I Don't Want to Rely on Anger: Searching for a New Emotional Anchor

For the first few years of writing a blog, I had a weekly ritual. I didn't do it every week, but I managed to do it most Sunday mornings. I made coffee and fired up a random iTunes playlist that spanned my entire music collection. I'd then open the blinds on the window next to me so I could see my neighbors heading to one of the many churches. Finally, I'd sit down at my desk to write.

This ritual didn't start out as intentional as I'm making it sound, but it soon became that way. I was aware that I was writing about atheism at the same time almost everyone else was focusing on the opposite. There was something about this that appealed to me. I was usually finished before they returned home.

Worried About Christian Nationalism? End the National Prayer Breakfast

The National Prayer Breakfast has been a slap in the face to secular Americans throughout its history. It is one of far too many things that should never occur in a nation that values the separation of church and state. I know I'm repeating myself, but it needs to be said again until it changes. Christianity is not supposed to get a pass when it comes to the separation of church and state. That is Christian privilege, and it needs to end.

Many of us have criticized this yearly spectacle, highlighting the devious intentions of those behind it. We tire of seeing our elected officials use their offices to promote their religious beliefs. We recognize that this makes it harder to solve our ongoing problem with Christian nationalism. Now it seems that someone has been listening.

Should You Carry a Pocket Notebook? A Free Way to Find Out

Have you seen other people carrying small pocket notebooks? Some of them look cool, don't they? Have you wondered how they use them and whether you should try one? You could run out and buy a 3-pack of Field Notes, a leather cover that suits your style, a bullet pen, and give it a try. But doing so would be a bit of a gamble. It would be a shame to spend the money and find out you had little use for this stuff.

The good news is that you can find out whether it would be helpful for you to carry a pocket notebook. The better news is that you can do so without spending any money. In this post, I'll share the method I used. I'll explain how you can use it to determine whether an everyday carry (EDC) notebook is right for you.

Expect Atheists to Differ Because There's More Than One Path to Atheism

Imagine that you come up with an idea of something you want to write about. You are considering a title like, "Things I've Learned About..." And then you get stuck. You could list several things you learned about whatever the topic is. Or you could reconsider and instead write more than one post, each focusing on one of the things.

For me, it comes down to how many things are on my list, how much I have to say about each thing, and how long I'd want the post to be. If I have a few items and not much to say about each, it will be one post. If I'd like to unpack each a bit more, I'd lean toward breaking them up. That's what I'm going to do here.