,000 Mexicans early in the 20th century in order to promote the rule of “Christ [...]

The Amish Angle

lgranados — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:59:13 +0000

Over the years, I’ve written pieces offending Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, and Scientologists. Leaving no toe unstepped on, today I turn to the Amish. We just observed the 30th anniversary of a major Supreme Court case involving preferential treatment for the Amish, and we now see them being cited as an example [...]