When I stopped attending church and started calling myself an atheist in the winter of 2022, there was only one ex-Christian who I knew personally: me. Almost all of my friends and family members were devout believers, many of whom were deeply shocked, saddened, and worried about my decision; the few non-Christians who I occasionallyContinue reading “7 Reasons to Stop Hiding Your Atheism & Start Speaking Up”
Tag Archives: religious deconstruction
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 soundContinue reading “Hope Leaps: How a Native American Chief Helped Me Leave My Religion”
Maybe There Are Banshees: Friendship, Fault Lines, & the Fractured Conscience of American Christianity
In the opening shots of Martin McDonagh’s film The Banshees of Inisherin, we’re introduced to a fictional Irish town that, at first glance, seems totally idyllic. We descend from the sky, taking in the emerald sweep of pastureland. As the camera drifts along the seaside, we hear strains of an ethereal chorus sung in Gaelic.Continue reading “Maybe There Are Banshees: Friendship, Fault Lines, & the Fractured Conscience of American Christianity”
Words for Wayfarers 