Volume 7 Number 1

Why I am an Agnostic and Neither an Atheist Nor a Believer

Why I am an Agnostic and Neither an Atheist Nor a Believer

The mystery of existence is the greatest of all mysteries and the most basic of the big questions.  It is mainly what has kept me an agnostic rather than an atheist.  (It should be acknowledged that regarding Abrahamic concepts of God I’m more of an atheist.)  The immensity of the universe (or a multiverse cosmos) is incredible; impossible to fathom.  Thinking about this sometimes makes me wonder if perhaps almost anything might be possible. However, it doesn’t make me a believer.  I‘m in agreement with physicist Richard Feynman who once said in an interview:  “I can live with doubt and uncertainty.  I think it’s much more interesting to live NOT knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.”  I truly don’t know how there happens to be any existence.

Sexual Misconduct

Sexual Misconduct

Increasing numbers of women are publicly discussing their experiences with sexual misconduct. There have been many high-profile cases in which women have credibly charged men with sexual misconduct with much fallout accruing to the victimizers. This could bode well for future efforts to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Mothers Matter

Mothers Matter

Natural mothering ideology is the dominant mothering ideology in the United States. It has achieved dominance despite a lack of scientific evidence because it reflects deeply held beliefs that women’s needs and desires don’t matter, that mothers belong in the home and that children’s well-being can only be ensured by maternal suffering.

Gay is Good

Gay is Good

Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 began to inspire equal rights for marginalized groups, and before the Stonewall riots in 1969 energized the move towards more progressive social changes for gay people, homosexuality was considered to be a mental illness by both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association. Today the struggles for LGBT people have not been entirely erased, but the 2015 landmark opinion by the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage has pushed customs and institutions in the United States to become more equal. However, as many gay people still do, the author of this essay still harbors memories of the cruelly real world recently left behind.