Jim Palmer's Blog, page 4

Do we have the guts to change the world?

Notable anarchist Alexander Berkman wrote: “The social revolution means much more than the reorganization of conditions only: it means the establishment of new human values and social relationships, a changed attitude of human to human, as of one free and independent to his or her equal; it means a different spirit in individual and collective life, and that spirit cannot be born overnight. It is a spirit to be cultivated, to be nurtured and reared, as the most delicate flower it is, for indeed it is the flower of a new and beautiful existence.”I want to break this down.Berkman speaks of “social revolution.” Social revolution is a bottom-up revolution aiming to reorganize all of society. It’s an admission that the current order isn’t working. As things now stand, there are false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that are governing our lives and world. We must first recognize that these are present inside each of us individually. They are poured into us from an early age through religion, education, government, media, and popular culture. These falsehoods have been programmed into our heads, and we have been socialized into systems and structures that operate upon them. The cycle is complete once we follow suit and perpetuate these false narratives, ideologies, and systems ourselves. The first step in social revolution is rooting out the falsehoods within ourselves, and accepting how we have been complicit in creating and perpetuating what Orwell called “the empire of lies.”Berkman sees social revolution as something deeper than rearranging the same furniture into a different configuration, which is basically what government and politics does regardless of whatever party is in place. Instead, Berkman spoke of establishing “new human values and social relationships.” Did you read that? NEW! As in, something that does not currently exist. As in, birthing a new reality into our world that operates upon a whole new way of being human and in relationship with each other. What is the source of this transformed way of being and relating? Perhaps a better question is, WHERE is this source? Answer: inside you. There is a life, spirit, consciousness, tacit understanding, higher awareness [insert your word here] that runs through all of us. It’s what is most real in our deep feelings, and what we know is true in our gut. It’s the direct and unmediated experience of peace, liberation, love, harmony, oneness, joy, abundance and well-being. It knows nothing of fear, separation, division, greed, injustice, oppression, scarcity or lack.One of the central tenets of the empire of lies is to mistrust what lies within us. We have been taught to externalize power and authority to people, systems, structures, and hierarchies outside ourselves. We learn to trust and obey the school teacher, minister, politician, doctor, and the countless number of “experts” who we allow to do our thinking and deciding for us. By the way, ours is a REPRESENTATIVE democracy, not a direct democracy; there is a difference.So, let’s say we turned to the power and authority that is inherent within each of us in and tapped into that higher awareness that points us toward peace, harmony and liberation instead of fear, separation and greed. What if we reached down into what is real in our deep feelings and what we know to be true in our gut, and started speaking to one another and acting from that place? What would that actually look like? Berkman described it as “a different spirit in individual and collective life.” Makes sense. Operating from our higher awareness would transform what it meant and looked like to be human individually and collectively in our social relations with each other. Berkman is describing a new world being born and becoming real.However, Berkman also pointed out that this reality and world cannot “be born overnight.” Instead, he said it is something “to be cultivated, to be nurtured and reared.” Social revolution and birthing a new world isn’t something that happens all at once. It’s not going to fall out of the sky or magically appear. We’re going to have to cultivate, nurture and rear it.” In other words, we are going to have to take direct action individually and collectively to make the empire of lies obsolete and birth a new world in its place.This is why I have been speaking about the need for inner anarchy. Inner anarchy is the path of deprogramming ourselves from false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies, and turning toward the guidance and empowerment of our higher spiritual awareness. It’s divesting ourselves from the current order that operates upon those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies, and creating a new reality in its place through direct action individually and collectively. Both the inner world and the outer expression are equally significant, and one without the other will not work. There are some who come at this equation more from the spiritual/inner side, and others who come more with an activist/outer focus. Think of this as the yin and yang – the two are integral to one another and form a whole. They both are equally necessary and cannot be separated from each other.Berkman saw that the outcome of all this was “a new and beautiful existence.” Yes, another world is possible. The only question is if enough of us are truly willing to take the path of inner anarchy all the way. People are all gung-ho until they realize or experience how discomforting and destabilizing it is in the short-term. The old order isn’t going to go away quietly into the night, and we are not going to figure out how to sort out a new social order based on our higher awareness in a week. This is not fast-food revolution. Everyone wants a new world until they are confronted with the fact that many of our comfortable and prized ways of ordering ourselves do not line up with our higher awareness, such as hierarchal power structures, government and capitalism. Berkman’s “new and beautiful existence” would no longer necessitate these because the new world, as Berkman stated, would be “a changed attitude of human to human, as of one free and independent to his or her equal.”We have the higher awareness to do this, but do we have the guts to do it?(Photo by Darla Winn)

Letting Buddha and Jesus be one

The Buddha's moment of enlightenment under the Bodhi tree was the realization that nothing fundamentally needed to change in order to know peace, serenity and freedom. In other words, there is nothing wrong with the way things truly are at its most real/fundamental level, and therefore there is nothing truly/factually/objectively preventing peace, serenity and freedom. Furthermore, the Buddha saw that people are the cause of their own inner suffering or psychic pain, which ultimately results in the hurt we inflict upon one another and destruction we cause in the world. The four noble truths were laid out by the Buddha as a remedy or solution to this self-caused suffering. This suffering, the Buddha said, is a result of our ignorance of the way things truly are and our attachments and expectations of an impermanent word. The Buddha said that all the greed, violence, injustice, hatred, etc of the world is a byproduct of our ignorance and attachments. The Buddha spoke of feeling a great compassion for all the suffering of the world. In the Buddhist tradition, Bodhisattvas are those who choose to continue living sentient lives in order to aid the liberation of others. So while the central insight of the Buddha was that nothing at the most fundamental level needed to change, he still held the desire for the liberation of all beings and the elimination of all suffering, and to end the kind of ignorance and attachments that result in the broken relationships we have with each other as human beings and all living things. Buddha's profound insight was that all is well and whole at the most fundamental level and that his underlying nature/essence was one with that wholeness. The Buddha also observed that on the surface of life there is continuous change and that inner suffering results from our attachments to those temporal realities. We seek a permanent happiness through our attachments to things of impermanence, which leads to suffering. The Buddha taught that one can find deep joy and peace in this life as a byproduct of our intuitive awareness or tacit understanding of the way things really are at the deepest level. He taught that this awareness allows us to walk through life, being fully present each moment with joy, love, compassion, peace, courage and wisdom. This is only possible by neither resisting or clinging to whatever might unfold along your path. You respond to each situation as it requires but no more than that. Of course there is normal human pain both physically, emotionally and mentally in this world, but the Buddha taught that the deep inner anguish and suffering that plagues so many people's lives can be prevented through our awareness of the way things really are and the absence of resistance and attachment. This does not mean that we accept what we see in the world without action to change it. Many situations and circumstances in life rightfully evoke the desire to bring change. Much of the misery and suffering of this world is the result of the ignorance of the way things really are. Rather than tapping into the deep peace and joy of the fundamental reality of all things which is never disturbed or threatened, we instead attempt to achieve happiness, well-being, and peace through our worldly attachments. We fight and claw to attain and hold onto that which by its very nature is impermanent and fading away. Should you think that you are a failure because you cannot seem to walk through this world with this deep awareness or the absence of resistance and clinging, the Buddha said you must first and foremost learn to have patience and compassion upon yourself, and to take your struggle as a part of your own path of growth.Jesus would not have disagreed with any of these insights, but expressed them in different ways and focused on different things, namely the lie of separation between God and humankind, which Jesus believed was at the root of the kind of suffering and ignorance that Buddha spoke of.Jesus never caused anyone to be saved and the Buddha never caused anyone to be enlightened. They both said they had a solution to a problem and the problem was suffering. They both said this suffering stemmed from false perception or spiritual ignorance. In the case of Jesus, he struck down the false notion of separation from God. He insisted, "I am the truth." What truth was that? God and humankind as one. There is a divine source and life and love that permeates all, and we are not separate from it. The Buddha addressed a similar issue, namely the false perception that people are separated from joy, peace and well-being. He taught that these realities could not be reached or achieved in the external world outside ourselves. Both Jesus and the Buddha said that the kingdom of heaven and nirvana are found within. Neither Jesus nor the Buddha taught that this truth makes one indifferent toward the world. In fact, once one connects with true peace, joy and well-being inside and finds that kingdom or nirvana within, they can give themselves fully to the world in love and compassion without resistance or clinging.Jesus was right - there is no separation between God and humankind. Buddha was right - there is suffering and we can liberate ourselves from it.Jesus was put to death at a very early age. He was crucified as a criminal. The Buddha in later years became frail and fell ill near a remote village near the border of Nepal, and died. Statements made by Jesus and the Buddha before their deaths indicated that they did not want to leave the world behind - a world they had loved so much. Both Jesus and the Buddha told their followers to use even their deaths as an occasion for awakening. They did not deny or gloss over the sorrow, grief and sadness that was felt. All along both Jesus and the Buddha demonstrated that there was both sorrow and joy on the journey, and that the underlying truth never swayed. Knowing their deaths were near, each reminded their followers of the task at hand to live by the same spirit and to walk in truth.Jesus wept and the Buddha was brokenhearted by the suffering of the world. This is where we start. We look out and we see it, we feel it deeply. We weep. Our hearts are broken. We care.I feel a great love for the Buddha. How he entered the suffering of the world and his discoveries about it. When I ponder his moment of enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree I feel a peace in my own heart. I am grateful to have Jesus as a brother. I see his revolutionary spirit and relentless love, and how he demonstrated the human and divine together as one. Oh Buddha, oh Jesus - I carry you both in my heart. Jesus said, "I am the truth." The Buddha said, "He who sees me sees the teaching and he who sees the teaching sees me.” It is not necessary to build a religion around Jesus or Buddha. Embrace the truth they demonstrated and bore witness to. Do not build a religion around Jesus or the Buddha. Jesus said there will come a time when you will no longer see me. The Buddha said if you meet Buddha on the street, kill him. In other words, there is no Jesus or Buddha except the Jesus and the Buddha that is inside you and that you yourself are. You must walk this journey now yourself. You must say "I am the truth" and "He who sees me sees the teaching." Do you understand? The path is within you. The path is you. You must walk it. You must be that path.

Can you be codependent to God?

I recently wrote a post entitled, "Can you have a good day without God?" The piece was motivated by my coming across a Facebook post, which was presented as a message from God that read, "Good morning, this is God. I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help. So relax, and have a great day." It was hard to know where to begin to address this absurd sentiment, but I gave it a shot in that blog post. This morning I came across this statement, "The key to accessing God's power is to understand how much we need Him to do anything that's of real value in life. The truth is, whether we realize it or not, we're all desperate for God every minute of every day. I am weak, but He are strong."Over the years in my work I have discovered what I refer to as "religious codependency," which is excessive emotional or psychological reliance on "God." The crippling impact of religion involves the way it convinces people how weak, incapable and helpless they are. This belief and attitude is one of the greatest obstacles and deterrents to personal growth and development. The truth is that you naturally have the ability, capacity, tools and skills to guide and direct your life meaningfully, ethically and effectively. Through the use of your fundamental human faculties such as logic, empathy, reason, critical thinking and moral intuition, you can capably lead your life.You have the ability to take action, be effective, influence your own life, and assume responsibility for your behavior. You have the capacity for initiating, executing, and controlling your own volitional actions in the world. Where you feel incapable of doing so due to internal restraints, you have the ability to seek help and assistance. It's important that you believe in your ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. You are capable of self-management, which is the ability of an individual to regulate their emotions and resulting behaviors in ways that are useful and beneficial for oneself and others. This includes coping with unmet wants or needs, persevering when faced with obstacles, and setting goals for oneself. Do we do all this perfectly? No. Do we do this alone. No. We have the capacity to look upon ourselves with acceptance, patience and compassion, and not to demand perfection from ourselves. We are capable of cultivating loving and caring relationships. We are capable of seeking professional help and support when we need it. All of these actions are a sign of strength and not weakness.The idea that you are powerless and inept to guide and manage your life is false. Some of the most important work I do with people through my Life After Religion Course and through individual counseling with people recovering from religion, is help rid them of this self-sabotaging belief.

Are flat tires messages from beyond?

Dear, Jim: Today when I was out something happened for the first time. I got a flat tire while I was driving. I guess I should consider myself fortunate that this is my first flat while driving. But it made me stop and wonder. Is God possibly trying to get my attention through the flat tire? Is it a sign from God? I've been pushing myself a lot lately and perhaps this is God's way of slowing me down. Maybe God is trying to get my attention for other reasons. I haven't been spending much quiet time with him lately or reading my Bible with any consistency. What are your thoughts, Jim? I'm here on the side of the road at a loss. What does this flat tire mean and how do you think I should respond? Sincerely, Flat Tire Tom * Dear Flat Tire Tom: The most common cause of a flat tire is puncturing of the tire by a sharp object. In the United States, approximately 7 tire punctures occur every second, resulting in 220 million flat tires per year. Statistics show that every driver will experience on average up to 5 flat tires in their lifetime. I've considered and reflected upon all that you said and here's my personal guidance on how to respond to your situation. 1. Turn on your emergency lights. Let other drivers know your car is disabled so they will slow down. 2. Check to see if you have a spare tire and car jack. If you know how to change a tire, go ahead and do it. If not, call for roadside assistance. 3. Upon returning home, try to relax and realize that this happens to every person. According to statistics, it will probably happen to you four more times. 4. The meaning of this ordeal is this: you had a frustrating but common human experience, which had a common human solution. It means nothing more than this. Sincerely, Jim

3 Useful Steps for Resolving the Meaning of Life

I was recently asked: When life has lost its meaning, where do you look for renewed faith in life and humanity? Notice that the question doesn't mention "God." The person who was inquiring no longer believes that the traditional answers and explanations of religion are tenable or useful. Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, “Life has no meaning a priori. It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose.” The idea that there is no inherent meaning to life can be a frightening proposition. We'd like to believe that there is an absolute meaning to which we can stop at any moment and reorient our lives, especially in times when we feel we've lost our way. In many ways the idea of "God" is an abstraction of the ideal of ultimate and absolute meaning. We ascribe ultimate and absolute meaning to God, and therefore we find our path forward by orienting our lives in the world to the existence of God and our relationship to God. What if I said to you something like, "There is no inherent or absolute meaning to life and there's nothing or no one who can definitively tell you what it is or should be; you're gonna have to just figure it out yourself." A lot of people would not like this explanation. Determining the meaning of life is quite a daunting task. We feel unqualified for such a undertaking. I still can't figure out how to properly program my sports watch, much less resolve the meaning of life. At least the watch has instructions. That a person must determine and forge their lives according to a meaning they create for themselves feels like a great burden to bear. What follows are a few recommendations on a reasonable way to go about this.1. Stop searching for meaning, start creating meaningThe idea that life is meaningless or void of absolute meaning is vexing to many people. They assume that the only other alternative is that life must be random, absurd and pointless. In philosophy, “the Absurd” refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any. Hence, “Absurdism” is a philosophical school of thought stating that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail. The problem here is not that life has no meaning; it’s that the meaning of life is not something you “find.” “Finding meaning” is an empty proposition. We are not here to find meaning, we are just here. While here, we make meaning through our actions and choices. The meaningless of life is not a curse but an invitation. It's not a matter of searching for meaning, but creating it. Human beings are not born into a world of inherent meaning, we are born into the world as meaning makers. 2. Choose your tools broadly What tools are at your exposal to create meaning for your life? In my view, this is one of the most hopeful, fulfilling and transformative aspects of taking responsibility for nurturing a meaningful life. In my own journey of making meaning for myself I have utilized the natural and social sciences, philosophy, the arts and religion, study of history, spiritual practice, and my own personal experience. There's a self-correcting measure to creating meaning for your life if you choose your tools broadly. If you go down one path exclusively without proper knowledge and consideration of others, you run the risk of selling yourself short or sabotaging the process altogether. Following the way of religion without proper regard for science is problematic, as is following the way of science without proper regard for philosophy, and excluding the arts or spiritual practice cuts ourselves off from some of the most transcendent aspects of the human experience. Even within various fields or areas of exploration and knowledge, people firmly plant their flag in one "ism" or another, to the exclusion of other ideas and views. Close-mindedness is one of the greatest obstacles to creating a meaningful life, while open-mindedness yields great benefits. 3. Order your life accordinglyCreating meaning for your life is not simply immersing yourself in books of philosophy. You can read Seneca's On the Shortness of Life or Lucretius' On the Nature of the Universe until the cows come home, but you still must do something. The meaning of life is not something you work out entirely in your head, you must experience yourself living a meaningful life through your choices and actions. The question is: Are your daily actions, choices, habits, relationships and endeavors aligned with and an expression of what you deeply value, believe and hold to be meaningful about your life? Without marshalling your daily life according to the ideas, values and beliefs you fancy in your mind, you will suffer a nagging and vexing cognitive dissonance and disharmony. It's easy to get lost in the existential quest and quagmire of determining the meaning of life rather than take responsibility for what we do with the life we've got. It's true that life has no inherent or absolute meaning. Life has the meaning we create and bring to it. It makes no sense to spin your wheels asking a question to which you are the only answer.

Can you have a good day without God?

I don't even know where to start with the sentiment of the attached picture. I decided to re-write it, but I don't think it will fit on that little card. "Good morning, this is me. I will be taking responsibility for my own life today. I will trust what lies within me to consciously direct my own path, and make choices that are consistent with what matters to me. I will call into action my inner strength to deal with any difficulties, hardships and obstacles that may come my way. I affirm my ability and responsibility to lead an ethical life of personal fulfillment that aspires to the greater good of humanity. That doesn't mean I will necessarily do it alone. I am grateful for the personal encouragement, support and help of my friends and people who care about me. I also know I can turn to people in the helping profession to aid me in situations where what I need is beyond what I can do for myself. I will not be relying on the magical thinking of a sky God who does everything for me. There is a spiritual component to who I am from which I find deep meaning and empowerment, but it does not carry over into the idea that I'm not capable of being responsible for my own life or that I'm dependent upon a God up in the sky to do it for me. I no longer view self-reliance as a dirty word or the antithesis of what it means to honor the highest truth within myself. So take heart! Believe in yourself and all that you are. You are equipped with a set of human tools such as logical and critical thinking, common sense, problem solving skills, and all the courage and resilience of your human spirit. Yes, you have your whole day ahead of you. You know not all that this day holds. But you've got this!" There are various ways that religion thwarts a person's ability to consciously direct their lives toward wellbeing and fulfillment. I discuss this at some length in the post Religion as Pathology, andthis postfrom myBeliefs Matterseries. I also explore ways that religion hinders normal personal development in the post,Does religion do more harm than good?In religion recovery or deconversion, it is necessary for a person to develop new tools in four critical areas: PERSONAL AGENCY Personal agency is your ability to take action, be effective, influence your own life, and assume responsibility for your behavior. It's the human capacity to initiate, execute, and control one's own volitional actions in the world. In personality psychology, a similar concept is "locus of control," which is the degree to which people believe that they have control over the outcome of events in their lives, as opposed to external forces beyond their control.Closely tied to the concept of personal agency is "self-efficacy," which is belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. Personal agency relates to the skill of self-management, which is the ability of an individual to regulate their emotions and resulting behaviors in ways that are useful and beneficial for oneself and others. This includes how the individual copes with unmet wants or needs, perseveres when faced with obstacles, and sets goals for themselves. SELF-ACTUALIZATION Within every human being is a self-actualizing tendency. At the root of our human personhood, we long to grow, evolve, deepen, and expand into the fullness of who we are. Too often religion denies and thwarts this self-actualizing tendency at every turn by demanding that we remain in a very small, tight, limited, and restrictive space. We are made to fear ourselves and our fullness, and fear keeps us from exploring any further than the confined place religion puts us in. You will find as you are shedding religion that this self-actualizing tendency will revive, strengthen, accelerate, and will reach its zenith. Some characteristics of this self-actualization include:1. Dissatisfaction with one’s staus quo2. Intolerance of inauthenticity3. Casting off of rules, regulations, and restrictions4. Resurgence of individuality5. Openness to new possibilities6. Desire to grow, learn, and expand7. Freedom of self-expression8. Establishment of personal boundaries9. Reshaping of one's relational world10. Greater acceptance and compassion for others11. Deprogramming of false beliefs and mindsets12. Grounded in one's own inner truth and guidance 13. Refusal to conform 14. Disdain for superficiality 15. Greater capacity for both sorrow and joy16. Unwillingness to accept injustice and oppression 17. Deeper connection to nature and all living things18. Inhabiting the fullness of one's humanity 19. Disinterest in creating or participating in drama 20. Greater ability for complex reasoning 21. Taking responsibility for one's own happiness and well-being 22. Commitment to doing one's personal inner work 23. Nurturing mutually beneficial and healthy relationshipsSelf-actualization can be seen as similar to words and concepts such as self-discovery, self-reflection, self-realization and self-exploration. This realization of potential can occur in many ways but generally includes the achievement of sound psychological health and a strong sense of fulfillment. The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities. Expressing one's creativity, quest for spiritual enlightenment, pursuit of knowledge, and the desire to give to and/or positively transform society are examples of self-actualization. In general, self-actualized people:- Accept themselves and others. - Maintain deep and meaningful relationships. - Can exist autonomously. - Have a sense of humor, particularly an ability to find humor in their own mistakes. - Accurately perceive reality, both as it pertains to the self and others. - Have a sense of purpose and perform regular tasks geared toward that purpose. - Experience frequent moments of profound happiness (often called “peak experiences”). - Demonstrate empathy and compassion for others. - Have an ongoing appreciation of the goodness of life. Some might refer to this trait as childlike wonder.CRITICAL THINKING Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. Critical thinking has been variously defined as:the process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusiondisciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidencereasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or dopurposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is baseda commitment to using reason in the formulation of our beliefthe skill and propensity to engage in an activity with reflective scepticismdisciplined, self-directed thinking which exemplifies the perfection of thinking appropriate to a particular mode or domain of thinkingan appraisal based on careful analytical evaluationSELF-RELATIONSHIPHere are important areas to explore and cultivate when it comes strengthening your relation ship w-with yourself:Self-awareness (exploring your authentic and innermost thoughts, feelings, beliefs, needs, desires, fears, motivations, patterns, habits, etc...) Self-love (regard for one's own well-being and happiness) Self-acceptance (seeing the totality of yourself without judgment) Self-compassion (extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering) Self-care (actions and attitudes which contribute to the maintenance of well-being and personal health and promote human development.) Self-trust (following what your own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, intuition, judgment, insights, body tells) Self-confidence (empowered to rise to new challenges, seize opportunities, deal with difficult situations, and take responsibility if and when things go awry.) Self-reliance (reliance on one's own abilities, capacities, powers and resources rather than those of others.) Self-efficacy (confidence in one's own ability to achieve intended results) Self-actualization (the realization of one's own maximum potential and possibilities) Self-expression (a display of individuality) Some people might be alarmed by the repeated word of "self," but that's because religion sufficiently convinced too many people of the false notion that the above things are the equivalent of self-worship or self-centeredness. RECOVERING FROM RELIGIONRecovering from religion is not a journey you have to walk alone. This is why I created the online course - Life After Religion: A Personal Journey Out. The course supports and guides people in recovering and rebuilding from a damaging religious background. In the course you will learn the steps for: - making peace with your religious past - rooting out toxic religious indoctrination - navigating a crisis of faith - new ways of approaching life's existential questions - - learning new tools for personal growth and development - exploring what spirituality is for you. The Life After Religion course was designed to be completed at your own pace. To learn more about the specifics of the course and register to participate, visit this link.

Remembering MLK's Religious Dissent

You would think from things you hear that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a born-again evangelical preacher who used the Christian gospel as his primary motivation and inspiration behind the civil rights movement. If you explore MLK's life more deeply, you find this wasn't exactly true.Martin Luther King, Jr. went to Boston University, searching for a multicultural community and a setting for his study of ethics and philosophy. He became “Dr. King” by earning a PhD in systematic theology. On the one hand, King was inspired by theologians such as Walter Rauschenbusch, who taught Christianity "as a spirit of brotherhood made manifest in social ethics." King, and others in the movement, reframed that idea into the concept of a "beloved community," an inclusive vision of humankind striving together for peace and justice. Defending the importance of science, King wrote, “Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism.” His appreciation of science, though hardly acknowledged by most, isn’t surprising. In arguing against notions of black racial inferiority, he frequently cited current anthropological research that revealed what he called “the falsity of such a notion.” On more than one occasion, he even lauded “the philological-historical criticism of biblical literature,” saying it “has been of immeasurable value and should be defended with religious and scientific passion.” We don’t often hear how King was positively influenced by such atheistic, existentialist philosophers as Friedrich Nietzsche and John Paul Sartre. Yet King said, while “finding things to question in each, I nevertheless learned a great deal from study of them.”King was a man of great intellectual prowess and vast philosophical wisdom. In 1964, King became the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. He also studied German philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Of course MLK used the stories of the Bible to (pillar of fire, Exodus parting of the sea) as metaphors to inspire the civil rights movement. On the other hand Martin Luther King, Jr. was smart and a superb political strategist. He knew there was only one way of getting an audience in the south without being dismissed or targeted and that was to claim he were speaking in the name of the Christian "God." King was hardly a proponent of contemporary dogma. He did not preach an evangelical gospel; he democratized a social gospel of liberation. Yes, King drew inspiration from Jesus as a prophet and revolutionary but thank goodness he did not take the Bible literally by claiming God was on his side, giving his tribe the divine right to eliminate anyone in their way. He was a staunch opponent of organized religion, and wrote: "Softmindedness often invades religion. This is why religion has sometimes rejected new truth with a dogmatic passion. Through edits and bulls, inquisitions and excommunications, the church has attempted to prorogue truth and place an impenetrable stone wall in the path of the truth-seeker."King roundly criticized many forms of organized religion, not only for its failure to support racial and economic equality (calling it Christianity’s “everlasting shame”), but also for its explicit support of war and violence. King wrote:“In a world gone mad with arms buildups, chauvinistic passions, and imperialistic exploitation, the church has either endorsed these activities or remained appallingly silent. During the last two world wars, national churches even functioned as the ready lackeys of the state, sprinkling holy water upon the battleships and joining the mighty armies in singing, ‘Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.’ A weary world, pleading desperately for peace, has often found the church morally sanctioning war.”King was a strong supporter of church/state separation. Regarding the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that school-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional, King said: "I endorse it. I think it was correct. Contrary to what many have said, it sought to outlaw neither prayer nor belief in God. In a pluralistic society such as ours, who is to determine what prayer shall be spoken, and by whom? Legally, constitutionally, or otherwise, the state certainly has no such right. I am strongly opposed to the efforts that have been made to nullify the decision."King didn’t limit his criticism to the church; he was also openly skeptical of the very foundations of Christian doctrine. Despite being the son of a Baptist minister, MLK challenged traditional views of Christianity and the literal interpretation of scripture. Perhaps most striking was his denial of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In a paper he wrote in 1949, King examined the psychological and historical origins of three foundational concepts of Christianity: The divinity of Jesus, his virgin birth, and his resurrection. While his analysis is worth reading in full, I’ll give away the punchline by telling you that King begins by stating, “...these doctrines are historically and philosophically untenable.” He goes on to strip these stories of their literal meaning, and explore what it was about both the historical Jesus and the sociopolitical environment in which early Christianity was spreading that might have led to the propagation of such obvious inconsistencies and falsehoods as those found in the Bible. King saw Christ’s “divinity” to have arisen through his good works, not because of his particular relationship to a deity. King went on to exhibit other forms of skepticism about mainstream Christian doctrine, and even warned that it may be harmful. In 1950, King wrote a paper titled “The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus,” where he states:"The orthodox attempt to explain the divinity of Jesus in terms of an inherent metaphysical substance within him seems to me quite inadequate. To say that the Christ, whose example of living we are bid to follow, is divine in an ontological sense is actually harmful and detrimental. To invest this Christ with such supernatural qualities makes the rejoinder: “Oh, well, he had a better chance for that kind of life than we can possibly have ..." So that the orthodox view of the divinity of Christ is in my mind quite readily denied. The significance of the divinity of Christ lies in the fact that his achievement is prophetic and promissory for every other true son of man who is willing to submit his will to the will and spirit of God. Christ was to be only the prototype of one among many brothers.The appearance of such a person, more divine and more human than any other, and standing and standing in closest unity at once with God and man, is the most significant and hopeful event in human history. This divine quality or this unity with God was not something thrust upon Jesus from above, but it was a definite achievement through the process of moral struggle and self-abnegation." One thing I deeply respect about Martin Luther King Jr. is how he sought to address the complex systemic factors that produced human inequality, injustice, oppression and suffering. King wrote, “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”I don't see MLK as a religious man but a spiritual person. How can we speak of love and harmony, and turn a blind eye to the injustice and oppression of our world? Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "No one is free until we are all free." Authentic spirituality has a scrappy, gritty, vigorous dimension to it. Authentic spirituality is not passive or acquiescent, and is more than nice-sounding platitudes or long theological/philosophical diatribes. Authentic spirituality is an inside out reality. We do our own inner work, we access the higher angels of our nature, but we bring outward expression to it through the lives we live and the actions we take in the world. Living this way is actually a dangerous proposition. I have the above picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. On the back of the picture I wrote the following words – “determined,” “passionate,” “non-conformist,” “revolutionary,” “rebel,” “undeterred,” “courageous,” “powerful,” “unconventional,” “rule-breaker,” “peaceful,” “fearless,” “angry,” “offensive,” “loving,” “compassionate,” and “selfless.” These are characteristics I see in Martin Luther King, Jr. that resonate with me.

Religion as Pathology

I am not against religion. My background is in in religion. I have a Masters of Divinity degree, and for many years was a professional clergyman and public religious figure. Though I speak often about the abuses of religion, I have also been an advocate for genuine interfaith dialogue, goodwill and collaboration. I am against the misuse of religion. I have often seen how religion has done more harm than good. Since leaving professional ministry and organized religion, I have worked with countless people through my religious trauma recovery and spiritual direction practice to help them address the damage incurred through their involvement in religion, and chart a new path forward. I have published five books on the subject, and created an online courseto support and guide people in their shedding religion process and cultivating a non-religious spirituality.Pathology is the scientific investigation of any deviation from a healthy or normal condition in the human body, mind and spirit. It is necessary to study abnormality in order to discover its source, its varieties, its stages, and its cure. For the past several years I have been observing how religious conditioning has an insidious impact in people’s lives. I’ve seen it in the people who seek me out for spiritual direction and those who contact me by email. Some cases are quite disturbing as this email sent to me describes:“Fundamentalist Christianity told me I was depraved and in need of salvation. The message was loud and clear: I am bad and wrong and deserve to die. I've spent literally years injuring myself, cutting and burning my arms, taking overdoses and starving myself, to punish myself so that God doesn't have to punish me. It's taken me years to feel deserving of anything good.”I am not saying that all religion is pathology. But in many cases religious conditioning has led to abnormality in one’s body, mind and spirit. Internalizing toxic religious messages is often the source of many kinds of dysfunction, inner malady and self-sabotaging mindsets and behaviors.How religion damages childrenThe damage that religion does in a person’s life often starts in childhood. For example, here are three messages children often hear in one particular Christian denomination:You are born into this world intrinsically bad, absent of inherent worth, and repulsive to God.Your sinfulness is so bad that it left God no choice but to brutalize, torture and kill his son.There is nothing good inside of you and you should not trust your thoughts and feelings.In these religious environments, fear and shame are used to bind children to certain beliefs and practices related to God and the expectations of the religious group. Children also learn that the rejection, hatred or diminishment of other human beings with a differing belief system is an act of allegiance to God.Is Christianity Stockholm Syndrome?I no longer refer to myself as a “Christian,” but I believe that if Jesus is rightly understood that his life and teachings have universal significance and relevance. I discuss this further in this post. With over 20,000 different Christian denominations worldwide, I realize that no two are the same and can’t fairly all be lumped into the same category. When I am speaking of “institutional Christianity,” I am largely drawing upon my own experiences of Christianity as a divinity school graduate and involvements in protestant/evangelical-type Christian organizations, as well as what I have learned and encountered with the people I have worked with over the years in my counseling practice.In my fourth book, Notes from (Over) the Edge, I devote an entire section to the subject of religion as pathology. In that section, I discuss the matter of institutional Christianity fostering a Stockholm Syndrome dynamic.In psychology, “Stockholm Syndrome” is a term used to describe a traumatic psychological bonding that occurs when hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational given the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.Stockholm Syndrome is named after the robbery of a bank in Stockholm, Sweden, in which several bank employees were held hostage in a bank vault for a week, while their captors negotiated with police. During this standoff, the victims became emotionally attached to their captors, rejected assistance from government officials at one point, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal.The primary components of Stockholm Syndrome are:the captor is in control of everything good and badbelief that every second without punishment is an act of love and a blessing from the captorclaiming the captor loves the captives, and they love him backjumping to his defense even though he’s in an indefensible positionSome expressions of religion bring Stockholm Syndrome to mind. In the case of religion, God is the one in control of all things good or bad, including all human beings that he created. God is presented as perfect, righteous and holy, while human beings are characterized as bad, sinful, unworthy, disgusting, and deserving of God’s condemnation, punishment, and wrath. This feeds the belief that every second without punishment is an act of love from God. This comparison plays out further in the notion that one either does as God says or they suffer the consequences. What hangs in the balance is God’s blessing, and ultimately which afterlife one gets, Heaven or Hell. Heaven is for those who do as God says, and Hell for those who don’t comply.Wanting to avoid Hell and garner a place in heaven, Christians abide by God’s demands, which include admitting your worthlessness, signing off on a particular theology about God, and following the commands and expectations of God, depending on the particular denomination or church.So in essence, you have an agent, God, who has set up a hostage situation (denial of blessing, and impending doom) and the conditions by which one can escape (upholding certain beliefs, obeying God, following the prescribed religious program).Faced by someone promising to do them harm if they didn’t do as they say, most people would at least regard such a person as the enemy. Christians, however, embrace this “person” as God. They praise and adore him, and even worship this God who has promised them eternal suffering if they don’t do as he says. They bow their heads in thanks, praising him for giving them a way out of the trap he has set for them. They even defend his honor and greatness: none greater or better, or more loving than this God. Never mind that he admittedly created evil, threatens, is jealous and possessive, misogynistic, and very controlling. This God, so we are told, is the highest form of righteousness.This is exactly how hostages turn from a logical hatred of their captor to having “empathy and positive feelings towards their captor, sometimes to the point of defending them.” And what other reason is there to have empathy and positive feelings, even love, towards this captor-God other than he promises no eternal suffering if one does as he says? In such cases, religion fosters a “traumatic psychological bonding” with God, which becomes a codified program that seeks to create Stockholm Syndrome in others. It is even presenting it as a desirable condition.How can religion harm someone?There are several ways that toxic religious messages can sabotage a person’s happiness, well-being and normal human development and maturation. Religious conditioning often causes a person to believe the premise that there is something hopelessly and incurably wrong with them. This includes the belief that their humanity and natural impulses are unacceptable to God, an obstacle to overcome, and an evil to repress or eradicate. Religion often plants the seed that a person cannot trust their own thoughts and feelings. They give church leaders and teachers the power and authority to determine their beliefs, values, opinions, goals, desires, and views.In many religious environments, fear, shame, condemnation and rejection are used to engender obedience, compliance and devotion. Tight control and the repression of individuality occurs through a system of “accountability,” and an environment of sin management, behavior modification, checklists, do’s and don’ts, and keeping the rules. As it was put to me in an email:“Overall, I have to say that I lost my individuality through my experience with organized religion…. I felt forced to fit in, to fit some type of mold or shape or way to be. I joined group after group looking for acceptance… I changed my appearance, my language, even some of the things I enjoyed I gave up in order to fit in. I lost me in the process, the real me. That has damaged me more than anything. Now I’m trying to find the real me.”It’s very common for a groupthink dynamic to emerge – a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in a blind, irrational and dysfunctional allegiance to the group’s leaders. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.In toxic religious groups, people repress their needs, desires, preferences and differences as a sign of spiritual maturity, referring to it as “dying to self.” The mentality is not to ask questions, rock the boat, challenge authority, think for yourself or listen to that voice inside, but to keep doing or believing what you’re told, even if it violates your own judgment and conscience. Group members put forth a valiant effort to project and maintain an image that lines up with the expectations of their religious community, and hide the ways they don’t. In this environment, church members adopt an isolationist or even hostile view toward those outside their religious group. This kind of toxic religious environment uses black-and-white thinking and judge outsiders through labels and stereotypes. The world is divided up as “sacred” or “secular” in which a limited number of subjects, activities, beliefs and practices or acceptable and the others are off limits and disapproved by God. Science and psychology are often viewed as “secular,” “carnal,” or “worldly.” In conversations about “spiritual abuse” many people think of extreme cases like “cults.” But some of the most damaging churches or religious groups can appear culturally relevant, progressive, friendly, and family-oriented on the surface.I define spiritual abuse as any religious view, belief, practice or relationship that induces fear, shame, guilt, or hatred, or separates people for God, one another, and their authentic Self. If truth in advertising standards were applied to religion, it would be mandatory for some churches to display a sign reading: “Warning: this church could be harmful to your spiritual and psychological health.”It is a common characteristic of an abusive church or religious group to have an authoritarian and control-oriented style of leadership. The leader is typically dogmatic, self-confident, arrogant, and is the spiritual focal point in the lives of his followers. The leader assumes he is more spiritually in tune with God than anyone else. To members of this type of church or group, questioning the leader is the equivalent of questioning God.There is also a spiritual elitism that characterizes religious groups that damage people spiritually. These groups see themselves as special. They have an elitist orientation, believing they alone have the Truth, and to question its teachings, practices, and leaders is to invite reprimand.The manipulation of members is another hallmark. Spiritually abusive groups routinely use guilt, fear, shame, and intimidation as a means of controlling their members. Leaders consciously foster an unhealthy form of dependency, spiritually and interpersonally, by focusing on themes of submission, loyalty, and obedience to those in authority. This is often perpetuated under the guise of “accountability,” a practice that requires every member to be personally accountable to another more experienced person. To this person, one must reveal all personal thoughts, feelings, and discuss future decisions. This personal information is not used to help the member but to control the member.Abusive churches see themselves as elite. They expect persecution in the world and even thrive on it. Any criticism is seen as evidence that they are the true church being attacked by Satan. These same groups enforce lifestyle rigidity, requiring unwavering devotion to the church from their followers. Allegiance to the church has priority over allegiance to God, family, or anything else. There are guidelines for dress, dating, finances, and so on. Such details are held to be of major importance in these churches. People begin to lose their personal identity and start acting like programmed robots. Many times, the pressure and demands of the church will cause a member to have a nervous breakdown or fall into severe depression.Abusive churches actively suppress dissent, discourage questions, and will rarely allow any input from members. The “anointed” leaders are in charge, PERIOD! These authoritarian groups impose discipline, in one form or another, on members. Ex-members of these groups report that the discipline was often carried out in public, and involved ridicule and humiliation. The ultimate form of discipline in abusive churches is excommunication, followed by strict avoidance procedures, or shunning.The denunciation of other churches or religious groups is another hallmark of an abusive church. They feel that they alone have the truth and all other churches are corrupt. There is a sense of pride in abusive churches because members feel they have a special relationship with God and God’s activity in the world.As mentioned previously, not all Christian churches exhibit these characteristics. I know of many Christian ministers and churches that create and nurture environments of love, acceptance, compassion, belonging and wholeness. In my view, unfortunately there are streams of Christianity that don't truly represent the life, message and teaching of Jesus, which is what I discuss at length in the book, Inner Anarchy.Breaking free from religion is one of the most difficult things a person will ever do. Shedding toxic religion involves standing on your own two feet, taking responsibility for your spiritual journey, and escaping the groupthink mentality, which is the assumption that something must be true just because a group of people believe it and no one wants to rock the boat by questioning it. It’s accepting the lead role in the play called “My Life.” It’s letting go of the script you’ve been following, and listening to and trusting your inner guidance.The path of shedding religion at first can sometimes involve fear, loneliness, and self-doubt. We often enter into our most significant relationships with a particular belief system in place. There are times when the ways we change puts a strain on our relationships, and sometimes certain relationships end. It can be a dark and painful time. Sometimes we are rejected by the people we most hoped would accept us. On the other hand, we find that understanding and support coming from people we didn’t expect. It’s a rollercoaster ride, and mostly you feel like no one understands where you’re coming from. Of course, at this point, you don’t even know where you’re coming from.Addressing these issues is a lot of what I do as a spiritual director to those who are breaking free from religion. Many of these people are still interested in nurturing a meaningful but non-religious spirituality. A path forwardI will often give a person the following questions to begin identifying what “spiritual” means to them:What makes you come alive?What satisfies you most deeply?What fills you up?What brings you joy?What centers you?What is a source of delight and pleasure for you?What areas, fields, or subjects are you interested in exploring?What makes you feel connected to yourself?What forms of self-expression are the most gratifying?What makes you feel strong and well in your body?What would your sense of adventure tell you to do?What way of being in the world resonates most deeply with your heart?What injustice or suffering in the world lights fire in your belly to act?What would you do if you didn't care what people thought? Where does your sense of curiosity take you?How are you most compelled to aid the liberation of others?Where in life are you inspired to be a tangible expression of love, acceptance, and compassion?What nurtures a greater love for yourself and others? What is the plain and simple truth that most resonates with your spirit, heart and humanity? Where do you need to step out of your comfort zone? What would you do if you had no fear?There are many issues a person encounters, breaking free from religion. I’ve written five books on the subject, and often share with people what I’m finding in my own spiritual journey along these lines and others I encounter. I recently wrote a blog post in which I clarify a few of the issues people contend with as they seek to live their lives beyond the mindsets and mentalities of their religious background. Some additional resources that relate to recovering from the harm done through religious involvement and toxic religious indoctrination can be found at Recovering from Religion.

How end times narratives sabotage progress

In seminary I studied Eschatology, which is a theology concerned with the final events of history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity. It's common in these conversations to hear the term "end times," which is a future time-period described variously in the eschatologies of several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which believe that world events will achieve a final climax. The Christian version includes a fantastical end to the world with Armageddon, a gathering of armies for an epic battle between good and evil during the end times. All the major religions offer narratives of apocalypse and cataclysm, of the end of the present world order, generally as a prelude to some new state of things. This view is especially evident in the Abrahamic faiths, of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At their most simplistic, apocalyptic narratives can offer sweeping condemnations of the existing world order, and potent stories of secular doom and final cosmic rescue. There are at least three ways that religion's apocalyptic narrative sabotages human civilization: 1. The illusion of inevitability leads to passivity.The idea that the world's apocalyptic ending is certain means that people falsely think that our destiny as humankind is fixed and out of our hands. In other words, if it's all going up in flames anyway, why try? It would be futile to work toward building a world of peace, harmony and workability if we already know we are on a collision course with Armageddon. Karl Marx wrote, "Religion is the opiate of the masses." Marx was pointing out that religion's purpose is to create illusory fantasies for the poor. Economic realities prevent them from finding true happiness in this life, so religion tells them that this is okay because they will find true happiness in the next life. Lest we think of this purely as solace for human misery, it can also weaken people's resolve to confront their human conditions and injustices. As Seneca wrote, "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." Narratives of impending doom can have the same effect. If we know it is certain that human civilization is careening toward ultimate destruction, why bother? 2. The illusion of divine conflict and intervention leads to abdicating ownership and responsibility. There is no cosmic drama between good and evil. The disharmony and chaos in the world corresponds to the disharmony and chaos within ourselves. It was quite inventive to come up with a separate personality, Satan, to blame and scapegoat for our problems, which lets us off the hook from taking responsibility for the discord all around us. Our world is messed up for only one reason and it has nothing to do with Satan and demons and spiritual warfare and diabolical forces from the netherworld. Our world is messed up because we have messed it up. The pain and suffering of our world we have afflicted upon ourselves. Likewise, the solution and remedy is not God swooping in to save the day. The solution and remedy is you and me... us. The salvation, healing, and transformation of our world is not going to fall down from the sky, but will have to be worked out through the human spirit. The reality is this:We are responsible for the mess of the world. There is nothing and no one to blame except ourselves. God is not going to fix it. Praying for divine intervention is not a solution. We don't have to cause suffering in the world. We are free to choose differently. We are capable of living lives of goodness. Until we do, expect nothing to change.3. The illusion of sides is thwarting the only hope we have. The apocalyptic narratives are all about sides: God versus Satan; the righteous versus the wicked; the saved versus the damned; us versus them, etc... Religion keeps the game of separation, division and discord going, and this will be what kills us all if we don't stop, and realize that we are one human family and either we figure this shit out together or we all sink on the Titanic. Martin Luther King, Jr. got it right, "We either learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish as fools." Religion has made us all fools. There is no "them." There is only "us." We are all Homo sapiens, one human family. Nobody is born Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant, etc. People are born human and are slowly conditioned by narratives of race, religion, gender, nationality, etc. to be less than human. The identity narratives tell us whom to love and whom to hate; and whom to befriend and whom to fear. That's not a recipe for long-term survival. The basic religious idea of apocalypse is that there's a cosmic divine plan unfolding and will ultimately come to a head in a cataclysmic showdown between good and evil when God's judgement will punish the wicked, reward the righteous and wipe the slate clean (insert flames, destruction, meltdown, horror, hideous beasts, lake of fire, etc). In my view, this apocalyptic narrative is false, destructive, and prevents progress.Some days I worry that religion's apocalyptic narratives may have us careening toward a self-fulfilling prophecy. The word "apocalypse" actually means to unveil what is hidden. The answer is not up in the sky and caught up in some grandiose fantastical drama. Everything we need to know to save ourselves is hidden inside our human spirit, and the lessons learned and skills acquired from occupying this planet and evolving as a species for the past 200,000 years. We don't need divine intervention, we need a human awakening.

Should interfaith include atheists?

Over the years in my professional work in counseling with people who suffer from Religious Trauma Syndrome, I have seen many people of faith go through a process of deconversion and become atheists. It’s no secret that any person who has been traumatized by religion is likely to become its biggest critic. Some atheists become quite hostile and combative in their contempt for religion. Though I am often vehemently opposing fundamentalist religion, I personally know people who embrace moderate religious views that promote peace, compassion, justice and human solidarity. In my view, it's more useful to critique religion without belittling believers. We should oppose the abuses and atrocities of religious fundamentalism but be careful of categorically blaming religion for all the world's evils. I am a Humanist Chaplain. I embrace a philosophy of life anchored in the belief that the resiliency of the human spirit, the capacity, skills and virtues forged through the evolutionary journey of being human, and owning our responsibility for building a world of less suffering and more flourishing is the proper path forward. Our common humanity is reason enough for all people to coexist peacefully, and operate with justice, equity and compassion in our human relations. I believe in a Homo sapien solidarity where all humans cooperate and collaborate together to reduce suffering and increase flourishing. In my view, whatever your religious, spiritual, secular or philosophical beliefs are, you are responsible for vigorously scrutinizing them and dismissing what doesn't promote a common good. According to the research done by Pew Research Center, the share of Americans who identify as atheists has roughly doubled in the past several years. Globally, the world’s newest major religion is no religion. Already in many countries throughout the world, atheists outnumber believers. Even the Pope recently said that being an atheist is far better than being a bad Christian. I support interfaith dialogue and action, and have witnessed its benefits firsthand in my city. Lately I've been pondering the value of non-religious people participating in these efforts. Admittedly, the term "interFAITH" by definition rules out atheist participation since atheism isn't a religion or "faith." Perhaps we could find a better term that is more inclusive of both religion and secular philosophies such as atheism, humanism and agnosticism. InterUnFaith? Motivating and galvanizing people of different beliefs to get along and work together for a common good may be the best hope we have. As the context of our times shifts with atheists steadily rising in number, the pressing question may not be whether Jews, Christians and Muslims can get along and work together, but can the religious and non-religious, believers and non-believers reach across their differences to embrace their common humanity and work together toward a common good. In other words, can religious people and atheists get along and work together? Being honest, the proposition on the surface doesn’t seem promising. One doesn't have to look much further than Twitter to see the hatred often spewed between believers and atheists. In some parts of the world you can be killed for being a Christian, in other parts for being an atheist. I typically call out and confront the religious when they are doing stupid things, being divisive and destructive, rationalizing behavior that doesn’t line up with the Golden Rule or violating the spirit of compassion and love. But neither does it help nurture harmony, cooperation and good will when atheists call religion a mental illness and religious people, idiots. Too many religious people have false ideas about atheists and atheism. Atheism makes a critical contribution to humankind’s conversation about what is profoundly significant and meaningful about the universe and our lives as human beings. I recent read a brilliant book by biologist E. O. Wilson, The Meaning of Human Existence, in which Wilson explores answers to life’s greatest existential questions, based on science. I was recently a guest on a talk-radio show and the topic I chose to discuss was “what religious people can learn from atheists.”I recently read the “10 Non-Commandments of Atheism,” which are:1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence. 2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true. 3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world. 4. Every person has the right to control of their body. 5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life. 6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them. 7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective. 8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations. 9. There is no one right way to live. 10. Leave the world a better place than you found it. But I have also learned that there are militants, fanatics, and fundamentalists in virtually all religions, belief-systems and philosophies, including atheism. However, it would be unfair, as it would be with religion, to judge or stereotype the many based on a few. People like French philosopher Andre Comte-Sponville provide hope. He writes, “I appreciate people who practice respectful dialogue and honors differences, and doesn't demand a "right" vs "wrong" context. My intention is not to convert people to atheism. It is merely to explain my position and the arguments in its favour, motivated more by love of philosophy than by the hatred of religion. There are free spirits on both sides, and it is to them that my words are addressed. The others, whether believers or atheists, can be left to their certainties.” On the question of whether Christians and atheists can work together, the Religious News Service ran an interesting piece that is an interview with Harvard’s Chris Stedman, who is an interfaith activist but atheist, and author of the book, Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious.Here are five beliefs that I believe could change our global discourse, sentiments, and actions about the power of religious, spiritual, and philosophical diversity for good.1. Every person can fully embrace and follow their religious tradition, spiritual interests, or philosophical views without creating division, destruction, hostility, or hatred. 2. Every person can find a rationale and motivation within their religious tradition, spiritual interests, or philosophical views to be an instrument of goodness, peace, love, and compassion in the world, and affirm the inherent, equal, and unconditional worth of every human being.3. Every person has the right to follow their own inner guidance in choosing their own religious, spiritual, or philosophical views and practices. 4. Every person can participate in a process of personal growth, self-actualization, and fulfillment of one’s highest beliefs and aspirations, and encourage the same for others. 5. Every person benefits when each of us follows our own unique inspiration for building a world that works for everyone. Whatever one believes about God, we are all 100% human. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we all roughly want the same things: the necessities for safety, security and survival; the need for belonging, esteem, love and relationship; to reach our full individual and collective potential. We all suffer loss, have our fears, encounter suffering and endure difficulties. Religion is not going away, neither is atheism. And whether we like or not, we all are in this together. Or as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish as fools.”