Reimagining Life Outside Religion
“To be a revolutionary is to be in possession of an imagination capable of leaping across the frontier of the familiar to envision a new order in which what is gained eclipses the ill-serving comforts of what is lost.”
– Maria Popova
Have you recently left the church of your upbringing? Are you currently in the process of deconstructing your beliefs? Do you practice a religion but wish to understand struggles faced by the ex-religious? If so, you are welcome here. May these essays provide solace and strength as you navigate life’s winding road, on which we are all wayfarers.
Latest Posts
Hope Leaps: How a Native American Chief Helped Me Leave My Religion
Life doesn’t have to end when your world does. Several weeks ago, at an outdoor pub on the Chicago Riverwalk, I asked a close friend what he’d do if his religious belief suddenly collapsed. Taking a sip of soda, he leaned back in his chair and said, “I’d probably kill myself.” This reply might sound…
No Thanks, Saint Patrick: Debunking Christian History’s Deadliest Myth
“They say,” quips late-night comedian Conan O’Brien, “there are only two kinds of people on St. Patrick’s Day: the Irish, and the people that drive them home.” He’s not wrong. If March 17 is an opportunity to celebrate a famous saint, it’s also a chance for thousands of Americans to proclaim their dubious Irish lineage……
“Train Dreams,” Terrence Malick, & the Transcendence of Secular Cinema
This essay contains spoilers from The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick. Back in high school, when I was still a devout Christian, I scribbled a quote from Marilynne Robinson’s novel Gilead in the front cover of my Bible: I have been thinking about existence lately. In fact, I have been so full of admiration for existence that…
You Don’t Want to Live Forever. Here’s Why.
It might be the greatest pickup line of all time. For twenty minutes, two young adults have been talking on a train. She’s French and he’s American. They met by happenstance, after the German couple in front of them began loudly bickering and a move to a quieter car became necessary. But now they’ve covered…
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Words for Wayfarers 