atheism
-
Bill Maher Just Described Being Straight and White In America As A Disadvantage
The so-called comedian's statement that the Democratic party is 'defined by identity politics' is wildly inaccurate.
-
Give the Gift of Chill: Letting Your Black Atheist Family Live on Christmas
I used to love Christmas. Don’t get me wrong—I don’t hate Christmas now, and this isn’t one of those melancholic “ghost of Christmas magic” essays. My eyes still light up when I see a beautiful holiday display, and it’s the only time you’ll ever get me to admit that snow can be beautiful. I still…
-
10 People Who Are Possibly Behind the God Account on the TV Show God Friended Me
Have you watched the show God Friended Me? It comes on CBS on Sunday nights, and let me tell you, I love this damn show. I can’t tell you exactly why, but I do. For whatever reason, as on-the-nose as nearly every aspect of the show is, it just … works. Here’s the premise: An…
-
Republicans Seem Hell-Bent on Showing Us That Their God Doesn’t Exist
I remember vivid details about the morning when I first decided I didn’t want to go to church anymore. I remember that my mother attempted to wake me several times that morning when she was already fully dressed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, wearing her nurse’s uniform that she had to wear every fourth Sunday because she…
-
Growing Up Without the ‘Christ’ in Christmas: What It’s Like Being Raised by a Christmas-Loving Atheist
Ever since I can remember, two constants have been in my life: My mother was never religious. She went all out for Christmas. Each year she attacked the holidays with an ever increasing fervor. She has lived in the same mostly white neighborhood for 23 years, where all the homes are as homogeneous and drab…
-
Dating While Black and Atheist
There’s some internet rule that goes along the lines of “If you think it, it exists on the internet.” Maybe I’m confusing it with Rule 34 (If you think it, there’s porn of it). But ultimately, I’ve always thought of the internet as a haven for the congregating of niche and segmented voices and a…
-
I’ll Never Criticize Black People’s Belief in Jesus, but Don’t Insist I Believe in Him Too
I think I must have been 9, maybe 10 years old when it finally dawned on me that the doctrine Pastor Bivens was hollering at the assembled black folk from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church didn’t make any damn sense to me. I remember it distinctly because of how uncomfortable I was at…
-
Where Are All the Black Atheists?
I am black. I am also an atheist. It’s understandable if that surprises you. You’ve probably heard that the number of religiously unaffiliated people is rising. According to the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study, the percentage of Americans who identify as “unaffiliated,” or “religious nones,” is currently 22.8 percent. That’s a huge increase from…
-
Six Foolproof And Effective Things To Do To Bring Atheists Back To The Lord
A few years ago, I told my mother, a Christian woman from Mississippi who had freshly aged into her 60s, that I was an atheist. She didn’t speak to me for three days straight. I should be clearer—I actually told her, as we waited at the window of an Arby’s drive-thru, that God didn’t have…