The Forgotten Risks of Liberty: Honoring the Original Patriots

On this day 237 years ago a midst the heat of a Philadelphia summer, the Continental Congress officially adopted Thomas Jefferson’s beautifully crafted words and Declared Independence from King George and Britain. Americans have celebrated that day ever since as our Independence Day. While it has become a day of outdoor fun and family get-togethers, […]

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Fighting Magic with My Word Sword

In my recent post “Disagreement Does Not Equal Intolerance” some readers called me out on what seemed to be a contradiction in my message. While the contradiction was unintended, I can understand why it was interpreted in such a way. Such is one of the reasons I have this blog… to tidy up my writing […]

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I’m a Martian American

  Last week, I changed my Facebook timeline picture to this: And added the following comment: “This is Mars. Sometimes I feel like I was born there. Or that some people would like me to move there.” I’ve been thinking a lot about that photograph since then… While I obviously don’t think I actually came […]

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Disagreement Does Not Equal Intolerance

People sometimes ask me, “why are you so vocal (aka militant) about your atheism? Why do you criticize religion? Why are you intolerant? You’ll never change anyone’s mind.” My response to that final statement, which informs my answers to the other questions, is “how do you know?” The fact is people do change their minds […]

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Anything But An Atheist

I thoroughly enjoyed this. As someone who has been both an outspoken Christian and an outspoken Atheist, I have definitely experienced much harsher treatment as an atheist, so this speaks to me. That said, thank the FSM I was born in America in the modern era. It could be so much worse. Video by bdw5000

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The Bible is a House of Cards

Path Pebbles Series: Why I’m… an Atheist 1.01 – The Bible is a House of Cards More than a year ago, I posted my Remembering 9/11 Ten Years Later blog. I tried to explain in a relatively small space how that tragic day had made me an atheist, but looking back I’m not very satisfied […]

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Introducing Path Pebbles Series

What’s the Path Pebbles Series? Sometimes I try to fit my life story into a single blog post, especially when I talk about things like why I’m an atheist or why I lean libertarian or whatever I am. I have a tendency to want to share every aspect of the story, which really would be […]

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How Gay Rights Influenced my Deconversion

Last week Minnesota became the 12th state to legalize gay marriage. The law will go into effect on August 1, 2013. As you probably have surmised from my post last November on the vote to ban gay marriage and immortalize it in the Minnesota Constitution (which obviously did not pass), this decision makes me very […]

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Lady Liberty

Unrealistic Expectations: Security vs Freedom

As Americans, we must decide whether or not we prize security over freedom. We cannot have it both ways. It’s time for us to understand that. The bombing on April 15th at the Boston Marathon re-enforced that point for me, although it’s a topic I have thought about a lot over the past years since […]

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woman about to step off a precipice

My Leap of Un-Faith

April 1st is always an important anniversary for me. I privately celebrate it each year. I had originally planned to post this on 4/1, but life got in the way.  I usually refer to April 1st as my Epiphany Day, but this year I’ve decided to rename it Precipice Day, or maybe co-name it, because I […]

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