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Dialogue between atheists and the religious is an absolute minefield. I can promise you there are no kumbaya drum circles in this book—if that’s your thing, great, but it isn’t mine, and it doesn’t have to be your thing to get involved in efforts that promote religious pluralism.

It doesn’t take much to realize the main theme of A Fire in my Belly is death. More specifically, it is the vulnerability, penetrability, and perpetually possible disintegration of the human body. This fleshly mortality became especially real to Wojnarowicz in the still emerging AIDS crisis of the time. Thus, by necessity it is a deeply human and deeply religious artwork. Which does not mean these images are pleasant and easy to look at. No warm and fuzzy pop spirituality this.

Philosopher of Religion Keith Parsons hung up his hat a few months ago, after announcing that he believed the “case for theism” to be a fraud: “Theistic philosophers and apologists are almost painfully earnest and honest… I just cannot take their arguments seriously anymore.” It’s rare for a philosopher to renounce his or her own specialty—but Parsons’ rejection speaks to a broader dilemma.

Pontiff uses year-end address to raise spectre of battle.

Modern Family, which won the Emmy award for best television comedy after its first season, just turned on religion. But what was really interesting about this episode, called “ Earthquake,” was the way it…

Irreverent musicals, managing grizzly bears, global feminism, and two presidential candidates?

The world of Sarah Palin can be divided neatly into good and bad. The latter category includes Hollywood, John Kerry, Michael Moore, “left-wing professors and journalists,” Nancy Pelosi, the Ninth Circuit Court, liberals, MSNBC, the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Times, Barack Obama, health care, and “all the lawyers and academics and schooled-up ‘experts’ in D.C.”

Roger Williams was a 17th century theologian, rabble rouser, founder of the first Baptist church in America— and of the state of Rhode Island. His idea of “soul liberty” was in exact opposition to the idea, promoted by some Christian conservatives, that the U.S. is a “Christian nation.”

Church responds, denounces bullying, and calls on Mormons to reject anti-LGBT attitudes and behaviors.

How can a secular state justify its desire to discriminate between married persons and single persons? What compelling state interest is served by creating such social groups? I suspect that when this debate has made its way through the courts, a new issue will have emerged: that the state has no business in the marriage business, period.