Free Inquiry Audio Edition

Nathan H. Lents explains why genome comparisons are complex and shows that humans and chimpanzees remain 98–99% genetically similar, despite creationist Casey Luskin's misrepresentation of new data. He warns that such distortions reflect broader attempts by ideologues to undermine science and push pseudoscience into classrooms. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secular...

Ronald A. Lindsay condemns Charlie Kirk's murder but warns that Trump is exploiting it as a pretext to erode civil liberties, silence dissent, and target liberal institutions. Drawing a parallel to the Reichstag fire, he cautions that creeping authoritarianism in the U.S. may escalate further than many expect. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclu...

Ronald A. Lindsay exposes Abdullah Hashem as a self-declared prophet blending Christianity and Islam and shows how such figures exploit followers to amass power and wealth. He argues that the psychological appeal of surrendering autonomy explains why people repeatedly fall for charlatans, and cautions that secular ideologies can produce similar cultish dynamics. Read this article and find accompan...

Nicole Scott examines Christian nationalist calls for "household voting," a system that would effectively strip women of individual voting rights. She warns that such proposals echo themes from The Handmaid's Tale and highlight growing threats to democracy and gender equality. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/is-household-voting-another-s...

Ronald A. Lindsay compares belief in Jesus's resurrection with belief in a stolen 2020 U.S. election, showing how desires and prejudices can sustain falsehoods. He warns that emotionally charged myths, once embedded, can shape history and resist correction. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/the-resurrection-of-jesus-and-the-2020-u-s-presid...

Trump is pushing a cultural counter-revolution by ordering institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks to purge "divisive" language, effectively whitewashing history to fit Christian nationalist ideology. While this reacts to past excesses of left-wing identity politics, Ronald A. Lindsay argues the real need is an honest, unbiased account of America's history—warts and all. Read this art...

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques what he calls "Hallmark Catholicism," exemplified by Jesuit astronomer Guy Consolmagno, whose vague, feel-good notion of God avoids conflict with science by reducing faith to metaphors and personal feelings. Lindsay argues that such nebulous theology, while comforting, is intellectually vacuous and ultimately shields traditional dogmas—like eternal damnation for nonbeli...

Russell Blackford critiques the term "woke right," arguing that while it draws a superficial analogy between progressive "wokeness" and certain right-wing behaviors, it obscures the Right's long-standing history of intolerance, censorship, and identity-based politics.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/07/why-its-wrong-to-write-of-a-woke-right/...

Jonathan Simmons argues that secular humanism offers unique tools for resisting authoritarianism—prioritizing evidence over dogma, individual agency over collective obedience, and free inquiry over prescribed truths. By cultivating rational discourse, moral courage, and a commitment to universal human dignity, humanists can confront the creeping normalization of authoritarianism without reliance o...

Joe McAvoy's reflective essay recounts his devout Catholic upbringing on Long Island in the 1960s and how personal and institutional betrayals—especially within the Church—shattered his faith and awakened a lifelong skepticism. Through vivid memories of rigid doctrine, family turmoil, and abusive clergy, McAvoy traces the painful unraveling of once-unquestioned beliefs. Read this article and find...

D.A. Wood reexamines the Eden myth through an atheist and existential lens, arguing that Adam and Eve's "fall" was not a moral failure but the birth of moral awareness—an awakening to shame, choice, and consequence. Through satire, theology, and philosophy, Wood portrays the Garden story not as divine justice but as a tragicomic origin of freedom under authoritarian rule. Read this article and fin...

Henry Grynnsten explores the Genesis story of Adam and Eve through a psychological and symbolic lens, arguing that its deeper meaning reflects the universal human experience of childhood awakening—specifically, the moment of becoming self-conscious about nudity and mortality.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/07/in-a-state-of-nature/ About the...

Ronald A. Lindsay examines how religious fundamentalism—Islamic, Jewish, and Christian—fuels violence and political intransigence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He argues that sectarian zealotry on all sides perpetuates brutality and impedes peace, making religion a destructive force in the region. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/t...

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques a new IRS policy under the Trump administration allowing clergy to endorse political candidates, warning it blurs the line between church and state. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/endorsed-by-god/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim gen...

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques the US government's selective approach to law enforcement, particularly its prioritization of religious doctrine over child protection. He highlights the DOJ's lawsuit against Washington State for requiring clergy to report child abuse, arguing that religious freedom should not shield institutions from accountability. Read this article and find accompanying references a...

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques the recurring push to reintroduce school-sponsored prayer into public schools, focusing on a recent Texas bill that allows for "voluntary" prayer.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/exploiting-ignorance-douthats-call-to-believe/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center fo...

Ronald A. Lindsay critically examines Ross Douthat's book Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious . Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/exploiting-ignorance-douthats-call-to-believe/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inqu...

Ronald A. Lindsay reflects on the passage of a New York bill allowing physician-assisted dying, modeled after Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (ODWDA) but without the standard waiting period between patient requests—a potentially imprudent omission. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/assisted-dying-assisted-suicide/ About the Author: Ronald...

Thomas Ricento's article critically examines the legacy of Henry Pratt Fairchild (1880–1956), a prominent American sociologist whose work helped legitimize scientific racism and anti-immigration sentiment in the early 20th century. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/henry-pratt-fairchild-immigration-and-the-legacy-of-scientific-racism-in-the-...

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES)—a flagship educational initiative of the Center for Inquiry—continues to empower science teachers with the tools and confidence to teach evolution effectively. Founded in 2015 with support from Richard Dawkins, TIES responds to persistent political and cultural resistance to evolution education, particul...

Nathan H. Lents reviews Richard Dawkins' newest book, "The Genetic Book of the Dead: A Dawinian Reverie," out now. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/the-dead-speak/ About the Author: Nathan H. Lents, PhD, is professor of biology at John Jay College of The City University of New York, visiting professor of forensic biology at the University o...

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques recent claims that humans need religion to find meaning, arguing that such beliefs stem more from emotional desire than rational persuasion. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/no-need-to-share-believers-angst/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent inte...

Free Inquiry editor Ronald A. Lindsay details what you will find in the June July 2025 issue, "Evolution, 100 Years After Scopes." Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/in-this-issue-june-july-2025/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of...

In this satirical piece, Ronald A. Lindsay imagines Donald Trump as the newly elected pope, delivering a homily that rebrands Catholic traditions with Trumpian flair. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/make-anathema-great-again/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim gen...

Ronald A. Lindsay criticizes the Trump administration's shift in the Civil Rights Division's priorities, replacing focus on race and sex discrimination with a manufactured concern over "anti-Christian bias." Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/trumps-hobgoblin-of-anti-christian-bias/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former presiden...