Reading Time: 6 minutes On June 10, 2022, an arsonist attempted to burn down the headquarters of The Satanic Temple (TST) in Salem, Massachusetts. Forty-two-year-old Daniel Damien Lucey took a bus from Chelsea, then walked to the building, arriving around 10pm. He was recorded on a doorbell camera pouring lighter fluid on the front porch and igniting it before […]
psychology
Posted inParenting & Family
Daddy issues: Do ‘defective fathers’ lead children to reject the idea of God?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Few atheists will be celebrating their dads on Father’s Day. At least that’s the solemn judgment of Dr. Paul Vitz, psychologist and author of Faith of the Fatherless: the psychology of atheism. Published in 1999, Vitz’s book argues that absent or abusive fathers cause their children to lose trust in father figures, leading those kids […]
Posted inPsychology
The mating minds of mass shooters
Reading Time: 10 minutes OnlySky · The mating minds of mass shooters | Dr. Hector Garcia This time it happened in Uvalde, Texas. A gunman burst into an elementary school, brandishing a weapon designed for combat, and tore our most precious human treasures to pieces. Some of the 19 corpses of nine, ten, and eleven-year-olds that he left strewn […]
Posted inSexuality
Just beat it: Celebrating National Masturbation Month
Reading Time: 3 minutes We all do it, at least most of us do. And yet we all pretend we don’t. Who me? Why I never… Why the denial? Why is this very natural, human, and healthy activity such a source of embarrassment? Assuming you’re keeping it strictly to yourself, it doesn’t affect anyone except the person doing it. […]
Posted inMyth & Folklore
Friday the 13th: A good day to get lucky
Reading Time: 2 minutes I love the number 13. I mean… what’s not to love? A baker’s dozen is 12 plus 1. An extra donut? Yes, please. In a hurry at the grocery store? Checkout lane number 13 is probably shorter. Looking for an apartment in a tall building? Units on the 13th floor could be cheaper. Need a […]
Posted inCritical thinking
Scooby-Doo, where are you? Our kids need you more than ever
Reading Time: 3 minutes As a child of the late 80s and early 90s, Saturday morning was a sacred time. Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and Scooby-Doo dominated my morning. I filled my mind with useless jokes and colorful fun as Captain Crunch destroyed the roof of my mouth. My father called it the “boob tube,” and was utterly […]
Posted inParenting & Family
An Easter horror story
Reading Time: 2 minutes As a little kid, I was not allowed to watch horror movies. In the early 80s, they were all the rage. Such masterpieces like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th were favorites of my older siblings. And they knew that because I was prone to nightmares, my mother didn’t want me watching […]
Posted inEthics
Truth Social is going to be huge! Also, that stripper really likes you.
Reading Time: 3 minutes My job as a stripper was to lie. Well, mostly. I presented a fantasy—an illusion. I told customers what they wanted to hear, and showed them what they wanted to see. And I swear, I really did like some customers, but the ones I didn’t like never knew it. That was part of the performance. […]
Posted inCritical thinking
Entertainer or expert? Who knows anymore?
Reading Time: 3 minutes I’ve been around, and seen some stuff. Lots in fact. Some people even seem to want my opinion. Sometimes even my advice. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me. As my social media presence grew and continues to grow, I get asked a lot of questions about all sorts of stuff. And there are […]
Posted inSecularism
Like herding cats: Why Atheist Day is important
Reading Time: 3 minutes Strippers can be just as hard to herd as atheists. Atheist Day is important because it’s our chance to be herded for a common cause.