April 2, 2023

In the High Sierra mountain range of California where I used to live, there are places where crystal-clear water—cleaner and purer than anything you ever get at home—runs on the ground. It falls in the mountains in winter as delicate white flakes, compresses down to rock-hard frozen snowpack that can be twenty or more feet […]

During his life and especially after his death in 2013, Nelson Mandela’s faith has been hotly debated. On the one hand are those such as British journalist Anthony Sampson, who, in his 1999 biography, flatly stated that Mandela “was not a formal believer like Oliver Tambo1; he did not quote the Bible or discuss theology.

As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with the unknown. I wasn’t the kid who could be placated with a simple answer. I wanted to know, and I was intuitive enough to understand that “magic” or “God” wasn’t a real answer; it was a cop-out by exasperated adults. I was open to the

Shortly after the turn of the third millennium, the New Atheists set the stage for the generations who grew up abused by religion. Gen X and baby boomer atheists and secular humanists heralded authors such as Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett for bringing some scientific perspective (as well some scrappy philosophy in Harris’s The Moral

“World belongs to humanity.” —Dalai Lama “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” —Yogi Berra We are at a crossroads. Prove me wrong. The two sentences above are among the most worn-out expressions in the English language, used to produce a very predictable and short-lived adrenaline rush that lasts about 100

In every organized movement, there comes times when changes in the landscape require a shift in direction. It’s not necessarily about a change in values or core principles but rather a rededication, a refocusing to address new challenges. Humanism is no different. In the past few decades, politics, culture, and world events have changed dramatically.

On the day I was born in 1977, Kendrick Frazier had already been running our sibling publication, Skeptical Inquirer, for about four months. When he died on November 7, 2022, he had been editor of Skeptical Inquirer for forty-five years, and I had been running Free Inquiry for about four months. I had been his

Culture wars are nothing new to our modern, interconnected societies, and perhaps they are simply a part of the human condition. These days, however, conflicts of culture and ideology are saturated with self-replicating ammunition—a deluge of uninformed opinions and disinformation—delivered through a supply line of infinite capacity: the internet. When these mythical ministrations are received

The painting that appears to be at the center of the controversy (from Rashid al-Din Tabib, Jami’ al-Tawarikh, in the University of Edinburgh Library / reason.com). Hamline University is a small institution of higher education located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its Latin motto translates as “Divinity, Writing, Liberty,” though