Shmuly Boteach teaches you can be good without God!

Shmuley Boteach, the Rabbi often known for surfing, writing books about sex, and posing poor defenses of religion in debates against New Atheists, has written a response to Albert Mohler's tweet calling Anthony Weiner to Christianity.

About halfway through the article, he writes something that, to me, is the definition of secularism as a value, and a powerful statement that goodness is not dependent on religious belief.

It is not faith that guarantees our morality but rather an ironclad commitment to righteous action, be we atheists or theist.

Full article here

The problem of a God Who shares all your values

While I am not on board with every detail in Paula Kirby's article Atheism is the true embrace of reality, there is a section in the middle that I highly recommend. Scroll down until you see every paragraph start with the phrase "Some of us knew..." This section casts suspicion on subjective experience as a source for knowledge about God, and really drives home how theology is most often anthropology/psychology (that is, it says more about us than about God).

I guest it again! State of Formation guest post!

Second guest-post in a week, y'all! Check out my taxonomy of Gods, now posted to State of Formation, "a forum for emerging religious and ethical leaders. Founded by the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue, it is run in partnership with Hebrew College and Andover Newton and in collaboration with the Parliament of the World’s Religions."

I Guest It! Sex Ed Transforms

I am getting married at the beginning of June, and my partner is putting up posts on her blog every day this month, reflecting on the process of wedding-planning and marriage-making. Her blog "Sex Ed Transforms" is about sex education, conversation and communication that addresses how we influence ourselves, each other, and the young people in our lives with regards to sex and sexuality.

And she let me write a guest post! Check it out HERE!

And while you're there, read the whole series!

Graduation Speech on the literal/metaphorical power of Self-Reflection

My high school friend Tori Ball gave a fantastic speech at CES-JDS's high school graduation. Besides her supreme wit and winning delivery, this speech calls the graduates (and all of us) to commit time in our day and in our lives to self-reflection and self-reckoning. This is definitely a lot of what I mean by spirituality-- tending for the fact that one is a spirit, a being capable of self-awareness and reflection.

Scientific Secular Spirituality!

It's in the news, people! I'm not the only one...

Article on recent survey of atheist scientists and their spirituality

Look for acknowledgement that mystery, awe, beauty and connection to something great than oneself still exist, regardless of God.

My one concern: There's an appreciation of secular spirituality as something highly individual, and thus free from communal authority figures. While I see that spirituality tends toward the personal, I would love to find a way to create communal spiritual principles, expressions, and celebrations that draw their authority from the community.