God

Daddy, Daughter Discuss God (Again); More Cuteness Ensues By Wendy Thomas Russell | May 13, 2013: My husband and 7-year-old daughter had another totally awesome conversation about God a few days ago. They used to do that from time to time, but it’s been a while since the subject has come up in much detail. I sure love it when it does. The talks are always fun, insightful, thought-provoking and, frankly, cute as hell. They also present Charlie with golden opportunities to teach Maxine about honesty, diversity and the importance of kindness. Anyway, this one’s particularly good, so I wanted to share: Maxine: Where do you think God is? Like, which house or school… [...] Read more – ‘Daddy, Daughter Discuss God (Again); More Cuteness Ensues’.
One Set of ‘Footprints in the Sand’ is Plenty for This Kid By Wendy Thomas Russell | February 25, 2013: When I was growing up — Missouri, 1980s — half the kids I knew had a framed copy of “Footprints in the Sand” somewhere in their house. Usually hanging in the living room. That poem was as meaningful to these families as Rudyard Kipling’s “If” was to ours. (My mom gave me a poster-sized copy of “If” right before I entered adolescence. I must have read it 500 times.) The point is, although it wasn’t in my own home, “Footprints in the Sand” was a part of my childhood. I have vivid memories of staring [...] Read more – ‘One Set of ‘Footprints in the Sand’ is Plenty for This Kid’.
God’s (Alleged) Gender Proves Problematic for Some Parents By Wendy Thomas Russell | February 18, 2013: About a year ago — when my daughter was six — I noticed that she had been sitting in silence for a surprisingly long time. “Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m sad,” she said. “Why are you sad?” I asked. “Because,” she said, “God is a boy and not a girl.” “How do you know?” “I just know,” she said, glumly. “And why does that make you sad?” “Because,” she said. “I’m a girl.” I don’t spend a lot of time complaining about religion. Usually, I just don’t see the point. Religion is so big [...] Read more – ‘God’s (Alleged) Gender Proves Problematic for Some Parents’.
A Newer (And More Laid Back) Brand of Atheism By Wendy Thomas Russell | January 24, 2013: Religiously speaking, this is an unusual time in our history. Secularism is clearly on the rise, and yet religion maintain a stronghold over our society and politics. That science has boldly answered so many “mysteries of the universe” has not stopped supernatural beliefs from influencing how most Americans think and live. Every day I read headlines about how God is on the way out; every day I read headlines about how God is on the way up. For us nonbelievers, it’s hard to know where we stand, where the country stands — and what the future [...] Read more – ‘A Newer (And More Laid Back) Brand of Atheism’.
Taking the ‘Myth’ out of the Bible By Wendy Thomas Russell | November 15, 2012: Oh, Bible. You do confound us so. You are so very dense, complicated and repetitive, not to mention confusing, contradictory, outrageous and far too long-winded to actually read. And yet you are so wise, textured and powerful. You are surprising and exciting and flush with cultural references. In fact, you make it almost impossible for any of us to understand who we are as a civilization without at least getting your Cliffs Notes. As author E.D. Hirsch Jr. tells children in The First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: The Bible is by far the best-known book [...] Read more – ‘Taking the ‘Myth’ out of the Bible’.
12 Simple Differences Between Catholics and Protestants By Wendy Thomas Russell | October 11, 2012: The rapid rise of the “nones” — those unaffiliated with religious groups — was back in the news this week, when the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released its most recent study on American religiosity. Here’s what Pew had to say: The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling… Their ranks now include more than 13 million self-described [...] Read more – ‘12 Simple Differences Between Catholics and Protestants’.
The Inheritance of Anxiety By Wendy Thomas Russell | October 1, 2012: Sometimes, in looking through the responses to my Survey for Nonreligious Parents, I’m faced with perfect examples of What Not To Do. Here’s one from a mom: My child just yesterday stormed out of her classroom telling the teacher that she was ‘indoctrinating’ her in the telling of the Christian Easter story. I was very proud my child was so confident, assertive, and sure of her own non-belief that she was able to do this. Confident and assertive? You bet! But sure of her own non-belief? In elementary school? Hell no. Most likely, this child [...] Read more – ‘The Inheritance of Anxiety’.
‘Daddy, Tell Me a Story About Science’ By Wendy Thomas Russell | September 17, 2012: I was never very good at science. Mostly because it was taught to me the same way math was taught to me: It wasn’t. I mean, it was, technically. But not in a way that inspired me or held my interest for very long. I found it all difficult and boring. I grew up in a time when math and science were “boy” things. The teachers I had (with the exception of one extremely awesome biology teacher) were men who seemed to aim their instruction right over my head. Everything struck me as dry and [...] Read more – ‘‘Daddy, Tell Me a Story About Science’’.
A Political Side Note: Relax, Democrats, It’s Just ‘God’ By Wendy Thomas Russell | September 6, 2012: Have y’all been following the buzz over the decision to drop the word “God” from the Democratic Party’s 2012 platform? The drop caused a minor uproar a the convention this week, mostly among non-Democrats, who also objected to the platform’s failure to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Both positions were reversed yesterday by a much-disputed two-thirds vote by convention delegates. Watch how things went down: DNC officials have tried to pass off the God thing as a mistake more than a decision, but that’s hard to buy — especially when you see this [...] Read more – ‘A Political Side Note: Relax, Democrats, It’s Just ‘God’’.
God Saves! (But For Real This Time) By Wendy Thomas Russell | August 27, 2012: OUT in the Cold is a great little independent documentary about homeless gay kids funded by the Mathew Shepard Foundation. The short film, released in 2002, features youth who either were forced onto the streets or who ran away because their home lives were so unbearable. I mention it this blog because one of the featured youth was a dark-haired, kind-eyed, faith-filled kid named Rob Malone, whose home life was turned upside down when he came out as gay. Until then, Rob said, he’d enjoyed a normal, loving relationship with his parents and felt deeply connected to his [...] Read more – ‘God Saves! (But For Real This Time)’.