Living the Secular Life_New Answers to Old Questions
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Carneades (Greek philosopher), 57
Carvaka (Indian philosophers), 55–56, 72
caste system, 52, 220
Catholic Church, 68–70
Catholics, 1–2, 9, 23, 52, 62, 64, 66, 71, 82, 97, 101, 107, 113, 132, 151, 161, 185, 214, 219
Center for the Study of Religion and Society (University of Notre Dame), 73
Central America, 48
ceremonies. See holidays; rituals/traditions
chaplains, 113–14, 121, 131, 220
charitable giving, 22, 122, 220, 223
Chaves, Mark, 68
Chicago, Illinois, 160–61
children, 6, 22, 28, 92, 223
allowed choices, 87–88, 90, 95, 97–99
and atheist parents, 9–10
church programs for, 120–21
and empathy, 15, 35, 90–92, 96, 108, 136
and family rituals/traditions, 102–6
as free thinkers, 97, 99, 107–8, 135–36, 224
homeschooled, 86–87
influences on, 93, 95, 97–99
and morality, 19–20, 32–33, 35–36, 88–92, 96
raised in secular homes, 1–3, 5, 8, 19–20, 29–30, 32, 62–63, 66, 80–100, 108, 120, 186, 207, 224
raised with religion, 1–3, 23, 27, 29, 62–63, 69, 93–95, 104–5, 113, 116, 165, 178
role models for, 30, 35
taught to be humanists, 132–33
See also camps (for children); parenting
Chile, 52, 59
China, 14, 46, 56, 130
choice, 190
personal, 125–26, 146
of rituals/traditions, 104
as secular legacy, 106
Christian Coalition, 67
Christians, 2, 9, 23, 161, 178, 210
conservative, 42, 67–68, 207
distrust secular life, 118
and founding of U.S., 217–19
label/identity of, 63–64
in the military, 110–11, 113–15
and morality, 13, 44
offer comfort, 167
and prayer banners, 213
and raising children, 78–80, 83–84, 95
and societal good/well-being, 42, 44
values of, 216
See also evangelical Christians; specific denominations
Christmas, 103, 117
church, 8, 64, 151
attendance of, 60, 69, 84, 120, 191
and African Americans, 118–119
and children, 87, 97, 110
services in, 137–39
typical members of 163–164
and women, 163, 167
See also separation of church and state; specific denominations
Citizens United for the Separation of Church and State, 109
civil rights/liberties, 21, 70
Colbert, Stephen, 66–67
Cole, Pat, 87
Columbia, 42, 46–48
communism, 53, 218
community, 3, 8, 25–26, 83, 101
ethical, 128
religious, 120–22, 125, 140, 142
secular, 8, 109–19, 123–34, 163–64, 177, 220, 224
and service in, 132–33, 142
See also religious: congregations
compassion, 27, 32, 36, 127, 208, 222
Comte-Sponville, André, 200, 211
conformity, 125, 127, 164
Confucius, 14, 132
Connecticut, 49, 99, 108, 113
connections, 108, 158, 161, 166–67, 212
Conrad, Joseph, 211
conscience, 11, 16–17, 19, 201
cooperation, 23, 26–27
coping strategies, 4, 8, 138–41, 145, 156–67, 182–84
Córdoba, 57
corruption, 45–46, 48, 52–53, 221–22
Coulter, Ann, 67
counseling/therapy, 157, 160–63, 187, 223
creativity, 7, 127, 167, 172, 222
criminals, 22, 27, 30, 46, 68–70, 75, 157
criminology, 36, 48
Croog, Sydney, 180
culture, 2, 4, 10, 35–37, 53–54, 67, 72, 88, 106, 164, 167, 216, 223
Czech Republic, 46, 59, 75
Dante, 57
Darwin, Charles, 115, 210–11
Darwin Day, 103, 115
Davidman, Lynn, 105
Davie, Grace, 63
Dawkins, Richard, 66
de Botton, Alain, 223
de Waal, Frans, 26
death, 25, 27, 216
acceptance of, 7, 180–81, 184–85, 187, 192, 196–99, 224
with dignity, 190–93
fear of, 176–77, 180, 193–96, 198–99
and living life to its fullest, 29, 168–69, 176, 196–99
religious approach to, 104–5, 139–40, 178–84, 223
secular approach to, 8, 56–57, 89–90, 143, 168–69, 173–74, 176, 178–85, 187–88, 207
See also life: after death; mortality
death penalty, 21, 133
Death with Dignity Act, 190–92
Death with Dignity National Center, 190
decision making, 16, 20, 222
Declaration of Independence, 217
Delamontagne, R. Georges, 51
democracy, 7, 17, 46, 51–54, 60, 207–8, 216, 218, 220, 222
Democracy in America (Tocqueville), 44
Democratic Party, 52, 214
Democritus (Greek philosopher), 57
demography, 51, 58, 215, 219
Denmark, 40–41, 45–46, 48, 69, 202
Diderot, Denis, 66
discrimination, 87
Divine Comedy (Dante), 57
Dobson, James, 67
Dodd, Ian, 120–22
doing good, 7, 13, 22, 56, 116–17, 157–58
domestic abuse/violence, 28, 50, 222
Downeast Humanists, 109
Du Bois, W. E. B., 119
Durkheim, Emile, 125
Duvalier, “Baby Doc,” 52
Earth Day, 103
Eastern spirituality, 130
Eaves, Becky, 87
Edgell, Penny, 9–10
education, 7, 46, 50, 84, 86–87, 128, 132–33, 178, 190, 221
Egyptians, 14
Einstein, Albert, 210, 212
El Salvador, 42, 46, 48, 76
Ellison, Christopher, 95
empathy, 3–4, 6, 13–15, 20, 35, 90–92, 96, 108, 136, 138, 190, 221–22, 224
empiricists, 63
Enlightenment, 220
environmental issues, 21, 46, 48, 96, 208, 222
Epicurus (Greek philosopher), 56–57, 197–98
Episcopalians, 64, 82
Epstein, Greg, 121, 127–34
equality, 45–46, 51, 70, 92
Estonia, 46, 59, 76–77
Ethical Culture movement, 129
ethics, 26, 115, 127, 136
advances in, 220
based on reason/empathy, 108
instruction in, 92, 94, 96, 113
origins of, 100
principles of, 92, 94, 96
and right-to-die, 192–93
and secularism, 2–3, 6, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25
Ethics Without God (Nielsen), 15
Europe, 59–60, 69, 164, 194. See also individual countries
evangelical Christians, 61, 67, 114, 137–39
Everett, Daniel L., 75
evolution, 25–27, 35–36, 87, 221
existentialism, 23, 130–31, 146–47, 163, 198, 207, 209, 211–12
Eye of God, 19, 33, 91
faith, religious, 2–3, 12, 15, 63–64, 167
and children, 98–99, 213
crisis of, 162–63
inspirational, 218
lack of, 129, 215
loss of, 23–24, 27, 53, 77, 110, 142–43, 165, 178, 210
positive aspects of, 223
rejection of, 58, 129
and societal good/well-being, 44–45
in times of difficulty, 140, 159, 182
in U.S., 60, 213–19
Fajnzylber, Pablo, 48
Finland, 46, 195
First Amendment, 213, 218
Fischer, Claude, 67
Fitzpatrick, Audrey, 188–89
Florida, 30, 109, 215
Flushing, Queens, New York, 129
Forbes magazine, 50
Forsi, Ken, 113–15
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 114
Fox, James, 48
France, 46, 175, 180
Franco, Francisco, 52
Frankl, Viktor, 158
Free Inquiry magazine, 123
freedom, 45–46, 48, 53, 99, 104, 106, 215–16, 218–19
Freedom from Religion Foundation, 123
Freeman, Morgan, 119
freethinkers, 6, 9, 97, 99, 107–9, 112–13, 115–16, 123, 135–36, 163, 212, 216, 224
Freethinkers of Ellsworth, Maine, 109
Froese, Paul, 74
Fromm, Erich, 158
fundamentalists, 71, 92
funerals, 104–5, 120, 132, 185–89. See also memorial services
Furnham, Adrian, 9
Galen, Luke, 163–66
Gates, Robert, 114
gay marriage/rights, 22, 37, 67, 70
Geertz, Armin, 76
Generation Atheist, 121
Georgia, 49
Germany, 46, 59, 148–55, 175, 180, 194–96
Gervais, Will, 9
Ghana, 46
Gillard, Julia, 59
Gingrich, Newt, 43–44, 51, 112
Glendinning, Tony, 94
“Global Peace Index,” 47
Global Study on Homicide (United Nations), 48
global warming, 21–22, 221–22
God
belief/faith in, 15–16, 27, 34, 41–42, 45–46, 48–50, 60, 62, 75, 78, 90, 110, 119, 131, 136, 139, 157, 159
existence of, 30, 99, 205, 206, 211
and Golden Rule, 14
lack of belief in, 64, 71, 81, 110–11, 129, 142, 145–46, 155–56, 165, 204, 212
left out of Constitution, 217
and morality, 11–12, 16, 90
prayers to, 138, 163
and punishment, 92, 162
and U.S. motto, 218
and U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, 214, 218
Golden Rule, 7, 13–14, 25, 36–37, 92, 96, 221
Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals (de Waal), 26
Good Without God (Epstein), 121, 127
goodness, 11–12, 30, 41, 45, 51–52, 54, 109, 129, 168. See also doing good
Gorski, Ryan, 100–102, 105
Gorski, Zander, 101–2
Goujon, Anne, 58
Grace Effect, The (Taunton), 44
Grant, Ulysses, 219
Great Britain, 46, 59, 69, 181
Greece, 14
Greeks, ancient, 56–57, 197
Griffith, Justin, 114
Guatemala/Guatemalans, 48, 189
gun control, 67
Haiti, 42, 52
Hall, Deborah, 20
Hall, Jeremy, 114
Hamil-Luker, Jenifer, 192
Hansberry, Lorraine, 119
happiness, 8, 48, 77, 101, 162, 185, 198–99, 208, 210, 212
Harper, Marcel, 9
Harris Poll, 60
Harris, Sam, 66, 211
Harvard University, 121, 127, 131
Hawaii Secular Society, 127
health care systems, 28, 38–41, 48, 143–44
Hecht, Jennifer Michael, 210
Heidegger, Martin, 198
Hendricks, Paula, 23, 27–29
herdlike behavior, 4, 17
here and now, 7, 13, 51, 99–100, 168–69, 176, 197–99, 212
heresy, 57, 106
heritage, 106, 223
Herman, Judith, 163
Hervieu-Léger, Danièle, 105–6
higher power, 60, 145, 158, 160
Hill, Peter, 20–21
Hillel, Rabbi, 14
Hindu religion, 55
Hinkle, Tonya, 83–88, 90, 92, 96
history/historians, 36, 41, 44, 59, 93, 109, 132, 215, 220
Hitchens, Christopher, 66, 130, 223
Hitler, Adolf, 52
Hiwi al-Balkhi (Jewish philosopher), 56
holidays, 103–4, 117, 119, 131
Holland. See Netherlands
Holocaust, 141, 148–56, 160
Holyoake, George Jacob, 12–13
homosexuality, 9, 70, 87, 112, 214, 219–20
Honduras, 48
Hood, Ralph, 140
hope, 19, 62, 101–2, 139, 173, 222–24
Hout, Michael, 67
Huckabee, Mike, 67
Huffington Post, 51
Hughes, Langston, 119
human rights, 7, 46, 128, 207, 220
humanism, 7, 58, 108, 128–29, 131–32, 220
Humanist Community Project, 127–28
Humanist Friendship Group of Central Indiana, 127
Humanistic Judaism, 130–32
humanists, 52, 62, 71, 103, 110, 163
chaplains, 121, 127, 220
children’s camps for, 107–9, 115, 136
definition of, 207–8
dislike/distrust of, 114
groups formed for, 109, 115–17, 124, 127–34
important contributions of, 216
labeling of, 207–9
misconceptions about, 9–10
Humanists Doing Good, 115–17
Hungary, 46, 180
Hunsberger, Bruce, 65, 95
Hurston, Zora Neale, 119
Hwang, Karen, 161–63
identity
and children’s education, 121, 132
Jewish, 131
nonreligious, 61
religious, 2, 58–61, 63–64, 87, 113, 124–25
secular, 6, 30, 53, 59, 122–27, 134
illness/injury, 140–47, 161–63, 180
immigrants, 22, 66
immorality, 2, 9–10, 12, 19, 30, 32–33, 36, 45, 70, 75, 220
immortality, 8, 56, 180, 199
independent thinking, 17, 96, 109. See also freethinkers
India, 52, 55–56, 220
Indiana, 127
indifference, 6, 46, 50, 61, 64, 76–77, 80, 96, 124, 174, 215
individualism, 106, 122–27, 133–34
Indonesia, 46
inequality, 45–46, 49, 221
infant mortality rates, 46–47
Ingersoll, Robert, 123, 206, 216
Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture, 72
intelligent design, 87
Internet, 6, 70–72, 86, 111, 116, 118, 123, 160, 177, 186
Iran, 52
Iraq, 21, 110–11, 114, 214
Islam, 14, 57, 130
Isocrates (Greek rhetorician), 14
Israel, 14, 56, 59, 67
Italy, 156, 194–96
Jamaica, 39–42, 45
Japan, 42, 46, 48, 59, 75, 180
Jefferson, Thomas, 121, 215, 217, 219
Jehovah’s Witness, 71
Jesus, 14, 42, 64, 78, 81, 102, 167, 214, 216–17
Jewish Journal, 43
Jews, 9, 11, 32, 56, 71, 77, 82, 97, 103, 107, 113, 124, 129–32, 148–56, 161, 189, 198, 204, 214, 219
Jordan, 46
justice, 7, 36, 92, 157–58
Kansas, 108, 137
Kant, Immanuel, 92
Kaufman, Deborah, 89–92, 96
Kaufmann, Eric, 58
Kentucky, 49–50, 107–8
Khayyám, Omar, 57, 198
Kohelet (Jewish philosopher), 56, 72
Kohlberg, Lawrence, 91–92
Kosmin, Barry, 72–73
Kurtz, Paul, 7
LaConte, Dale, 61, 66
LaConte, Sally, 61–63, 65–66, 72–73
Laden, Anthony Simon, 147
LaScola, Linda, 71
Latin Americans, 9–10, 214, 219
Law, Stephen, 16–17, 42–43
Lee, Arthur, 208
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm, 206
; Levin, Jack, 48
Levinas, Emmanuel, 221
Levine, Sol, 180
Li, Gwen, 31–34, 36
Liberia, 42
life
after death, 32, 56, 90, 99, 143, 165, 168, 176, 179–81, 184, 188, 197–98, 223
appreciation for, 29, 89, 176, 196, 199, 205, 211–12
belief in, 145, 156
celebration of, 127, 132, 197
deep valuing of, 20, 192, 196–97, 205, 210
facing difficulties of, 3–4, 8, 139–41, 157, 160–61, 165, 167, 223–24
expectancy, 46
improvement of, 7, 13, 101, 129
satisfaction with, 49–50, 77, 89, 108, 164
See also death: and living life to its fullest; meaning; this-worldly
literacy, 48
lived experiences, 3, 14, 30–31, 35–36, 38
Lokayata philosophy, 55
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 197
Los Angeles, 89, 92, 122, 156, 172, 182, 188
Louisiana, 49
Lucretius (Roman poet/philosopher), 56, 72
Lutherans, 64, 116
Mackelroy, Brian, 23–26
Madison, James, 217
Maher, Bill, 67
Maine, 49–50, 68, 109
Maisel, Eric, 206
Making of an Atheist, The (Spiegel), 12
Malawi, 46
Mali, 47
Manning, Christel, 95–99
Marcel, Gabriel, 210
Marcos, Ferdinand, 52
marginalization, 221
Markússon, Guðmundur Ingi, 76
Maryland, 112, 115, 214
Massachusetts, 49, 68–69, 127, 191
McGowan, Dale, 223
McQueen, Butterfly, 119
meaning, 23, 53, 102, 129–30, 146–47, 158, 160–62, 168, 188–89, 200, 206
medical profession, 23–25, 27–29, 38–41, 192, 220, 222. See also health care systems
memorial services, 185–89. See also funerals
mental health, 164–65
Meridian, Mississippi, 83
Merino, Stephen, 93
Methodists, 84
Mexico, 46–48
Michigan, 108, 163
militarism, 21
Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, 115
Milk, Harvey, 70
Mill, John Stuart, 14
Minnesota, 108
Mississippi, 49–50, 83, 92, 99, 214
Missouri, 178
Montana, 108, 142, 202
Moral Majority, 67
Moral Origins: The Evolution of Virtue, Altruism, and Shame (Boehm), 26
morality, 45, 88–89, 128–29
in American society, 20–22
definitions of, 16, 29–31
development of, 3–4, 14–15, 30, 91–92
and empathy, 6–7, 90–91, 224
God-based, 17–19, 31–34, 36, 44, 90–91
and human evolution, 25–27
and humanity, 30–31, 56
and “moral outsourcing,” 16–17, 19
origins of, 34–37, 100, 220
and religion, 2, 11–12, 220–21
and secularism, 2–4, 9–10, 12–29, 72, 220–21
teaching of, 32–33, 96
Mormons, 9–10, 71, 107, 112, 141–42, 214, 219