Posted inReality Science

My atheist sources of awe: existence, evolution, consciousnessI

In my previous Church of the Churchless post I talked about how much I liked "The Way of Wonder" by Jack Haas. Wonder, awe, even reverence -- these aren't feelings that only religious believers have.  Hey, us atheists are equally wonder-filled, awestruck, reverent before something much greater than us. We just are in awe of what really exists, not what is imagined to exist.  (Like God, heaven, soul, spirit.) On a dog walk this afternoon I got to thinking about what I find most atheistically awesome about reality. Here's my top three, in order of awesomeness.  Naturally I've included links…
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Posted inBooks Spiritual practice/meditation

Check out “The Way of Wonder” by Jack Haas. It’s, well, wonderful!

So, what do you read if you're not religious, but you're still filled with a sense of wonder about the marvelous mystery of the cosmos? How do you inspire yourself "spiritually" if you don't believe in God or any other theological fantasy, yet still want to feel an energetic boost that impels you more strongly to know the unknowable insofar as it can be known? My top answer is Jack Haas' book, The Way of Wonder.  I bought it nine years ago, in 2008. Somehow it took me until 2013 to leave an Amazon review. Which is still the only…
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Posted inWu Project

“Wu chi” and “don’t know” go nicely together

It's funny (I mean, interesting) when you read a book and only one sentence sticks with you. I figure that if I remember it after many years, that sentence must have a significant meaning for me. A meaningful sentence I recall from one of Huston Smith's books came from a Zen practitioner: "I have a new koan: I could be wrong."  Beautiful!  I'm wrong all the time. So I can totally identify with this sentiment.  Lately I've been enjoying using a similar idea as a sort of mantra when I'm going to sleep at night and find that my mind…
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Posted inTaoism/Tai Chi

“Trying Not to Try” is a great book about wu-wei, spontaneous action

Has this ever happened to you? You're going to bed a bit early because you have an important meeting in the morning and need to be well rested. Reclining your head on the pillow, you say to yourself "I need to get to sleep, so I'll make sure I'm relaxed."  An hour later, you're still awake, even though usually you fall asleep in just a few minutes. It's dawning on you that trying to sleep is keeping you from sleeping.  So now you try not to try to fall asleep. Which, of course, is still trying. That doesn't work either.…
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Posted inChristianity/Jesus

Roadside cross in Salem unconstitutional, says Freedom From Religion Foundation

There's a roadside memorial in the town where I live (Salem, Oregon) that features a four-foot cross. I have no problem with temporary displays of grief after someone has been killed in a traffic accident, but this memorial has been on Kuebler Boulevard for at least ten years. That's way too long. It needs to go. So says the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has written Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett, citing legal decisions that a cross on public property is unconstitutional.  Download FFRF letter to Mayor Bennett Joe Douglass, a reporter for Portland's KATU television station, filed a story about…
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Posted inChristianity/Jesus

“Jesus Loves Strippers” sign removal gets lots of attention

Proving that I'm used my retirement time wisely, here's a video I captured from my TV of a KATU (Portland, Oregon) news story about the controversy over a "Jesus Loves Strippers" sign that was placed illegally in the public right of way in Salem, my home town. I was interviewed for the story! In my remarks I'm representing Salem Community Vision, a group I'm a member of that seeks to improve the vitality, vibrancy, and overall coolness of semi-sleepy Salem. A Salem Community Vision colleague has been keeping track of where the KATU story has spread since July 3. Here's the…
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