According to some in the atheist community, religious belief is a kind of mental illness or neurological disorder. This is an opinion that has been expressed by such prominent voices as Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher.1 The thinking seems to be that because certain religious beliefs look so absurd – to these atheists at least
Some people have suggested that atheism is a religion. The reasons typically given for this view often vary, but tend to boil down to either the behavior or the opinions of atheists. Atheists are dogmatic in their disbelief, according to certain people, they have faith in materialism, they rally behind a messianic figure like Darwin,
The so-called rise of the “nones,” or those who profess no religious affiliation on social surveys, is a phenomenon that has been widely publicized and talked about over the last few years. According to a Pew Research Center study, the number of Americans that fall into this group has gone up from 16% in 2007
In this episode, I speak with Candace Gorham about her book The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion – and Others Should Too. Candace is a licensed professional mental health counselor, a former ordained minister turned atheist activist, as well as a researcher and writer on issues relating to
From its name, the ‘problem of evil’ might give the mistaken impression that there is one singular problem of reconciling a particular observation with theism. In reality, there have not only been several variations upon the argument within philosophical discourse, but also a multitude of different but related experiences and observations buttressing the general discourse
For this episode, I speak with Caroline Matas about a handful of subjects revolving around New Atheism, the #MeToo movement, and Men’s Rights Activism. Caroline is currently a doctoral student in the Religion in the Americas subfield at Princeton University. She is also the news editor and social media manager at the Harvard Religious Literacy
Rajani Gudlavalleti is a community organizer, consultant, and writer. For over a decade, she has worked at the intersections of social justice, public health, and the legal system. Rajani has conducted this work through the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore City Health Department, and Open Society Foundations. Currently, her primary passion is as
This is a critical review of a 2009 debate between Christian apologist Matt Slick and atheist lawyer Eddie Tabash. Having previously heard Slick debate Matt Dillahunty on The Atheist Experience, as well as Tabash’s 1999 debate with William Lane Craig, I found myself curious to see how these two would square off against one another.
If a loving god exists, and wants to be known, why have so many people down through history not believed in a supreme being? Theologians such as Anselm of Canterbury and Martin Luther developed the idea that the Judeo-Christian god is a hidden god, or one that does not reveal itself to all persons. There
How should we understand the concept of religion? How does our understanding of it impact the way we see different traditions, communities, and practices? What are the ways religion has been understood in the past and in the academy? For this episode of the podcast, I speak with Kevin Schilbrack about his contribution to the
