Mythless

My Imaginary Friend A long time ago I had an imaginary friend. And because I was an extremely creative six year old, I called him Mister. My mother, who had a better grasp on reality then, never thought this was strange. I had the advantage to be able to take Mister wherever I went, could make him say whatever I needed him to say, and I could convince myself, and some of the people around me that he was real. Mister was really cool, and he served me well until I outgrew Mister. I needed to replace Mister somehow, so I was enrolled in Sunday School in a small town in Argentina where my family was living while our next stop was made inhabitable again after the Germans trashed it, followed by the Canadians and finally the Americans. Sunday School was a hoot, I learned about a new imaginary friend called God. He was almost as cool as Mister, but he was also more grown up. He screwed Virgins, drowned humanity, killed off people he did not approve of. He was a grown up Imaginary Friend, ...

An Open Question to The Christian Right and The Muslim Extremists I am in the process of trying to understand the great love people with religious backgrounds profess for their fellow human beings. The latest effort required some research because I am unable to understand why anyone would really care about those of us atheists who really do not accept the mythology that is so prevalent these days. I mean, why would you care if your neighbor does not believe that there is a great mythological beast out there that sees all, understands all, and has a record of being nasty? Surely an atheist is the least of your christian worries since he does not prevent you from either adoring the great mythological beast of your choice, or fighting the great mythological beasts your religion has created? Why do Muslims have strict rules that atheists must be killed? Something most christians obviously agree with? As an atheist, I am flattered that you take us so seriously, and have responded in suc...

Living a mythless life. As we grow older we tend to gravitate in one of two directions in everything we do. The first is to reassert and conserve the old values, beliefs and thoughts we developed at an early age; the other is perversely the opposite as we dig deeper and deeper into unresolved questions that bedeviled our youth. In the first case, the assumption is that we have received all we need to know about a certain facet of our lives and are content to ride that information trail to our death. In my case, I find myself reliving the music of the sixties, and enjoying the feelings it brings much more than trying to wrap my head around new versions of old tunes, from classical to hard rock. The same applies to really enjoying mechanics on classic cars, or the simpler joys of a three speed bicycle. I am of an age when I mastered those skills a long time ago, and am now become the master of the art, transcending the skill into an art form. But the second mindset gives me no rest b...