Submitted by Jenna Chiles

One of the hardest things I ever did was become a parent. Up to the point egg met sperm, my whole life had been just for me. I could go where I wanted when I wanted (for the most part). If I wanted to take a nap on my day off, I totally could. Every second of my day belonged to myself. My body and personal space belonged to myself. Then, out pops this screaming little alien that loses her shit if she’s not attached to my breast at all times. I can’t take a nap…

Submitted by Shawn Helgerson (https://ohmprojectsnj.wixsite.com/ohmprojects)

Are you leaving your religion? That’s a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with you. In fact, one could say it’s an excellent sign that you’re growing.

I want you to think back for a moment. Can you remember your first day of school? I remember mine. I’m old enough that I wore polyester, double-knit, reversible bell-bottom plaid slacks, and a wide butterfly collar. I was so nervous.

My parents had been divorced for a little more than a year and I hadn’t seen my mother in quite a while. My father was still part of…

In recent days, news broke that Josh Duggar, son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of TLC’s “19 Kids & Counting,” was arrested on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse images.

Although this comes as a shock to many in the evangelical community, it did not surprise anyone from the outside who’s been watching for the past decade. In 2015, it was discovered that during Josh’s older teenage years, he had molested multiple family members and a family friend in the Duggar’s home but was never legally charged. Instead, he was sent to a Christian rehab that his…

Dying Out Loud — An RfRx talk with Dave Warnock

Submitted by Jenna Chiles

Since Covid-19 came to America, thoughts of death haven’t been far from my mind. Every day, I hear the shocking totals of fatalities and infection rates, and I can’t help but think that my family or I could be next. It’s almost paralyzing to imagine how the virus is lurking around, and I’m one grocery run away from it. It also has had me reevaluating things. I’ve started “coming out” more about my lack of spirituality; I’ve stopped worrying about maintaining relationships that haven’t been doing…

Submitted by Alece Kaplan

The day after I stopped believing in God I coincidentally began a week-long fieldwork assignment at Western State Hospital, an 800-bed inpatient psychiatric facility 45 miles south of the University of Washington, where I was getting my master’s in occupational therapy.

Western State opened in 1871 under the name “Insane Asylum of Washington Territory.” The original facilities were housed in former buildings of Fort Steilacoom, a civil-war-era army post. When I arrived in 2008, Western State was an enormous campus with dozens of imposing brick buildings. …

Submitted by Peter Maeck

When in the womb you’re rather small,
But pre-conceived you’re not at all.

You’re neither head nor arm nor leg.
You’re not a sperm, you’re not an egg.

You’re nada, zippo, diddly, zero;
Nobody’s fool and nobody’s hero.

No one has loved you; you’ve never been kissed.
The world could care less that you don’t yet exist.

On the other hand, though, and I’m not being funny,
You’re free of all guilt and you owe no one money.

But while that’s the case, the converse is true:
You owe not a penny, but none’s owed to you…

By Darrel W. Ray, Ed.D. ©2013

In everyday life, we non-theists may find ourselves in discussions with theists. Have you noticed that these discussions often go around in circles and achieve nothing? Why is that?

Let me suggest that one reason is because we are using their framework in which to discuss and argue. In this article, I will explore some practical ways to stay out of their framework. Who says they have the sole right to define the terms of engagement? For this discussion, we will focus on monotheism, but other areas might be just as interesting.

Many modern-day…

This afternoon I listened to opera on Canadian radio. It was a recording from the Met — Lucia di Lammermoor, with Maria Callas singing Lucia. I had heard Callas before and loved her voice. I had set my phone alarm for 15 minutes before the start, but somehow I did not hear it, and missed the first act and some of the second. I plugged in the earphones, bundled up (it was windy and cold, but sunny), leashed up the dogs and began their walk, with Lucia, Edgardo, and the orchestra in my head.

Callas sang and I was transfixed…