april updates

moses

1. I’m still at work on the Deuteronomy post and plan to post by Sunday. (More to say than I remembered…Holy Moses!)
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pennineway

2. We’re now into Chapter Four of Northing at Midlife, my still (dammit) unpublished travel narrative describing my secular midlife crisis on the trails of Britain. Chapter 4 is one of my favorites in the book. In today’s installment, I chat with my colon and trash-talk a beloved poet. Check it out.
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beccabutt

3. One of my regulars (ondfly123) had a *spectacular* idea: a guest column by my wife Becca!

I, stupidly, had never even thought of it. She doesn’t even read the blog. (Her loving reply “And when exactly am I gonna find time to read your blog?!” is just one of the many ways she protects me from dangerously high levels of self-esteem.) Earlier this morning, I told her about the suggestion that she guest-blog. She screamed, then laughed and said she’d do it. Woohoo! Watch for it.
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mcgowan kids
4. That has given me an even better idea. I’m going to see if my kids are interested in writing occasional posts. Turn this thing into a family affair! (Without Mrs. Beasley.)
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aai

5. I’ve been asked to write a feature for AAI’s Secular Nation magazine — “an overview/critique of several ongoing atheist and Freethinking projects that increase visibility of this community in the public square.” Vacillated, hemmed, hawed, then agreed. Hard to pass up a chance to do 3000 unpaid words when I’m under so many deadlines. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking and talking about quite a bit lately, so I fear I’ll find something to say.
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matt cherry

6. Working with the brilliant and cool Matt Cherry at the Institute for Humanist Studies on an initiative we’re calling ONE SAFE GENERATION. The idea is to break the cycle of inherited violence by working toward a single generation safe from the fear of physical harm under which so many kids now grow up — everything from corporal punishment to forced conscription in war. Matt noticed that the London-based International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), which has resolutions on a number of important social issues, has no stated policy position on corporal punishment. He asked me to draft a resolution, which we’ve now submitted to the IHEU for consideration at their upcoming General Assembly in Washington DC in June. I’ll share the text eventually.

pbb

7. For those of you who’ve asked about PBB events and other news: We’ve now added a NEWS box to the PBB homepage below the main menu.

awakenings!

fawn

Doe! — H. Simpson

Those of you who visit regularly — and hey, thanks for that, by the way — surely noticed a drop in activity at the Meming of Life in recent weeks. I found myself awash in 2 much 2 do: the webinars, the seminars, working on the follow-up book for Parenting Beyond Belief, finishing enormous freelance projects for the clients who feed my children, researching a proposal for a third book, and more. Oh, like parenting. Heh.

I’m emerging from it now, gradually. As a result, the Meming of Life is reawakening, blinking in the bright light of the Internet like a spring fawn. Stick that freakin light, says wee blinking fawn.

What to expect:

I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule of twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday.

The serialization of my occasionally humorous death-obsessed secular travel narrative Northing at Midlife is back on track. The current post is the end of chapter three and the Cotswold Way, after which we head into the north of England and the Coast-to-Coast Walk, where I nearly or actually die, I won’t tell you which.

I’ll put some new links into Ten Wonderfull Things very shortly.

The next installment of Bookin’ through the Bible will go up later this week. Leviticus, uh…woohoo!

I’ll also continue the Laughing Matters series, trying ever so hard to remember my original point.

I’ll share the single weirdest and most thought-provoking statistic I have ever heard.

I’ll fill y’all in on how the seminar tour is going (pretty darn well, and getting better all the time) and share some of the content, as well as the joys and silliness of life on the road.

I’ll bring you up-to-date on the next book, which has just been titled–and hey, titled well!

Several recent fun facts indicate that nonreligious parenting continues to grow and flourish around the country:

1. Parenting Beyond Belief has climbed in Amazon sales again, recently rising to 2400–the top one-tenth of one percent, and even higher than it opened nearly one year ago. It is (at this writing) once again the #1 Parenting Reference on Amazon and #2 in Parenting Education;

2. Several nonreligious parenting groups and humanist children’s programs have formed in recent months around the country, including Portland OR, Albuquerque NM, Raleigh NC, Palo Alto CA, and New York City;

3. Each month since last September, this website has logged thousands more visitors than the previous month. Yesterday the PBB site had over 1400 visitors –the most ever in a single day;

4. I’ve begun to get a steady trickle of unintentionally funny emails from fundamentalists.

So I’m back in the saddle as we head for the one year anniversary on April 9. Happy spring, you secular parents you.

The ‘Out’ Parent: column by Noell Hyman (Agnostic Mom)

March 20, 2008
By Dale McGowan
In belief and believers, diversity, nonbelief and nonbelievers, Parenting, PBB, schools
15

The “Out” Parent

guest column by Noell Hyman

outofcloset

This column also appears in the March 19 issue of Humanist Network News.
________________

I walked into my child’s preschool one day right before class was to let out. There was a lobby full of parents and one of them raised her voice above the crowd to say to me, “I noticed your license plate says AGMOM. What does that mean?”

Those of you who have read my articles or blog will recognize it as my blog name, Agnostic Mom. While most of my friends know about this, it wasn’t something I wanted to shout across a crowded room of parents at my child’s preschool. Yet there they all were, staring at me, curious.

I had figured out an evasive strategy for these types of situations. It goes like this. 1) Give a vague, answer, like “Oh, it’s just a blog name I used to use.” 2) Immediately change the subject. For example, “What are the kids doing? I was so worried I’d be late today because I was…”

My strategy, which I only used in the most threatening situations, seemed to work until the principal of my older children’s elementary school took notice of the plates. Thanks to my state’s Open Enrollment policy, my kids attend a progressive public school that is outside of our district. But don’t get the wrong idea. The school is progressive by Mormon-dominated Mesa, Arizona standards, and most of the students are Mormon or active in some other Christian religion.

As I was dropping my kids off at the front of the school one morning, the principal, always happy and enthusiastic, swung the car door open for the kids to get out and asked me, “What does AGMOM mean?”

I gave my usual “blog name” response, but before I could move on to strategy step number two he persisted, “But what does the AG stand for?”

I had one of those moments where the world somehow pauses for you while a page worth of thoughts and images swim through your mind. This is the argument happening in my mind during that moment:

He can easily kick my kids out of this school or not allow them back next year.

Yeah, but he’s progressive and liberal in his philosophies.

Progressive or not, he’s a Mormon and a believer.

But he has filled the school with non-Mormon teachers…he’s got a reputation for openness.

I blurted it out, “It means Agnostic Mom.”

He got a look on his face that suggested a realization he had probed in the wrong place; as if to say, “Sorry for making you answer that. It’s really not my business.”

He waved goodbye, and immediately the librarian stopped me to say hi. “What does your license plate mean?”

I couldn’t believe it. Twice within a minute? But the worst was done. The man with the power to end the type of education that is perfect for my children already knows what it means. Nothing else matters now.

“It means Agnostic Mom,” I said, and flashed the librarian a big smile.

Surprised, he let me go, and life has continued as usual. My children were accepted to return to the school next year and even my preschooler will get to start in August for kindergarten.

While Arizona is conservative, the state leans libertarian. Even most Mormons follow a “Live and Let Live” mentality. Things might have gone differently if we were living in Kansas, a part of the less-tolerant Bible-Belt where I finished high school. But after five years of telling people I’m atheist or agnostic (whichever term I feel like using at the time) I have not lost a friend and neither have my children. They have chosen to be open about not believing in gods, as well.

Once in a while there is even a surprise response. Like the time my daughter replied to a cafeteria discussion of Jesus with, “I don’t believe in Jesus.” Her closest friend, whose mother I befriended more than two years prior, answered, “I don’t either.”

In all those play dates when we swapped ideas on vegetarianism, environmentalism, travel and arts, religion never came into our minds. I had no idea. So when my daughter told me her story, I called and the mother was just as surprised and delighted as I was.

Then last week, my washer repairman asked me what my license plate means and I told him, “Agnostic Mom.”

A smile grew on his face and he practically shouted, “You don’t believe in god?” I laughed, “No.” And suddenly he wouldn’t stop talking, like I was the first person in years he could share his stories with.

I can’t think of a circumstance now where I wouldn’t feel comfortable answering a question about my license plate. Venturing into that territory has been a positive thing for me. Introducing believers to a happy godless person is a positive thing for everyone.
____________________________
noellandaiden

Noell Hyman (pictured with son Aiden) is a stay-at-home mom of three children, living in Mesa, Arizona. The once-blogger for AgnosticMom.com, was a regular columnist for Humanist Network News. She is the author of two articles in Parenting Beyond Belief. She now blogs and podcasts on her favorite subject, which is the visual art of story-telling through scrapbooking. Visit Noell at Agnostic Mom or at Paperclipping.

Discovering Diversity: guest column by Roberta Nelson

February 24, 2008
By Dale McGowan
In diversity, nonbelief and nonbelievers, Parenting, PBB
19

DISCOVERING DIVERSITY

Guest column by Rev. Dr. Roberta Nelson

rainbowsmoke
_________________________________

Today when we welcome a child into the world, we know that it is a welcome into a constantly changing and challenging place. Our roles will include being parent, mentor, and guide. Our children, young people, and we ourselves cannot be sheltered from the many changes world presents. If we are not to stifle our children’s curiosity and questioning on this magnificent journey, we will need to be learning along with them.

Today the school system that my children attended includes a diverse Asian, African American, and Hispanic population. Within five years the white population will constitute a minority. In addition, there are new issues of class, gender, and politics

We cannot hide. This stunning diversity opens doors of understanding to religious rituals, language, foods, celebrations, clothing, and ceremonies. Being a companion and guide requires an open mind and heart. It invites us to let go of fears, misunderstandings, and prejudice. We need to acknowledge our own past learnings and experiences and to invite open conversation within the family about where we learned or experienced them and what has helped us to change. This way of being is not esoteric or removed. It is lived in the every day as we open ourselves to new understandings.

There are many doors to open:

1. One of my family’s most memorable experiences was serving as a host family for a student from India while he attended university. In many communities there are opportunities to host high school students from other countries. Our young people could partake of similar experiences.

2. One of our daughters served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa. She continues to share her experiences with groups and individuals of all ages. There are returning volunteers in most communities.

3. I know of local schools where the whole school spends the year exploring one country through stories, music, art, food, and information. Some of the best resources are people in the community who have traveled or lived abroad. Families that travel can plan trips that provide a wide variety of discovery. For seniors, Elder Hostel is a valuable source of opportunities, some for children and their grandparents.

4. Some of the richest and least expensive sources include your local library, PBS station, and local colleges or universities.

5. The Yellow Pages can be a good resource for locating religious institutions in the area that we could otherwise overlook.

6. Today, there is a wide array of stories for children of all ages that can open doors of understanding.

7. Some museums specialize in particular cultures and groups, e.g., the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African Art are both part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Perhaps the hardest for some people to explore are the opportunities in our own workplace, schools, neighbors, play groups, and sports. The first step is often hardest. More than one overture may be necessary before a shared experience takes place.

It is crucial for nonreligious parents to include exposure to religious diversity. As I wrote in Parenting Beyond Belief,

[I]n order to understand current world events, coworkers, neighbors, and friends, we need to be religiously literate. Parents especially need to help their children to be aware of the great diversity of faiths and cultures….Choosing not to affiliate or join a religious community does not shield a parent from [religious] questions—you will still need to be able to answer some or all of them.…Regardless of whether we call ourselves religious, we are our children’s first and primary educators….If you do not provide the answers, someone else will—and you may be distressed by the answers they provide.

If you wish to visit a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue, be sure to make arrangements in advance to explain that your children will be with you and why you are interested in coming. Be sure to have a family discussion when you return.

The challenge of our time is well summed up in words often attributed to Søren Kierkegaard, “To venture causes anxiety, not to venture is to lose oneself.”
__________________________
THE REV. ROBERTA M. NELSON, DD is Emeritus Minister of Religious Education at the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. She is coauthor of the curricula Parents as Resident Theologians, Parents as Social Justice Educators, and Parents as Spiritual Guides. She authored the essay “On Being Religiously Literate” in Parenting Beyond Belief. This column also appears in the February 20 issue of Humanist Network News.

incoming!

January 31, 2008
By Dale McGowan
In belief and believers, nonbelief and nonbelievers, PBB
11

flaming death

I’m a tad excited. I got myself a piece of hate mail.

Okay, it’s not really that hateful — just a little irritated, perhaps. So I got myself a piece of irritated mail, then.

But can I just call it hate mail? Because it’s the first one I’ve gotten since the book release that’s even close, the very first, and I was ever-so-ready in the beginning to get a lot of them. I was so ready to be pounced on when Parenting Beyond Belief was released that I pre-wrote answers to six different types of complaints I had anticipated — four for complaining Christians and two for complaining atheists. Spent some serious time on them, I did, and they’re cracking good answers, kill-’em-with-kindness type answers that leave the victim with a goofy, pleasant grin, unsure quite why he can’t feel his extremities anymore and entirely oblivious to the rivulets of steaming scat running down his forehead into his tiny little eyes. That kind of answer.

But the complaints never came. Oh, a little here and there, some of them points well-taken, but not much static to speak of. Almost everyone’s been quite decent about the book, even when they disagree with this or that bit.

Now what kind of crap luck is that?

Then I got this:

To whom it may concern-

The book “Parenting Beyond Belief” is ridiculous. I feel sorry for any child raised by atheist parents. I only hope that you can see that raising a child is the absolute best thing for them.

God Bless —

John R______

See? That’s the worst I’ve received since PBB came out, and it’s not even that bad. Just irritated, and a bit confused in the last sentence.

The angriest letter I ever got followed the lockout debacle/media frenzy to which I alluded in an earlier post, the one at the College of St. Catherine in 2003 when, as a faculty member, I invited a nonreligious scholar to speak on the Catholic campus. That letter (one of dozens at the time) told me I was a “son-of-a-bitch,” instructed me to kiss the college president’s (wait for it!) shoes for feeding my family despite my apparent “intentions to sew [sic] confusion in the minds of students at a Catholic college,” promised me Hell — and ended with “Gods Blessings on you.”

I thought sure PBB would draw more such fire. I was even assured by Lisa Miller at Newsweek that I would be “in the crosshairs of the Religious Right” after the article came out. There’s been a bit of grumbling on websites here and there , but that’s it.

Don’t think I’m really complaining. My word, I’m quite relieved that I haven’t had to waste energy in that direction. But I’m puzzled. Relieved and puzzled. Most of my mail looks more like this, which came in less than an hour after the “God Bless” message:

Dale,

This past year:

I read your book.

Joined a Humanist Group

Told my 12 year old it is OK not to believe

And now the cycle of religion is broken and she is free to focus on life rather than afterlife

Life is good and it’s about time. I’m 50. My parents, brothers, sister and wife are believers but I’ve always had strong but quiet doubt.

Now I’m OK with not pretending anymore and I don’t sit back when I need to stand up for myself. I accept my way as what normal should be and urge family to accept my thinking as I accept theirs.

Thanks,
G___

I hope I never stop being moved by messages like that.

good questions answered

I received two emails asking about the PBB Online Book Clubs, which begin in six days. Here are the answers:

1. NO, you don’t have to have read the book to be a part of the book clubs!

2. YES, you can register (FREE) and just listen in! You don’t have to participate in the actual Q&A unless you want to.

No more excuses, then! Join us! It’ll be fun and/or interesting. Here’s how it works:

You go to a given web address at the designated time, then call a provided phone number for the audio. The meeting starts with a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on your computer screen about nonreligious parenting in the U.S., the genesis (sorry) of the book Parenting Beyond Belief, and a quick rundown of the consensus of its contributing writers on best practices for nonreligious parents. Then I’ll open it up for questions. Click on the date of your choice to register:

Sunday, January 27 at noon Eastern
Monday, January 28 at 9:00 pm Eastern [REGISTRATION CLOSED]
Tuesday, January 29 at 9:00 pm Eastern [REGISTRATION CLOSED]
Wednesday, January 30 at 9:00 pm Eastern [REGISTRATION CLOSED]
Thursday, January 31 at 9:00 pm Eastern
Friday, February 1 at 9:00 pm Eastern
Saturday, February 2 at 3:00 pm Eastern [REGISTRATION CLOSED]

the pbb freebeebee

Yes, I’m aware that I’m posting like mad, right after warning that I’d be posting like sane from now on. But there’s news!

I’ve worked out a new plan with the company that is hosting the web seminars — one that will reduce my costs by a good bit. So we here at PBB International are passing the savings on to you!

The PBB Book Club meetings (Jan 27-Feb 2) will now be free of charge. I just finished refunding the fees to those of you who were already registered. The topical webinars (beginning Feb 17) will still include the $18 fee, so feel free to transfer your refund over to one of those. Or send out for pizza! The choice is yours. But the pizza, of course, is less enlightening and more fattening.

Registration for the book clubs is still limited to fifteen each, and one has already closed, so if you want to join us, hurry up and put your name in the goblet!

deeep breath

Ohhhhh-kay. A quick look back at an interesting year:

January 20, 2007

ParentingBeyondBelief.com

February 14

PBB Discussion Forum

March 25

• The Meming of Life blog goes online.

April 9

Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion

May

See current

June

Minneapolis Star Tribune.

July

August

• A quiet month in Lake Wobegon. Scratched self in itchy place.

September

Atheist Alliance Convention

October

L’actualite

Catholic Quebecois go ballistic

November

• Contract signed for second book in PBB series.

December

Secular Web

January 2008
• As of this morning (14 Jan), after nine months, PBB is still the #1 Parenting Reference, #1 in Parenting Education, and #2 in Morals & Responsibility on Amazon, and still ranks in the top one-tenth of one percent of all books.
• Preparations underway for the PBB Online Book Club (starting Jan 27), PBB Webinars (starting Feb 17) and the PBB traveling seminars. Current plans include Washington DC (Feb 9-11) Minneapolis (March 1), Raleigh (March 15), St. Louis, Amherst NY (May 9), Palo Alto CA, and Atlanta, with more to come.
____________________

Things are getting exceedingly busy now as I test out the possibility of making secular parenting education my full time day job. And there’s the rub. Between the webinars, the seminars, working on the second book, and the raising of the family, I’m going to have to slow down a bit on the Meming of Life. Just a bit. The blogging pace to this point has been extremely useful to me. Scattered among the 132 posts are dozens of ideas that will be in the second book, and one post has actually given me an idea for another book, for which I’m now writing a proposal. I hope you can see why I need to free up some hours.

We’ll be stretching out both the Bookin’ through the Bible series and Laughing Matters, and the overall posting rate will drop to about twice a week, usually Mondays and Thursdays. Thank you both for continuing to read and comment. I really do appreciate it.

(Watch for the next installment of Bookin’ through the Bible shortly — a special guest blogger on Exodus.)

Thinking by Example: guest column by Stu Tanquist

January 07, 2008
By Dale McGowan
In critical thinking, Parenting, PBB, values
16

Thinking by Example

By Stu Tanquist
contributing author, Parenting Beyond Belief

(This column also appears in the current (Jan 4, 2008) issue of Humanist Network News.)

We want our children to make wise choices. We hope they will follow our example and use good “common sense.” But when it comes to our own mental faculties, are we really as competent as we presume? And more importantly, what kind of example are we really setting for our kids?

Most people have just one way of enhancing their reasoning skills – the school of hard knocks. We make good choices and bad choices, learn from our decisions and move on. Though vital to our success and survival, this hit-and-miss approach is fraught with peril. Can you really afford to be wrong when considering an alternative cancer therapy or a belief system that compels you to sacrifice countless hours and thousands of dollars? Clearly the school of hard knocks is not a reliable solution, for we could invest a good portion of our lives making one giant mistake, or even bring about our untimely demise.

Strangely, few people make a serious intentional effort to improve their own reasoning skills, and are therefore less capable of helping their children do the same. For many, the solution is to seek a good education and embrace lifelong learning, but is that a trustworthy choice?

You can earn graduate degrees from accredited and respected universities in disciplines that are grounded in nonsense. They appear impressively scientific, yet rely on magical thinking rather than legitimate scientific method and strong credible evidence. If the material you learn is not true, have you really gained knowledge? Philosophers overwhelmingly say no, and for good reason. But even so, increasing your knowledge is only part of the equation. Rather than blindly believing whatever we are told, we need good reasoning skills to determine how much confidence to place in any given truth claim.

How then does one improve his or her ability to reason? The first step is to get grounded by understanding where we are prone to error. If we appreciate our innate fallibility we are less prone to accept and maintain beliefs with unfounded confidence. Let’s try a quick assessment. On a blank sheet of paper, write your answers to the following questions:

If you are like most people, there is still a lot of white space on that sheet of paper indicating that there is room for additional understanding.

Consider the following analogy. Imagine that a computer has been designed to give you advice that could have an enormous positive or negative impact on the quality of your life. How confident would you be in its answers if you knew that it had serious flaws and was frequently prone to error? Most of us would have strong reservations, yet we implicitly trust our own flawed minds.

________________________________

Simply stated, we are much more fallible than we intuitively presume
ourselves to be – a time tested recipe for error. It’s called being human.

________________________________

Cognitive scientists seem endlessly entertained by exposing the myriad of ways in which our thoughts and actions are misguided. Simply stated, we are much more fallible than we intuitively presume ourselves to be – a time tested recipe for error. It’s called being human.

Though humbling, this simple reality need not be depressing. Yes we are prone to error, but with intentional effort we can significantly enhance our reasoning skills. While we may not ever match wits with the wisest of the wise, we can all improve the hand that was dealt to us by our genetics, environment and experience. For greater understanding, the following books offer a great start.

How We Know What Isn’t So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life

How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age

Attacking Faulty Reasoning: A Practical Guide to Fallacy-Free Arguments

If our goal is to help our children make wise choices, then let’s start by setting a good example. Anyone can model the school of hard knocks. It takes humility and integrity to seriously consider and strive to overcome our own limitations, but the process can be deeply rewarding. Your kids are not the only ones who will benefit.
__________________________

Stu Tanquist is a self-employed trainer, seminar leader and instructional designer with over 20 years of experience in the learning and development industry. His employment history ranges from working as an emergency paramedic to serving as a strategic-level director for learning and development. A long time student of logic and reasoning, Stu holds three degrees. He authored the essay “Choosing Your Battles” in Parenting Beyond Belief.

PBB online seminars!

January 05, 2008
By Dale McGowan
In nonbelief and nonbelievers, Parenting, PBB
13

Registration is now open for the Parenting Beyond Belief Online Seminars and I’m giddy about it. Here’s the blurb:

THE PARENTING BEYOND BELIEF ONLINE SEMINARS

hosted by Dale McGowan, editor/co-author, Parenting Beyond Belief

pbb

Join author Dale McGowan and other nonreligious parents for these fun and informative web events: The PBB Book Club and the PBB Webinars. Information and registration links below.

The Parenting Beyond Belief Online Book Club

One-hour online discussions led by Dale McGowan, author/editor of Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion

Join Dale for a live discussion and Q&A about the book Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion, the first comprehensive resource for parenting without religion.

Dale describes the process of bringing this groundbreaking book from concept to release, as well as the consensus that emerged from the book’s 25 contributors on how to raise great kids without religion. The floor is then open for questions from the participants.

To facilitate the Q&A, registration for each one-hour Book Club meeting is limited to 15 participants.

Registration is FREE OF CHARGE, and you do NOT have to have read the book to listen in! Click on the date of your choice to register:

The Parenting Beyond Belief Webinars

Dale McGowan, author/editor of Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion, hosts a five-part series of online seminars (or “webinars”) addressing the central issues of parenting without religion.

Registered participants log in to a provided website at the allotted time, then dial a provided phone number for the session audio. During each one-hour webinar, presenters can submit questions online, of which Dale will answer as many as time allows.

Each topic is offered twice in a given week, once on Sunday and again on Tuesday, with identical content. Participants can sign up for any number or combination of topics in the five-part series. Registration for each webinar is $18.
______________
WEBINAR #1: Secular Family, Religious World
Register for Sunday Feb 17 at noon Eastern, or Tuesday Feb 19 at 9 pm Eastern

I often find myself saying I’ve “set religion aside.” Actually, that’s a bit like saying someone who rides a bike to work has set traffic aside. I’m still in it, still surrounded by it, and always will be. One of our jobs as secular parents is to help our kids learn to co-exist with religion, even as they engage and challenge religious beliefs and their effects.

This seminar explores issues of secular parenting in a religious world, including

______________
WEBINAR #2: The Religious Extended Family
Register for Sunday Feb 24 at noon Eastern, or Tuesday Feb 26 at 9 pm Eastern

Most nonreligious parents are raising their children within a religious extended family. This can provide enriching diversity but also painful conflict: “Should we just go to church to satisfy Grandma?” “Should we have the kids baptized to keep the peace?” “How can I tell Aunt Ruth it’s not okay to proselytize my son?”

This seminar looks at ways to minimize conflict, resolve disputes, and turn seemingly unbridgeable gaps into benefits for the entire extended family.
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WEBINAR #3: The Art of the Question
Register for Sunday March 2 at noon Eastern, or Tuesday March 4 at 9 pm Eastern

Wondering and questioning are at the heart of naturalistic parenting. This seminar explores ways in which secular parents can use the pivotal moment of the question to build an environment of boundless wonder and fearless inquiry for their children.
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WEBINAR #4: Raising Naturally Ethical Kids
Register for Sunday March 9 at noon Eastern, or Tuesday March 11 at 9 pm Eastern

Morality isn’t magic. It is, and has always been, based in reason. Understanding the reasons to be good can move children beyond simplistic rule-following to the development of active moral judgment—a far more reliable ethical foundation.

This seminar describes the difference between commandments and principles and offers tips for encouraging children to be actively involved in their own moral development.
______________
WEBINAR #5: Death and Life
Register for Sunday March 16 at noon Eastern, or Tuesday March 18 at 9 pm Eastern

The single most significant and profound thing about our existence is that it ends, rivaled only by the fact that it begins. Death is a hard thing to grasp, let alone accept. Religious notions of an afterlife are of little real help—believers cling just as frantically to life, grieve just as bitterly its end, and have the added burden of worrying about hell.

This seminar presents practical ways to help children begin a healthy and satisfying lifelong contemplation of mortality, using the Inversion Principle and the Improbability principle to flip the whole equation on its head. A healthy understanding of death can help our children envision life itself in an entirely new way—one that religion cannot hope to match for pure, astonished joy.

(Or visit the seminar home page here.)

how music does that