On finding meaning in nature

"When it comes to the makings of a meaningful life, the natural world offers a richness and depth that are worthy of celebration. As biological creatures with a secular, humanist perspective, it's all we would ever want." -Tom Krattenmaker.

https://thehumanist.com/features/articles/celebrating-the-worldview-that-embraces-the-natural-world-in-its-finite-imperfect-glory

But he had this in common with Freud

Frederick Crews, Withering Critic of Freud's Legacy, Dies at 91

A literary critic, essayist and author, he was a leading voice among revisionist skeptics who saw Freud as a charlatan and psychoanalysis as a pseudoscience.

"One of his great pleasures in life was skepticism," Professor Pinsky said. "With vivid glee, he told me about recataloging and organizing the library in the summer camp where he was tennis instructor. That athletic, intellectual young man took pleasure in cataloging the Bible under fiction."

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/24/books/frederick-crews-dead.html?pvid=JOSmglOKXSWPRoKC2Y__4izy&smid=em-share

When in Rome (or Riyadh)

Discussing atheism in highly religious countries

Written by Guest author

With the news replete with stories of humanists and freethinkers killed and persecuted for ‘blasphemy’ around the world, Alex Sinclair-Lack asks ‘How candid can I be about my beliefs’? 

...just by opening a dialogue you create a safe space for other people to explore their own doubt or scepticism, but who are unlikely to have had the same freedoms you have had. This is more likely than you might think. According to a 2012 WIN/Gallup poll, 18% of people in the Arab world consider themselves ‘not a religious person’. That is the equivalent of 75 million people. The percentage rises to as high as 33% in Lebanon and perhaps even more surprisingly, 19% in Saudi Arabia. Even if you do not meet these people directly, you may indirectly inspire tolerance towards them. And there is a reasonable chance you will have enough influence on someone to make them consider before jumping to harsh judgement and disownment. Atheists and agnostics within highly religious countries have one hell of a trail to blaze. What I am advocating is recognising your privilege and using it to help their journey run a little smoother.

I’m not supporting walking around the holy land with an ‘I love Richard Dawkins’ t-shirt. I only had this conversation when I was somewhat confident that I was safe. I would not be so brave as to openly discuss it in Bangladesh or Saudi Arabia, where the price of standing up for non-belief has been such a tragic one. In at least thirteen countries, atheism is punishable by death. And in these countries, the bravery and dangers faced by activists fighting to protect their right to non-belief is not to be compared with anything I will ever encounter. Nor would I be naive enough to claim that everyone has the luxury to speak so openly about non-belief. But it is recognition of that privilege that motivates me. I have been lucky enough to grow up in a society where I am free from these dangers; most people are not.

Use your wits and your intuition, when you feel unsafe, keep your views to yourself. Check the Freedom of Thought Report before you visit any religious country and only do what you feel comfortable with. Given an opportunity, atheists who live with the privilege of safety have a responsibility to detoxify the debate for those that don’t. For me, it is a risk worth taking. Some of my most humbling experiences were when Jordanian people were telling me that I had helped them combat their prejudices. All humanists have a small part to play.

---

Alex Sinclair-Lack is a writer with an appetite for travel. You can follow his writing and his exploits on Twitter at @alexsinclair.

This I Believe

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Phil Oliver (@osopher)

Young Women Are Fleeing Organized Religion. This Was Predictable.

They're increasingly identifying as feminist at the same time that some denominations are drawing conservative lines in the sand.

...she couldn't get past the sexism and the limits to her individuality that she associated with being an observant Christian. "I've just kind of been focusing on my individual spirituality, whatever that might mean," she said, "or even just not doing anything spiritual at all."

For a future newsletter, I'm looking to talk to anyone who identifies as "spiritual but not religious." If that describes you, drop me a line here. Jessica Grose, nyt