Outside of my day job, I enjoy reading, blogging, gaming & web design. I'm also a Houston Atheists assistant organizer.
It was a bit of a challenge writing this book review without revealing or spoiling the number of anecdotal gems contained within. Herb Silverman, if you’re unfamiliar, is an atheist, activist, and the President of the Secular Coalition for America. When asked to review Candidate Without a Prayer, I was at first concerned that it would be a three hundred page advert for the Coalition. It wasn’t. This book doesn’t take off quickly; in fact, the first three chapters have… Read more
You’ve heard of Dr. Darrel Ray, right? Author, speaker, psychologist, and founder of “Recovering from Religion” (R|R), an organization that helps people transition from a religious lifestyle into a secular one. Well, Darrel has begun another project with R|R and it’s something that many of us will find an invaluable resource. This new endeavor, called the Therapist Project, will be a registry of secular mental health professionals; it aims to provide people with resources that use proven, state of the… Read more
The news has been at capacity lately with attacks on issues of sexual freedom, and this book by psychologist Dr. Darrel Ray could not be more important to us all. Sex & God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality. The bold title and cover image of this book will supply you with endless entertainment from the odd glances you will receive; I made several people uncomfortable at Hobby Airport last month. Religions of all kinds use our powerful sex drives to infect… Read more
This past weekend I attended ReasonFest, a regional convention held on the University of Kansas, with over 500 attendees. When I arrived at the KCI airport Friday afternoon, I immediately regretted forgetting my jacket in Houston, as the temp was in the twenties and dropping rapidly. After an afternoon of restful fireside reading, there was a casual pre-convention party at my host’s home that kicked off the weekend right with great conversation and local brews. It’s fascinating to watch a… Read more
This past October, while attending the TX Freethought Convention, I had the opportunity to hear Sean Faircloth speak. Directly following his presentation, I ventured to the bookstore and purchased his first book, Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All — and What We Can Do About It (which is officially released today). Earlier in the day I had perused the bookstore and had bypassed the gaudy bookcover a few times. The maxim rings true, as the… Read more
