Lives on Earth

atheism

  • Life after Dying? Absolutely

    I and many – not all – of the people I know feel quite sure that life ends at death. And yet we rely on an afterlife of a natural kind: other people’s lives will continue after we have gone.… Continue reading

  • Religion for Atheists

    In his 2012 book Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton has this message for atheists: don’t let your outrage at religion blind you to its wisdom about suffering and its contributions to culture. Religions (in the book, mostly Christianity, some Judaism… Continue reading

  • Spirituality and Genes

    How do we acquire our religious practices and beliefs? From our family? Our community? From our private moods and insights? Researchers have been sorting out answers. The emotional aspect of religion, our spirituality, is strongly influenced by the genes we inherit.… Continue reading

  • Non-Theists, God’s Love, and Evolution

    One of the benefits that believers gain from religion is the feeling that their deity cares for them. Mainstream Christians, Jews, Moslems generally believe either that god loves them and intervenes actively on their behalf or that god keeps a… Continue reading

  • God loves you. Does evolution?

    Evolution selected our ability to love. Can it also actually love us, as religious believers feel that God loves them? Let’s back up a bit. According to biologists, the roots of human love are found in the length of time… Continue reading

    God loves you. Does evolution?

  • “Do Atheists Have Deathbed Conversions?”

    As reported in Pacific Standard, two studies have shown that when reminded about dying, religious people strengthened their convictions, agnostics became more uncertain, and atheists clung to their disbelief. Not too surprising. The results support the Terror Management Theory that… Continue reading