Category Archives: Atheist

A well-known defender of biblical truth in an assembly of people gathered to hear worldviews was asked what he meant by the term God.

The question was posed with a spirit of hostility and anger by someone who admitted to being an atheist. As I continued reading the story of aggression and anger, it made me wonder, Why such anger?

Why does it matter in a world of diverse beliefs whether someone believes in God whom the Bible presents as Source and Creator? Why get angry if someone says they believe in God? Do not people have different opinions about other subjects in life without getting angry?

I like honey mustard on my salad, but my wife likes thousand island dressing. We have yet to become angry about it.

A verse of Scripture, Revelation 12:12, rebounded immediately in my mind. The context of the Scripture is the announcement that Satan, the devil, has been thrown out of Heaven where he and his angels were defeated.

These words follow that announcement: rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath (anger), because he knows that his time is short!

The anger demonstrated toward those who love God and speak from Gods word is sourced from the anger the devil brought to the earth when he was booted from Heaven.

There will be no next year or next time for Satan on the final judgment day. His shot at the title to be God is done! In the meantime, he will stay angry about it until he and all who follow him will be cast into an eternal fire pit never to infect or hurt anyone whose trust is in God.

Until that time of eternal judgment comes, the heat of the devils anger can be expected when Gods Word of truth regarding public practices and policies is introduced into a public forum.

Heres the truth without the guard rails of Gods moral truth in public life, all Hell breaks loose. When anyone doesnt know Gods truth about their existence or their purpose, a great darkness moves into their life and eventually, unless Gods truth penetrates their hearts and minds, they will call darkness, light and light, darkness.

So, when God or Gods truth is introduced into a gathering of worldly knowledge, it is threatening to the devil, and he will literally raise Hell against all threats. Satans target is to destroy hope.

David Woods is a teaching pastor at Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield. This column is written by local clergy members.

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Hope for living: Anger against Gods word, people has a spiritual ... - Greenfield Daily Reporter

King Philip of France, aka actor Russell Penton.

Popular Whanganui actor Russell Penton is enjoying rehearsals for The Lion in Winter, in which he plays the part of the French King Philip.

Russell describes the king as ambitious, charismatic, and antagonistic.

Hes determined to fulfil the treaty made between his father and King Henry the Second of England Russell said.

I think this is the most important part Ive ever played.

Hes particularly pleased to be acting under Kerry Girdwoods directorship again. Kerry directed Russell in The Daylight Atheist, when he played the part of the atheists loveable Mori mate.

Most recently, Russell amused audiences playing one of Falstaffs rogue henchmen in The Merry Wives of Windsor at Bason Reserve.

Russell has a wealth of theatre experience including playing parts as film extras both here and in Australia. When I asked him about that he said: Dont worry about the films. Im just happy at Repertory Theatre. Im enjoying acting with the newcomers to Repertory and were all forming a close bond.

Russells portrayal of King Philip matching his wits against King Henry of England promises to be enlightening.

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Whanganui actor Russell Penton enjoying rehearsals for The Lion in ... - New Zealand Herald

(June 19, 2023 / JNS)

U.S. President Joe Biden named three Jewish leaders to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of Americas Heritage Abroad, a nearly-40-year-old U.S. government agency that helps protect endangered cemeteries, monuments and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe.

Rabbi Abba Cohen, vice president for government affairs and Washington director of Agudath Israel of America; Joseph Douek, a businessman and philanthropist; and Yair Robinson, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Emeth, a Reform synagogue In Wilmington, Del., were tapped for the position on June 16.

The commission was created following the Holocaust and 45 years of atheist Communist governments, according to its website. The Holocaust annihilated much of Europes Jewish population, killing most Jews and forcing others to flee. In many countries, none were left to continue to care for the communal properties that represented a historic culture in the area and have importance within the Jewish religion.

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Three Jewish leaders named to US heritage government agency - JNS.org

Screengrab/PureFlix

Have you ever heard someone say, You were born to do this? This simple phrase is typically reserved for people with a natural gifting or unique set of skills and its a proclamation that perfectly applies to award-winning actor Max McLean.

McLean was, without a doubt, born to portray C.S. Lewis.

Possessing the look, the voice, and even the mannerisms of the legendary literary icon, McLean is brilliant in The Most Reluctant Convert, an independently produced film that was recently released on the Pure Flix Streaming platform.

The seasoned veteran of many theatrical productions domestically and abroad plays an elder C.S. Lewis. McLean looks back on the Mere Christianity authors remarkable journey from hard-boiled atheist to the most renowned Christian writer of the 20th Century:

Despite his uncanny likeness to Lewis in the film, McLean demurs when considering the comparison.

I dont know if I was the perfect person. Im an American and he was a Brit from Irish descent, McLean explains. But I do think that Ive invested so much in his language and his thought processes. I think it wouldve been very difficult for another actor to absorb the kind of nuanced communication that was required to really pull that character off. Thats not to say others couldnt do it.

For his part, McLean believes Lewis contributions to literature and culture transcend and no one literary work defines him.

He had a steel trap mind that could remember everything he wrote, says McLean. He had an unusual ability to translate what was in his mind into magnificent prose and speech. Hes one of the great English writers of all time. He is not just limited to the 20th century. Theres a consolation of ideas that emerge from his writing that you get nowhere else. He wakes up certain parts of your brain that are often dormant.

McLean joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to talk about why people are still drawn to the writing of C.S. Lewis nearly 60 years after his death.

Listen as Max shares why it was significant to film the movie in Oxford, England, and whether he views The Most Reluctant Convert as Lewis greatest literary work.

Subscribe to Crossmap on your favorite podcast platforms.

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CS Lewis' magnificent journey from atheist to transformational ... - The Christian Post

Compared to other demographic groups, atheists tend to be especially negative and dismissive about dreams, according to a survey I recently analyzed with a colleague. I find this puzzling. Why should atheism correlate with an unfavorable attitude toward dreaming?

The 2018 survey asked 5,255 U.S. adults whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about dreams. Atheists were the most likely to disagree with the positive statements (e.g., dreams are a good way of learning about my true feelings) and agree with the negative statements (e.g., dreams are random nonsense from the brain) compared to people from all other religious perspectives.

The explanation for these correlations might seem obvious. First, atheism is by definition anti-religion, while dreaming and religion have a long historical connection. If you reject religion, maybe you should reject dreams, too. Second, atheism emphasizes the power and dignity of individual reason, while dreams appear as nothing more than distracting eruptions of bizarre irrationality. And third, atheism tries to focus our ethical attention on the urgent problems of this world, while dreaming is often used pejoratively as a metaphor for vain, other-worldly fantasies.

There are many versions of atheism, of course, and I have already generalized about it perhaps more than I should. But I wonder if contemporary atheists of all stripes might shift their dream attitudes in a more positive direction if they set aside common misconceptions about dreams and learned more about current psychological research into the nature and functions of dreaming.

What we experience subjectively as a dream is the outgrowth of a complex, rhythmic, and highly energetic process in the brain during sleep. This high level of brain activation, while the body lays motionless for hours at a time, is a clear sign that something neurologically vital is happening while we sleep. The foundations of the sleep cycle are shared not only by all humans but by nearly all mammals, birds, amphibians, and many species of fish. This is not to say all these species are necessarily dreaming; the point is to highlight the long evolutionary history of the sleep cycle, which in humans is regularly associated with dreaming. If you believe strongly in Darwinian evolution, as many atheists do, then surely some respect is due for such a deeply rooted feature of healthy brain-mind functioning, even if it is not part of your personal conscious experience.

Empirical research over several decades has demonstrated that dream content accurately reflects the primary concerns of the dreamers waking life. These concerns include personal relationships, work activities, cultural interests, and mental and physical health. Abundant scientific evidence indicates that dreams have genuine, objectively verifiable psychological meaning for the dreamer. In short, dreams are a legitimate source of self-knowledge. For atheists who prize the powers of individuality and seek to cultivate these powers as much as possible, dreams can be a valuable source of greater awareness of how ones own mind actually works.

Yes, dreams can be incredibly bizarre and weirdly disturbing. Yes, they appear like the absolute antithesis of logic and clarity, and thus something a person committed to a life of reason should avoid at all costs. But it is no courageous or confident rationality that quails before the strangeness of dreaming. A more robust atheism might look at dreams as an opportunity for practices of self-overcomingfacing fear, embracing instinct, and transforming the energies of the unconscious. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, a fervent atheist who (in)famously proclaimed that God is dead, was fascinated by dreams and found them to be valuable windows into the deeper realities of human nature. To explore irrationality is not to succumb to irrationality. Rather, it is to learn more fully and honestly who we really are and what we can potentially become.

Dreams provide a source of critical self-awareness not only for individuals but for communities, too. According to anthropologists and historians, dreams have long served as a resource for collective reflection and decision-making. The reasons dreams have social value is the same reason they have individual value: dreaming challenges the status quo, raises questions about waking-world assumptions, and goes beyond what is to imagine what might be.

This is why dreams should appeal to atheists with a strong ethical commitment to social change. For instance, from the critical perspective of Karl Marx, Religion is the opiate of the masses. Marx, another notable atheist, dreams can be seen as inner revolutionaries that relentlessly attack conventional thinking, liberate us from bourgeoise morality, and radically stretch our minds beyond the ideological confines of modern capitalist society.

If such a proposal sounds implausible, take a moment to consider the possibility that your doubt is itself a symptom of modern alienation. The fact that we find it difficult even to think of dreams in these terms is a measure of how much we have lost. And whose interests are served by this? Who benefits from persuading the general population not to listen to the critical insights of their own creative imaginations? Its not the people at the lower end of the social hierarchy, thats for sure.

Instead of accepting anti-dream biases, a free-thinking atheist might actively criticize them as having no basis in current science, as contrary to human health, and as serving the oppressive interests of those most invested in the social status quo. It would not be an irrational thing to do.

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Atheism and Dreaming - Psychology Today

This review essay, written by Jeff Lindsay, just went up on the blog of the Interpreter Foundation: Brent J. SchmidtsRelational Faith: An Essential Book for Understanding the New Testament Meaning of Faith and for Better Appreciating the Beauty of the Restoration

As did this archived recording of our weekly AM radio program:Interpreter Radio Show May 7, 2023

In the 7 May 2023 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, Terry Hutchinson, Spencer Kraus, Hales Swift, and Brent Schmidt discussed Come, Follow Me New Testament lesson 23, the windows in Jaredite barges, and the recent BYU New Testament Commentary Conference. Their discussion has now been edited to remove commercial breaks, archived, and posted for your listening convenience

The New Testament in Context portion of this show, for theCome, Follow MeNew Testament lesson 23, In Remembrance covering Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 13 will also be posted on Tuesday, May 30.

The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard live on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

Ill share here some notes from Michael Guillen, Believing is Seeing: A Physicist Explains How Science Shattered His Atheism and Revealed the Necessity of Faith (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Refresh, 2021):

According to the Pew Research Center, about 18 percent of American Atheists believe in a higher power. And 31 percent of American Atheists say they often feel a deep sense of spiritual power and well-being. (191)

In 2007, neuroscientist and popular Atheist Sam Harris caught flak from many attendees of the Atheist Alliance conference in Washington, DC, when he delivered a speech titled The Problem with Atheism.

One problem with atheism . . . is that it seems more or less synonymous with not being interested in what someone like the Buddha or Jesus may have actually experienced. In fact, many atheists reject such experiences out of hand, as either impossible, or if possible, not worth wanting. . . .

As atheists, our neglect of this area of human experience puts us at a rhetorical disadvantage. Because millions of people have had these experiences, and many millions more have had glimpses of them, and we, as atheists, ignore such phenomena, almost in principle, because of their religious associations and yet these experiences often constitute the most important and transformative moments in a persons life. Not recognizing that such experiences are possible or important can make us appear less wise even than our craziest religious opponents.

Ouch.

In 2o14, Harris wrote a book called Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality without Religion, in which he doubles down on his critique of Atheisms small-mindedness. Heres the publishers summary of Harriss basic thesis:

Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history. Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow. (192-193)

Its interesting that Harris once, at least, one of the most prominent among what were known as the New Atheists (Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and the late Christopher Hitchens, were sometimes dubbed the Four Horsemen of the movement) took a notably and controversially accepting attitude toward extrasensory perception (ESP) or psychic phenomena or psi on page 41 of his 2004 bestseller The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, acknowledging a body of data attesting to the reality of psychic phenomena, much of which has been ignored by mainstream science. He goes on to observe that

The dictum that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence remains a reasonable guide in these areas, but this does not mean that the universe isnt far stranger than many of us suppose. It is important to realize that a healthy, scientific skepticism is compatible with a fundamental openness of mind. (The End of Faith, 41)

Now, I should be clear that I dont regard psi , if it exists, as a matter of religion and Im guessing that Sam Harris doesnt, either. If it exists at all (and Im currently somewhat inclined because of the same data to which Harris alludes, to think that it probably does, though typically at a very low level of intensity, efficiency, or effectiveness), its probably a natural power of the mind. However, it if exists at all it also seems to me pretty conclusive evidence that materialism or naturalism as its typically conceived is incorrect.

Here are three responses to Sunday evenings CBS Sixty Minutes expos on the financial holdings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

In this context, I cant help but be reminded of the devotional address given by Elder Shayne M. Bowen at Brigham Young University back in 2018: I Can Sleep When the Wind Blows

Im reminded, too, of a story about President Heber J. Grants call to the apostleship. He received a letter shortly thereafter from a business acquaintance in (if I remember correctly) San Francisco. This man wrote saying, effectively, that he had always supposed that the leaders of the Mormon Church were scoundrels. Now that Elder Grant was among them, though, he realized that he owed them all an apology, because he knew that Heber J. Grant, a man whose integrity he knew and respected, would never be part of such a thing.

I close, as I often do, with some infuriating items from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial How Religion Poisons Everything File:

Meeting Special Needs in Morocco: Non-governmental organizations receive support from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Latter-day Saints Continue to Provide Earthquake Relief in Trkiye and Syria

Groundbreaking Ceremony at Accra Ghana School Celebrates Church Funded Renovation and Construction Project: Africa West Area leaders join tribal and governmental dignitaries at the Mantse Tacki Tawiah Primary School

Historic Moment as Interfaith Leaders in Kenya Welcome the Church: This is a landmark moment in the history of interfaith in Kenya, says Bishop John Warari

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Atheism, spiritual experiences, and ESP | Dan Peterson - Patheos

Q Q with Tom Power

Vivian Rashotte - CBC Arts

Posted: 10 Hours Ago Last Updated: 10 Hours Ago

In Rainn Wilson's new book, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, the actor writes about the intersection of art and faith, and what happens to our world when we move away from spirituality.

Wilson has been a member of the Baha'i faith since childhood, but as a young actor, he rejected religion and spent many years as an atheist before reconnecting with his spiritual side.

"I had no room in my life for God," he told Q's Tom Power in an interview. "I thought that was just a ridiculous concept. I swiftly turned to being an atheist. I didn't want morality in my life. I didn't want the religion of my parents in my life. I wanted to live a bohemian life in New York City and I did for many years. And it was great. It was wonderful until it wasn't as wonderful anymore, and I started to get extremely unhappy."

"I dealt with kind of a mental health crisis of my own in the '90s, when I was in my 20s, living in New York City. I was overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, dealing with addiction, loneliness, disconnection. And, you know, about the 47th time I woke up at 3 a.m., staring at the ceiling going, 'What does it all mean?' I thought, 'Well, maybe, just maybe, I've thrown the spiritual baby out with the religious bathwater. And maybe, just maybe, I have been premature in rejecting anything and everything to do with religion and spirituality.' And that started me on a quest."

Wilson's struggle with his faith mostly had to do with morality, and strictures around sex and drugs and alcohol. "I wanted to do things for myself, I wanted to be selfish, I wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it," he said. "I didn't want to think about other people. I didn't want to think about trying to make the world a better place and be of service and pray and meditate. I wanted to have maximum fun."

Faith isn't something you typically hear about on red carpets or in entertainment magazines. In fact, it's a bit of a risk for celebrities to publicly discuss religion or be candid about their beliefs.

"Hollywood is rife with hypocrisy for any spiritual person," Wilson told Power. "The Office was on the air for one reason only, and that was to sell stuff during commercial breaks. So I was part of this giant, capitalist enterprise of NBCUniversal just trying to make gobs of money. And guess what they did? They made gobs of money. But I will say the greater service is that we made people laugh."

WATCH | Rainn Wilson's interview with Tom Power:

Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution was inspired by an experience Wilson had trying to pitch a show about God (titled The Notorious G.O.D.) to Netflix.

"I had a great sizzle reel and pitch deck, we had episode ideas. We wanted to look at God like AI. And what's a modern conception of God? How do we reimagine God in the modern world? How do different cultures look at God?" he recalled.

"At the end of the day, it was rejected across the board. And I'll never forget, at Netflix, they said, 'Sorry, the topic is too controversial.' You can have television shows with like half-naked models throwing garbage at each other and getting drunk that's fine! But having conversations about God and the meaning of life and what's beyond is too controversial. This is how upside down our culture is right now."

From Wilson's perspective, we all have a spiritual responsibility to bring joy to others, whether that be through the art we create or through acts of service.

"What helps me when my head hits the pillow is a deep understanding that one of my sacred jobs is to bring joy and squash cynicism," he said. "I think joy can be harnessed for good. I think it's a superpower. It's a service to others. And you don't have to be an actor [and] you don't have to be a sitcom star to bring joy to people."

The full interview with Rainn Wilsonis also available onour podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview withRainn Wilsonproduced by Vanessa Greco.

Vivian Rashotte is a digital producer, writer and photographer for Q with Tom Power. She's also a visual artist. You can reach her at vivian.rashotte@cbc.ca.

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Rainn Wilson says our world needs a spiritual revolution - CBC.ca

Americans are becoming increasingly secular, with nearly 30% of adults reporting they are not affiliated with any specific religion, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey of the religious composition of the United States.

The number of secular Americans is 6% higher than it was five years ago and 10% higher than a decade ago, the survey found. The respondents who reported "no religion" are those who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or "nothing in particular" when asked about their religious identity.

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain for Harvard University and MIT, is among those who identify as atheist. He recently spoke to ABC News' Phil Lipof about his own journey to humanism and how people without a religious faith are making sense of their purpose and the meaning of life.

PHIL LIPOF: So, thank you very much for being here. This book, "Good Without God," has been out for quite some time, almost a decade. And I know you're writing more, but talk about your spiritual journey. You were raised in the Jewish faith.

Greg Epstein: Yeah, I'm culturally Jewish. And thank you for having me by the way. It's an honor to be here. I'm culturally Jewish. My mom was a refugee from Cuba whose family had also been refugees to Cuba. My dad was also the son of refugees from Eastern Europe. And I was raised in New York City in the most multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious neighborhood -- Flushing Queens -- in maybe even society ever created, ever envisioned at that point. And that was so influential on me -- the idea that at the end of the day, we're all so alike. We're all so human.

LIPOF: Catholicism and Islam and Judaism. Be a good person. Don't kill, you know, be kind to your neighbor. What's the difference?

EPSTEIN: So there are moral and ethical teachings, great moral and ethical teachings, in every single one of the world's major religious traditions, and I honor that. And if you're a religious person, I honor you. I'm not asking you to change. I'm not suggesting that you should change, and I don't think humanism is either. The idea is that for those of us who really, sincerely believe that human beings created religion, that the world can best be explained by science without reference to theology, there's just plenty of ways for us to pursue goodness and truth and beauty and community as well.

LIPOF: Well, let's then speak just about Judaism for half a second, because that's the faith you were raised in. Mine as well. I know that there are rabbis, and I believe clergy across all religions, but specifically rabbis. And I guess -- I should -- specifically my mom, who is concerned that the more people move toward spirituality, the less they move away from the traditional aspects of a religion. And with a religion like Judaism, 15 million Jews across the world, not a billion. She and other clergy are concerned that the religion might disappear. You say?

EPSTEIN: I say, Judaism is a beautiful identity, heritage, culture, community as well as religion. Half of the world's Jews describe themselves as non-religious or secular. And I'm actually ordained as a rabbi myself. I was ordained by something called the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. After five years of intensive study, including a year and a half in Israel, and actually becoming a humanist and really kind of becoming firm in my atheism and my secularism, my humanism, my not being religious, made me more interested in my own cultural background and my own family's history.

LIPOF: I'm curious. At these schools, these amazing institutions, Harvard, MIT. You split your time between the two, you're chaplain there. When kids talk to you about the meaning of life and what they should be doing with their lives, how do you approach that?

EPSTEIN: I think these days there are so many people who have concerns, and I'm meeting with as many as I possibly can make time for, to talk about concerns about meaning and purpose in life, because people are really afraid of the change that is coming down the pipe in society, whether it's climate change or technological change or other kinds of change, including changes in our belief, in our religion. It's just, people are really worried that the world is not what it used to be, and what is it becoming?

LIPOF: And a lot of times when people are concerned, they go right to religion. People get more faithful, sometimes, when they're trying to make sense of these things. But you go in a different direction. So how do you guide someone?

EPSTEIN: For me, I think that being a humanist means really thinking deeply about how we are all only human, how there is no one right way to be a human being to, you know, to live and to love. But there's so much that we can do for one another and with one another to make life better for everyone.

LIPOF: Greg Epstein, thanks so much. We do appreciate you taking the time.

EPSTEIN: Thank you so much. Great to be here.

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Harvard's humanist chaplain speaks on finding meaning and purpose without a religious faith - ABC News

"Reject Christian Nationalism. Keep religion out of government." That's what the billboard near the State Capitol reads in all caps. In smaller type is the name of the group that paid for it: Humanists MN.

The sign has been getting plenty of attention. When a local Reddit user snapped a photo of it and posted it with a "Found in St Paul, MN; Proud to live here!" caption earlier this spring, it garnered nearly 50,000 upvotes.

No matter your take on the First Amendment and its clauses, however, the billboard likely prompts a question: What's a humanist?

That's something Ellie Haylund, president of Humanists MN, finds herself answering often, even though her organization calls themselves the state's largest group of nonbelievers.

"So many people have not heard of it," Haylund said of humanism. "But as soon as you describe it, most people I know, say, 'Oh, that's me, I didn't know there was that name for it.'"

Humanists don't believe in a god. Instead, they unite around shared ethics and values such as compassion, critical thinking, civic engagement and sustainability and come together for service projects and community gatherings. The American Humanist Association's slogan is "Good without a god."

"I always tell people that I would rather label myself or define myself by what I am, not by what I'm not," Haylund said, explaining why "humanist" is a better fit for her than "atheist."

While sharing a name and certain qualities with the humanist movement of the Italian Renaissance, the type of contemporary humanism that Haylund is a part of had its beginnings about 100 years ago. Author Kurt Vonnegut was one of the more famous adherents. It's now gaining new energy and momentum among the growing number of people who identify as having no religion, Haylund said.

Humanists MN, which has several hundred dues-paying members and thousands of more casual adherents, has been around for 36 years. Billboards (which cost the group more than $7,000 for three months) are part of an effort to gain visibility and spur action on the separation of religion and government. The local organization put up its first billboard ("Good without a god") last year.

The group also successfully encouraged Democratic state legislators to start a Secular Government Caucus in Minnesota. Formed last October, the caucus aims to counter what its members say is a growing push to impose Christian beliefs in government. It includes legislators who are outspoken nonbelievers as well as lawmakers who are religious and support the separation of church and state.

Co-chair Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, recently invited Humanists MN program coordinator Audrey Kingstrom to the House. Legislative sessions usually begin with a prayer, but Freiberg asked Kingstrom to give a "secular invocation."

She used the occasion to make a point:

"Be mindful that the moral authority by which you govern only exists when everyone's voice is heard and respected, when informed reason and verifiable evidence undergirds your decisions, and when compassion, cooperation and civility guide your process," she told the room. "Hold fast to these noble aims and this shared purpose. So may it be."

This month, Humanists MN returned to the State Capitol along with the humanist congregation First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and Or Emet Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism as part of an annual event they call the National Day of Reason. They gathered in the basement for croissants and coffee and invited other groups of nonbelievers, including the Central Minnesota Freethinkers, Jews for a Secular Democracy and Minnesota Atheists.

One of many humanist gatherings around the country on the first Wednesday in May, the breakfast aimed to counter the much more prominent annual National Day of Prayer, which falls on the following day.

Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, one of the secular caucus' co-chairs, said bringing dozens of nonbelievers to the Capitol was important.

"I was raised agnostic. And so I didn't realize that that would be a big deal in this space," she said. "It's become clear to me now, though, that me even being 'out' as being a secular person is kind of revolutionary, which is strange. I'm very respectful and I support everybody and their religious beliefs. But I just think that the decisions that we make and the policy that we need needs to be reflective of all people, and for that reason we need to be making it secular."

The breakfast's featured speaker was Wisconsin lawyer and "American Crusade: How the Supreme Court Is Weaponizing Religious Freedom" author Andrew Seidel. On his way to the Capitol, he drove past the humanists' billboard and took note.

He stopped to snap a photo and share on Twitter, weighing in with a little wit:

"Check out the @humanistsmn billboard just a few blocks from the MN Capitol. 'Reject Christian Nationalism. Keep religion out of government.' Can I get an amen?!"

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Minnesota humanists take out billboards to spread the secular word - Star Tribune

HISTORY

STEEPLE CHASING

by Peter Ross (Headline 22, 400pp)

The east window of Morningside Parish Church in Edinburgh depicts the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 'Two or three of them,' notes the church's minister Derek Browning, 'look decidedly female.' This is because Edward Burne-Jones, the artist responsible, 'used his mistress as a model'.

Browning is, of course, a believer. But several of the people in Peter Ross's tour of the country's churches are not.

One atheist explains: 'I needed beauty in my life and I found it inside churches.' Even some who retain a faith still reject organised religion. A stonemason at Gloucester Cathedral hated the 'hypocrisy and sanctimoniousness' of Catholicism, while Ross himself 'left the church, but churches never quite left me'.

He still loves them as buildings and his travels make for a very interesting book.

Some of his destinations are the superstars. At St Paul's he learns that when its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, burning sheets of paper fell 20 miles away.

At nearby St Mary-le-Bow, the famous bells are each engraved with a biblical quotation, their first letters combining to spell 'D WHITTINGTON'. Meanwhile, St Mary The Virgin in Whitby is now so famous because of a certain book that 'a sign has been placed on the door advising visitors to please stop asking for directions to Dracula's grave'.

But most of the venues are run-of-the-mill. The poet John Betjeman was a fan of what he called 'church crawling' (visiting several in a day) because he said it 'introduces you to the history of the country'.

At St Lawrence's, in the Norfolk village of Harpley, he sees a name scratched into a window. It might be 'Joseph', but the word next to it is definitely 'hanged' a friend or relative wanted to commemorate the criminal who had been denied a proper memorial.

Bats are big fans of churches, though not (contrary to the old phrase) of their belfries, which tend to be too windy and noisy. Their accumulated body waste gets to be a problem, so sonic devices and stuffed owls are used to deter them. One church even persuaded someone with a motorbike to 'run up and down the nave to try and kill them with carbon monoxide'.

We discover which cathedral has the tallest spire in the UK (Salisbury), and where cathedrals get their name in the first place they're simply a church that contains the seat ('cathedra') of a bishop. Then there's the reason that Old Saint Paul's in Edinburgh has 33 steps down to the street it's one for every year of Christ's life.

Throughout the book there are reminders of the threat faced by churches, now that the religion which built them has become less relevant to most people. Between 1969 and 2021, the Church of England disposed of 2,013 churches, 500 of which were demolished.

A vicar visiting St Mary's Church in Tissington, Derbyshire, announces as he climbs into the pulpit: 'I've been warned not to sit down, because of the woodworm. So I shall stand.'

There's also the sheer barminess of much that goes on. In Westminster Cathedral, you'll find the entire embalmed body of St John Southworth (executed in 1654), his face covered with a mask. During the annual ordination ceremony, 'new priests lie face down in a line along the nave, like jets readying for take-off, while Southworth lies on his back among them'.

But whatever we think of religion's practitioners, we can't deny that their buildings are still a huge part of the landscape. Almost half of the Grade I-listed buildings in England are parish churches.

For a small minority, churches are still a way of life. Though even some of those are having second thoughts.

As one of the monks at Pluscarden Abbey, in Scotland, tells Ross: 'I sometimes think it would be quite nice to have a wife. Or even a pair of socks.'

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Even atheists need the beauty of churches - Daily Mail