Sanctuary for the Secular

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Is God Too Small for the Universe?

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The Strange Case Of Barry Sherman

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The Universalism of Christopher Hitchens

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A Code to Live By

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Humanism 2.0

Challenge Your Ideas About Humanism

February/March 2024

Sanctuary for the Secular

Volume 44, No. 2

Latest Articles



The Needs of the Nones
January 24, 2024

On the most recent episode of the Center for Inquiry’s podcast Point of Inquiry, I talked to Free Inquiry contributor Sarah An Myers about millennial attitudes toward religion and atheism. It is complementary to the previous episode of the show that I hosted, in which I talked to political scientist Juhem Navarro-Rivera about the relative …


Take Me to Church
Volume 44, No. 2
February/March 2024

It is the world’s great religions that have perhaps given most thought to the role played by the environment in determining identity and so—while seldom constructing places where we might fall asleep—have shown the greatest sympathy for our need for a home. —Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness The architecture firm I write for …

Science, the Poetry of Reality, Jewel in Humanity’s Crown
Volume 44, No. 2
February/March 2024

Aristotle was tutor to Alexander the Great. You could be the tutor of Aristotle. And thrill him to the core of his being. Aristotle’s was one of the great intellects of all time. But you know far more. You have a deeper, more penetrating, more comprehensive understanding of the way the world works. Such is …

Is Veganism a Moral Imperative?
Volume 44, No. 2
February/March 2024

Morality is a human invention. Most of us who accept the truth of that proposition also believe that our moral principles are subject to review and criticism and should be revised if they cannot be rationally justified. This brings me to the claim made by some that veganism is a moral imperative. By “veganism,” I …

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Curious About What's Next?

For the questions that remain unanswered after we’ve cleared our minds of gods and souls and spirits, many atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and freethinkers turn to secular humanism.

Looking Back



No God, Know Peace: Introduction
Volume 34, No. 2
February / March 2014

In the April/May 2013 issue, FREE INQUIRY invited readers to submit autobiographical essays describing the life-stance odysseys that had led them to their present positions of secular humanism or atheism.


Why I Am Not a Born-again Christian
Volume 34, No. 2
February / March 2014

I had a fairly normal childhood. Most weeks I attended Sunday school, sorting through crayon nubs to color pictures of farm animals, children, and disciples all clustered around Jesus with looks of adoration.


Why I Am Not an Observant Jew
Volume 34, No. 2
February / March 2014

I was fifteen years old (I am now eighty-nine) when I discarded the myth that there exists somewhere an entity that created the universe and, by the way, also the human species.


No God, Know Peace: Introduction
Volume 34, No. 2
February / March 2014

In the April/May 2013 issue, FREE INQUIRY invited readers to submit autobiographical essays describing the life-stance odysseys that had led them to their present positions of secular humanism or atheism.


Why I Am Not a Born-again Christian
Volume 34, No. 2
February / March 2014

I had a fairly normal childhood. Most weeks I attended Sunday school, sorting through crayon nubs to color pictures of farm animals, children, and disciples all clustered around Jesus with looks of adoration.