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Get Real: Losing the Love of God

Note for new readers: I lost my Dad, Dan Farris, a few months back. I’ve been thinking a lot about that, and what it’s doing to me. I keep a digital recorder with me all the time, and I record thoughts and impressions about the process and the milestones.

Here is one such thought. I relate it for the same reason I wrote my book, Red Neck, Blue Collar, Atheist — we have plenty of books and speakers to tell us about the WHY of atheism, but very few to tell us about the HOW. Yes, getting free of religion is about understanding the emptiness of religion, why it doesn’t work, why we shouldn’t accept it. But staying free of it, living your life day to day in the real world, is about figuring out the minute-to-minute HOW of thinking and living outside religion. Continue reading “Get Real: Losing the Love of God”

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Evil Chic: You Know You Want It

Seriously, this is a good cause: Evil Little Shirts.

The proceeds will support a very poised and bright young woman, Jessica Ahlquist, who spearheaded the recent fight to remove the unconstitutional Christian prayer banner from her high school.

Ed and PZ say it better than me. But hey, even if you knew nothing else about it, you know you want a shirt that says this:

 

 

 

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The Ashes of a Cowboy

I’m sitting here waiting for the USPS. My Dad’s ashes are coming in the mail today.

I was sort of happy-excited about it all morning, but now I’m thinking “Oh, crap. Here comes a solid reminder that I’ll never be able to hear his warm voice again, or have him invite me in for a slash of apricot brandy.”

That welcoming, wise – and yes, sometimes damned annoying – presence is gone from my life. He won’t BE THERE for me. Ever again.

In case you’ve wondered, after my trip to California that you all donated to make possible, the whole thing is still going on in my life. Continue reading “The Ashes of a Cowboy”

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The Brassican Heresy

Warning: The following post is long, and may contain insults to French people. And Christians. And probably frogs.

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I’d like to propose to you a daring hypothesis.

You may be surprised by it. You may be stunned. You might even be shocked. Because this is such a daring idea, some of you reading this right now may actually be horrified. There’s even the possibility – distant, but real, so I have to warn you – that one or more people about to read the following hypothesis will suffer deep psychological damage and end up under permanent psychiatric care, or possibly even comatose.

I don’t really want to just spring it on you suddenly. This is something so new, so different, so deeply significant, that I feel very strongly that it should have its own screen. It’s just not something I feel okay with plopping down in a sea of insignificant words, as if it were one common grain of sand on a vast beach.

This is something so special it demands treatment you’d immediately consider … unusual.

So. If you think you’re ready for it, brace yourself and look below the break. Here it comes: Continue reading “The Brassican Heresy”

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Israeli Women: Accomplished … and Unclean

Generally, I’ve kept my mouth shut about Israel. Honestly, I haven’t taken the time to really delve into the country’s history, or its politics. My hands-off-ness grows out of that – I know I’m not well-enough informed to hold strong opinions about it all. I’m sure there are some larger issues I don’t understand.

Still, there have been news stories over the years that have sometimes made it difficult for me to feel friendly toward the country.

Mostly, I like the joke I heard years ago, that the world would be better off if we’d given the Jews a homeland in New Jersey rather than the middle East. Continue reading “Israeli Women: Accomplished … and Unclean”

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The Angry Atheist Podcast, With Special Guest: Me

Today Daniel Fincke of Camels With Hammers introduced me to Reap Paden, of ReapSowRadio and The Angry Atheist. With about 15 minutes advanced notice, I was suddenly on the air being interviewed.

If you listen past my uhs and y’knows, we have a fairly wide-ranging and — I think — interesting discussion. Reap’s a good interviewer, and someone I’m glad I’ve met at last. I enjoyed the experience so much, it felt like we talked for only about 15 minutes.

Worth a listen: