This is the fifth in a series of pieces exploring the 13 Atheopagan Principles. To see the rest of them, click on “Atheopagan Principles” in the tag cloud on the right. “I laugh a lot…including at myself.” So reads the Fifth Atheopagan Principle, and I think it is one of the most important of them. For, wonderful as it is, hard as it can be, one thing can be said unequivocally about this world: it is filled with absurdity. And that warrants many a good laugh. Laughter is a tonic so powerful that it gives us strength to carry on despite long odds and many disappointments. It cements good feeling among friends,…

This is the fourth installment of a 13-part series exploring the Atheopagan Principles, as described in my essay “How I Became an Atheopagan”. To read the whole series, click the tag “Atheopagan Principles” in the tag cloud at right. Principle 4 of Atheopaganism is, I am humble. Humility is a problematic concept in the West, where self-esteem is often conflated with egotism. Being aware of one’s positive qualities and abilities is every bit as important as being aware of one’s failings and frailties. The Atheopagan Fourth Principle does not mean that we should all be excessively critical of ourselves or refuse all recognition for our accomplishments and qualities. Be proud of who…

This is the third installment of a 13-part series exploring the Atheopagan Principles, as described in my essay “How I Became an Atheopagan”. To read the whole series, click the tag “Atheopagan Principles” in the tag cloud at right. Principle 3 of Atheopaganism is, I am grateful. But constraints of language make even this seemingly simple concept obscure and confusing. Grateful for what? When? All the time? How is that possible? This is because “grateful” is an adjective, and as such appears to describe a quality to characterize a person: Bob is red-haired, blue-eyed, right-handed, and grateful. Right? The way the English language addresses gratitude implies that it is something you either are…

This is the second installment of what will be a 13-part exploration of the Atheopagan Principles. The derivation and listing of the Principles is found in Part II of my essay “How I Became an Atheopagan”, which you can read here. To read the whole series, click on the “Atheopagan Principles” tag in the tag cloud on the right. The second Atheopagan Principle is to honor the Earth. It is the Pagan part of Atheopaganism. There are plenty of reasons to do so. Planet Earth engendered humanity as a part of its biosphere, and sustains us with the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. It inspires us…

The 13 Atheopagan Principles are my take on a code of ethics for atheist Pagans: guidelines for living and touchstone values rooted in the Four Sacred Things of Love, Life, Truth and Beauty. Their derivation is enumerated in Part II of my essay “How I Became an Atheopagan”, which you can read by clicking here. I thought I’d take a turn through these principles and elaborate on them in a series of short pieces, so let’s start with the first: I understand that the metaphorical is not the literal. The core of this principle is skepticism and critical thinking: to use reason and the scientific method to determine what is most likely to be true, rather…