We, humans, seem to be afraid of uncertainty. Or to put it another way, we yearn for complete certainty. But why? Oddly, science and religion, using their broadest notions, have been pitted against … [Read more...]
Human
Why Are There So Many Secret Atheists?
Recently I attended a meeting for atheists and agnostics. The primary purpose of the group, as I understand it, is to function as a community of support. To start the meeting everyone was asked to … [Read more...]
Questioning the Standard Life Cycle of an Atheist
I’ve been an atheist all my life, but I didn’t notice until I was in high school. I didn’t notice because it never felt like a big deal. I didn’t feel discriminated against. I didn’t feel excluded or … [Read more...]
Genocide and Others
After visiting the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem I must have been visibly upset. An Israeli woman who was part of our tour group, knowing my Jewish heritage, approached me to ask who in my family was … [Read more...]
Unreconcilable Beliefs: Humanism, Witches, and Human Rights
Before I went to Ghana I had no idea there were witches there. For me witchcraft accusations were of historical interest, not a contemporary concern. How wrong I was. Witchcraft accusations are … [Read more...]
Serving Water
Today I spent two hours washing all my clothes by hand. All my clothes except the ones I was wearing. That’s five shirts, two pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, four socks, five pairs of underwear, … [Read more...]
From Just Us To All Of Us
I am not sure if awe inspiring authentic communities can be defined, but recent travels lead me to believe that I might know them when I see them. To truly witness such community is to become a part … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Communities
How can we refuse those who come? A constant refrain as we visited Kukuo, a camp for alleged witches in northern Ghana, was that the accused women are part of the larger community not merely … [Read more...]
Building Community
In La Fond-Jeanette, the village in Haiti where we spent a month building latrines with Children of the Border, there are no roads. There is no plumbing. There is no electricity except from a few … [Read more...]
Surprising Smiles with Accused Witches in Ghana
In Ghana, like much of Africa, belief in witchcraft is quite common. So are witchcraft accusations. The vast majority of accusations are levied at old women. Who can no longer produce children. … [Read more...]
Toppled White Castles in Africa and America
I visited two slave castles recently—Cape Coast and Elmina in Ghana. I am rarely so aware of my skin color. I’m conscious that white privilege is why I am even able to say that. It is absolutely … [Read more...]