Faith & Disbelief Archive

While it’s been on my to-see list, I just recently found time to watch Kumaré: The True Story of a False Prophet (released in June 2012 in the U.S.). Its 84 minutes are a fascinating study of human nature, especially in terms of our desire to find a higher power or force that guides

Three recent trends in religious affiliation are getting some attention. It is no secret that there are significantly more “nones” (those who are unaffiliated with religion) in The United States. The religious in the U.S. are not, however, the only people in the Americas who are pushing these numbers higher. Canada and Mexico are

My newest article, “Do the Beliefs of Others Infuriate You?” is up at The Huffington Post. This piece is an attempt to explain some guiding principles that I try to use for myself when engaging those who have beliefs that I disagree with, especially when they are frustratingly bad beliefs. The points I make

How did you learn the alphabet? Did it involve a picture book which taught you that “D stands for dog” and “B stands for bear,” each punctuated by cute images of animals? That’s how a normal person might do it, but the Puritans preferred scaring their children into literacy.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life just released a new report on the world’s Muslims. The survey covered 39 countries and the issues addressed by the study are clearly connected to the concerns raised on network news. Issues range from the implementation of sharia to popular culture, with some important attention given

When we began The Discarded Image in 2009, the main purpose of the blog was to provide a place for Mindy (my co-contributor) and me to explore fresh perspectives on the world and its future. While that purpose has remained, we’ve discovered that our scope and interests have traveled a bit. So we’ve made

Last December, I reviewed Chris Stedman’s book, Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious. Chris is the Assistant Chaplain and Values in Action Coordinator for the Humanist Community at Harvard University, Emeritus Managing Director of State of Formation at the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue, and the founder of the first blog

A recent survey of American Catholics provides surprising numbers on key areas of beliefs and the authority of the pope. In reading it, the shift in identity for them is readily apparent and this led me to wonder if many were simply Catholic in name, but not really in faith. Perhaps American Catholics need