If you were a Christian and then left it at some point, how long did it take before someone accused you of never believing in the first place? Frustrating, right? It happens to all of us. Anyone who’s attended an evangelical Christian church has heard (or used) the following talking…

I want the magic of fiction — As a scientifically-minded person with an engineering physics degree, it’s easy to sit in my modern western worldview, smugly dismissing supernatural beliefs as nonsense. Lately, though, podcasts have shown me a new perspective on human history and our relationship to religion. I’ve learned about our development as a species starting…

When I died, my awareness separated from my body. I floated up and away — not up towards the sky, but into a new dimension outside of time where I could look down upon my life as if it were a reel of film. Loved ones sat somberly with my…

It’s healthy to feel mad in moderation — Many of us who were raised in religious homes learned that being angry is always wrong. We were meant to be meek, submissive, respectful little children, and it didn’t matter what we were upset about — expressing anger was automatically bad. …

I usually go to the Sonoran Desert when winter hits, but this year I decided to stay in Oregon, make some money, and embrace the cold. I figured working at a ski resort would be a fun way to do that. …

I went straight from evangelical to atheist — People who leave fundamentalist Christianity often transition into a more liberal form of the religion. They might hold that belief for the rest of their life, or it might be a transitional phase on the way out. I never went through that stage. I left my faith because I’d grown…

A general overview — ←← Introduction | ← Chapter 5 Imagine you’ve decided to live on the global mean wage — roughly $10,000/year, or $833/month. There’s an obvious problem with this idea. $833 would not even cover monthly rent/mortgage for many of my readers. …

Is a frugal lifestyle right for you? — ←← Introduction | ← Chapter 4 | Chapter 6 → | Latest Chapter → → In previous chapters I explained how frugal lifestyles can help the world and described the benefits they offer. But is this the right path for you? Is it reasonable to minimize your monetary footprint right…

Imagine leaving behind the safety of the forest! — Based on my Pacific Crest Trail experiences in 2014–2015. Written for the Medium Writers Challenge. A 100-mile backpacking trip seems like a big undertaking, but this summer I’ve been doing one every week. The most stressful part is actually the town visit between these trips. Every day I hike in…