Reading Time: 8 minutes There’s a common idea in dogmatic religious circles, that “there are no atheists in foxholes”: that the moment an atheist is in serious peril, they’ll call out for divinity. That hasn’t been true to my experiences as an adult: even when robbed at gunpoint, or unfortunately when violently assaulted, I’ve never magically flipped a switch […]
Spirituality & Ritual
Posted inCulture
Setting New Year’s intentions, not resolutions
Reading Time: 3 minutes OnlySky · Setting New Year's Intentions, Not Resolutions | Becky Garrison Setting a New Year’s resolution to lose ten pounds, make more money, or land a coveted gig sounds good on paper. But by mid-January, I’d always find myself in the company of the over 80 percent of Americans who failed to stick to their […]
Posted inSpirituality & Ritual
Warmth in winter
Reading Time: 4 minutes The solstice marks the passing of darkness. This year, it also points to a brighter future free from the dominion of petro-tyrants.
Posted inReligion
Is church decline something to celebrate? That depends
Reading Time: 5 minutes Clearly, its identity as “church” does not ensure that an assembly of people will be a positive contributor to the community and country. Other factor determine that—factors such as compassion, democratic and humanitarian values, proper ways of knowing what’s true and effective (and what isn’t). These values are found in some religious communities, for sure, but in other settings as well. The key is to cultivate and activate these values, under whatever guise.
Posted inReligion
Religious, but not spiritual? Meet the churchgoing HUUmanists
Reading Time: 8 minutes If I hold some kind of transcendent beliefs, but don’t feel the need to gather with others, I’m ‘spiritual but not religious.’ What about the flipside: people without those beliefs who want to gather as humans?
Posted inMeaning & Purpose
Building a ‘House of Light’: Lessons from Mary Oliver on meaning and spirituality
Reading Time: 2 minutes As I feathered through the pages of Mary Oliver’s House of Light, I noted that I was not the first to do so. My library copy nears the age of 43; an old-fashioned due date table indicates that the first reader visited the poetry collection on August 16, 1990. And people say time machines don’t […]
Posted inCritical thinking
Weaponized rosaries: Humanist lessons from The Atlantic’s latest misfire
Reading Time: 6 minutes There is a long and storied history of religion being weaponized to spread fear and rally followers into violence. The KKK burned crosses. The Wehrmacht, like preceding German military forces, wore belts with buckles that read “Gott mit uns”, “God with us”. In India today, saffron, a color strongly associated with Hinduism, is used by […]
Posted inSpirituality & Ritual
A region born secular: Nature, spirituality, and secularity in the Pacific Northwest
Reading Time: 7 minutes “I’m Jeremy. I’m 30. I have a little business here. I do, like web development and stuff, and lots of different work. And I’d also be under the kind of irreligious banner.” Born in 1988 and currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jeremy does not typically mention his irreligious identity when interacting with others in […]
Posted inSexuality
Take the Earth as your lover: Exploring ecosexuality
Reading Time: 4 minutes I moved to the Pacific Northwest in large part because of a spiritual connection with the land around me that I first experienced when traversing through the hills of Ireland. Little did I know that I was beginning my exploration of what life partners and collaborators Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens call “ecosexuality.” For those […]
Posted inParenting & Family
Why thanking those who offer their prayers isn’t always the best idea
Reading Time: 4 minutes Earlier this week, OnlySky contributor Kristen Chase offered her take on how we should respond when well-meaning religious people offer their blessings and prayers to atheists. She suggested nonbelievers such as myself respond with one simple phrase: Thank you. I partially agree, while pointing out Kristen’s essential qualifier: well-meaning. Yes, when well-meaning, not passive-aggressive, people […]