Articles written by Alan Perlman

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About me - Alan Perlman

I've been a secular humanist as long as I can remember. When they put the words "under God" into Pledge, I said to myself, "I'm not saying that." And I never did. I was 12 years old time.

My writings in Helium are mostly about secular humanism. One of my goals

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Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Good without God: Secular humanism and morality: 1 of 19
Don't look now, but your neighbor, uncle, cousin, coworker - or even the person next to you in church or synagogue - might be a (gasp!) secular humanist. A secular humanist is almost the same thing as an atheist. If there's a difference, I suppose it's that the atheist focuses on the absence of God, whereas secular humanists,... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Reasons not to believe in God: 31 of 188
I think a life without God, prayer, and obsessing over the Bible is a much better life! I should know - that's how I've lived.Over the centuries, God has gotten excellent PR and marketing. When the times required it, the Torah God was supplemented with a nicer God. As humans evolved, so did their concept of God. I wonder if t... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Reflections: Atheism: 19 of 80
Religious literacy - what is it and how can secular humanist/atheists achieve it?"Americans get an F' in religion," announces a USA Today cover story (sec. D, 3/8/07), reporting on a new book, Stephen Prothero's "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know." The author laments the fact that people don't know the fir... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religious Speculations & Criticisms Book reviews: The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins: 3 of 12
A second look at Richard DawkinsThis is my second look at Richard Dawkins. My first look came during a recent viewing of an episode of South Park, in which the great man was placed in a, shall we say, compromising (no, let's go further: degrading) position, as if to illustrate that the even skeptical atheism can be desecrated... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism An atheist examination of the Bible: 5 of 16
The Bible is unquestionably one of the most written and talked about - if not the most written and talked about - book in the world. It may also be one of the most lied about. I know that's harsh. But bear with me. It is the only charge that can conscionably be leveled by a person who believes in science and reason as the pat... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Heaven, Hell & Afterlife Exploring the possibility of life after death: 21 of 49
"All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."I have, unfortunately, been compelled to consider yet again these wise words from James Thurber. If humanists are to offer anything positive to religious believers, it must certainly include a way to think about and deal with de... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Climate Change Global warming denial patterns: 17 of 36

As I watched the NASCAR racers go round and round, it occurred to me that I was observing the most blatant and flagrant denial of our overconsuming and probably unsustainable lifestyle: the recreational use of fuel.It's not just NASCAR. It's everywhere. And nobody seems to notice it, even in themselves. Is someone who buys a ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Judaism What is Zionism from a secular humanism point of view: 1 of 2

"O Jerusalem of gold, of brass and of light,For all your songsI will be your harp."Traditional Hebrew song"Zionism" is an emotionally loaded word, and like other such words, it has sharply different meanings, depending on who's talking and in what context.Zionism has been around, as a word and as a concept, for my whole life.... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Judaism A Secular humanist view of the Torah: 1 of 2
Many Jews revere the Torah but don't know the first thing about it. I wrote a whole book about the Torah, the purpose of which was to de-mythologize and de-mystify it.A few factsLet me re-cap a few facts about this most misunderstood and overrated document: Science (linguistics, history, archaeology, anthropology, and other d... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Pro-God propaganda in the media: 1 of 1
This just in: The New York Times affirms that God exists. After years of agonizing over whether the New York Times was going to come down for or against God, I can now rest. God exists. All is right with the world.God exists NOT One of the great things about being a secular humanist or at least an agnostic is that you never w... More..