As an atheist and interfaith activist, much of my work focuses on advocating for the inclusion of nonreligious voices in interfaith dialogue. But a related -- and, for me, equally urgent -- push for inclusion can be found in efforts to welcome LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) people...

This piece was co-authored with Andreas Rekdal, who works for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. He graduated from Concordia College in December 2012 with a B.A. in political science and philosophy, where he was a founding member of Concordia's Secular Student Community.

In my...

This piece originally appeared on Q Ideas.

"Wait, you're a Christian? Uh ... nevermind."

Sound familiar? I regularly hear from Christians that one of the biggest barriers they encounter in trying to reach out to non-Christians is that they're frequently written off. As a result, many Christians --...

This piece was adapted from Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious (Beacon Press, 2012).

"I'm... gay... and I don't know why God won't answer my prayers."

That was the opening line of a journal I kept during my adolescence, the contents of which detailed...

A little more than a year ago, the two of us walked along a beautiful California beach. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and all around us people laughed and frolicked, enjoying the sun and surf. We, too, were enjoying the day, but we weren't there just to take in the...

This piece was originally published by Thought Catalog.

"It's kind of hip to be a gay atheist when you work at Harvard," my mom joked when I agreed to give a speech in Mobile, Ala., two years ago. "Not so much most everywhere else."

Then she added, with...

This piece originally appeared on MSNBC.

I admire the people of all faiths and beliefs who have come together to honor the lives lost in the incomprehensible shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary earlier this month. They provide support to those who are in mourning, and strive for a...

This piece originally appeared on The Rumpus.

It was Valentine's Day. But instead of "You're a great friend," or "I love you son," or "To thank you for being the man I've been waiting for all my life I got you an extra-large pizza and a Halloween-sized bag...

Last year, the president of the largest atheist organization in the United States spoke to a group of students organized for the 2011 Secular Student Alliance leadership conference. A focal point of his talk on the future of atheism was the idea of a "sleeping giant," or what...

This post originally appeared on Religion Dispatches. For two insightful responses (one voicing agreement and one voicing some disagreement), check out these pieces by Hemant Mehta and Ed Brayton.

When I first heard that a white supremacist opened fire on a Sikh gurdwara in...

On my last day of work at Interfaith Youth Core, I had lunch with its founder, Eboo Patel. As we ate I told him that, inspired by his book "Acts of Faith," I was going to write a book of my own about atheism and interfaith...

"What's a 'Humanist'?"

As a Humanist activist, it's a question I hear a lot. I'm not comfortable with the idea of trying to answer it on behalf of all Humanists, so I usually respond to the question by sharing the story of how I came to identify as a Humanist....

Sam Harris--I know you're a busy man, but I'd like to ask you out. Will you go to mosque with me?

I'm not trying to convert you to Islam. Like you, I'm not a Muslim. Like you, I don't believe in any gods. I'm happily, openly atheist. A...

It felt good to pick my own pastor.

He was young--so much so that nearly everyone called him "Pastor Doogie" --gracious, eloquent and kind, with a biting sense of humor that showed he didn't take anything too seriously (besides the love of God). After meeting and working with him on...

Earlier this year, a friend sent me a message on Facebook that said, simply: "You might want to watch yesterday's episode of The Daily Show."

In the episode, host Jon Stewart did a segment on a lawsuit by American Atheists, the most visible atheist organization in...

John Grant may be responsible for one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the last decade, but when I spoke with him two days before Thanksgiving, he informed me that he'd be spending the entire next day in the back seat of...

This piece was coauthored by Chris Stedman and Greg Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard.

With Republican debates dominating the political conversation in recent weeks, the most circulated religion-related stories have pitted the "Godly" against the "Godless." As part of a motion that passed 396-9 in favor of...

When I was in high school, civil disobedience excited me. I participated in a school walkout in protest of the Iraq War, staged a demonstration outside of a conference for anti-gay "reparative therapy," and regularly got together with friends to make T-shirts boasting our political positions. Though the underlying political...

Recently, while talking to my mom, I used the word "queer" to describe myself. Though it wasn't the first time she had heard me use it, she paused.

"I don't really like that word," she said. "'Queer.' When I was younger, it was a slur."

"Well, when I was younger,...

The number of students who do not believe in a higher power is rising, but these students often find themselves marginalized and struggle to gain acceptance on campus. Using data from the Secular Student Alliance, this article explores the interests of nonreligious nontheistic students, identifies issues these students...