Living the Secular Life

Posted on 01 April 2017 by Phil Zuckerman

David Brooks, The New York Times As secularism becomes prominent and self confident, its spokesmen have insistently argued that secularism should not be seen as an absence as a lack of faith but rather as a positive moral creed Phil Zuckerman, a Pitzer College sociologist, makes this case as fluidly and pleasurably as anybody in his book,Living the Secular Life A Best Book of 2014, Publishers WeeklyOver the last twenty five years, no religion has become the fastest growing religion in the United States Around the world, hundreds of millions of people have turned away from the traditional faiths of the past and embraced a moral yet nonreligious or secular life, generating societies vastly less religious than at any other time in human history Revealing the inspiring beliefs that empower secular culture alongside real stories of nonreligious men and women based on extensive in depth interviews from across the country Living the Secular Life will be indispensable for millions of secular Americans Drawing on innovative sociological research, Living the Secular Life illuminates this demographic shift with the moral convictions that govern secular individuals, offering crucial information for the religious and nonreligious alike Living the Secular Life reveals that, despite opinions to the contrary, nonreligious Americans possess a unique moral code that allows them to effectively navigate the complexities of modern life Spiritual self reliance, clear eyed pragmatism, and an abiding faith in the Golden Rule to adjudicate moral decisions these common principlesare shared across secular society Living the Secular Life demonstrates these principles in action and points to their usage throughout daily life Phil Zuckerman is a sociology professor at Pitzer College, where he studied the lives of the nonreligious for years before founding a Department of Secular Studies, the first academic program in the nation dedicated to exclusively studying secular culture and the sociological consequences of America s fastest growing faith Zuckerman discovered that despite the entrenched negative beliefs about nonreligious people, American secular culture is grounded in deep morality and proactive citizenship indeed, some of the very best that the country has to offer Living the Secular Life journeys through some of the most essential components of human existence child rearing and morality, death and ritual, community and beauty and offers secular readers inspiration for leading their own lives Zuckerman shares eye opening research that reveals the enduring moral strength of children raised without religion, as well as the hardships experienced by secular mothers in the rural South where church attendance defines the public space Despite the real sorrows of mortality, Zuckerman conveys the deep psychological health of secular individuals in their attitudes toward illness, death, and dying Tracking the efforts of nonreligious groups to construct their own communities, Zuckerman shows how Americans are building institutions and cultivating relationships without religious influence Most of all,Living the Secular Life infuses the sociological data and groundbreaking research with the moral convictions that govern secular individuals, and demonstrates how readers can integrate these beliefs into their own lives A manifesto for a booming social movement and a revelatory survey of this overlooked community Living the Secular Life offers essential and long awaited information for anyone building a life based on his or her own principles New York Times Book ReviewSusan Jacoby A humane and sensible guide to and for the many kinds of Americans leading secular lives in what remains one of the most religious nations in the developed world. Read Living the Secular Life – kino-fada.fr This book provides a humane and sensible guide for Americans leading secular lives Thus this book is addressed to the fastest growing segment of the American population when classified by religion or non religion A book such as this is needed because the United States remains one of the most religious nations in the developed world, and prevailing attitudes especially in certain parts of the country toward non religious people are generally negative Such people will find encou...A number of people lose their religious belief in the face of logic and evidence and say what now Many drifted out of faith or were never in its grasp How does one as a member of the most despised group of Americans, Atheists make their way in a society saturated in the supernatural This book has some good advice in navigating ones way in a world of believers The first thing a nonbeliever will have to contend is that they believe in nothing Not believing in the supernatural doesn t mea A number of people lose their religious belief in the face of logic and evidence and say what now Many drifted out of faith or were never in its grasp How does one as a member of the most despised group of Americans, Atheists make their way in a society saturated in the supernatural This book has some good advice in navigating ones way in a world of believers The first thing a nonbeliever will have to contend is that they believe in nothing Not believing in the supernatural doesn t mean one is somehow living in a yawning void of nihilism There is plenty of meaning in a naturalized world and because life is finite does n...This is one of theenjoyable atheist books that I ve recently read It covers all of the major aspects of life people experience from a secular viewpoint It s nice to read something that s empowering and adds a zest to living, something that makes me glad to be a secular citizen, instead of focusing on how much religion sucks There aren t enough guidebooks on how to be a good atheist agnostic skeptic, but this is a great one to utilize I d love to dive into the author s secular studies p This is one of theenjoyable atheist books that I ve recently read It covers all of the major aspects of life people experience from a secular viewpoint It s nice to read something th...It is a good book I am too old for this book but am pleased there is an excellent writer who is explaining the belief system I have lived a secular life for many years and found nothing in the book that added to my expe...Goodreads win Will read and review once received.This was really interesting to read and very easy to follow It was also pretty easy to understand what the author was talking about in this book It was a short and quick read It was a very informative...There are very few books that I wish everyone would read, but Living the Secular Life is one of them whether you are totally committed to a devoted religious life or you are an open atheist because in it, Phil Zuckerman successfully bridges the ever widening gap between those who believe in God and those who don t I love this book on a very personal level As someone raised in an intensely religious family, who is now struggling with the faith of my youth but reluctant to give up my community There are very few books that I wish everyone would read, but Living the Secular Life is one of them whether you are totally committed to a devoted religious life or you are an open atheist because in it, Phil Zuckerman successfully bridges the ever widening gap between those who believe in God and those who don t I love this book on a very personal level As someone raised in an intensely religious family, who is now struggling with the faith of my youth but reluctant to give up my community, I find Zuckerman s new answers to old questions both fascinating and reassuring He has opened my eyes to so many possible approaches to meet various spiritual needs In my present I simply don t know state of mind, I feel a huge amount of relief from his words and insights I am simply going to share a few of themMost secular men and women are definitely not out to destroy religion Being secular does not mean hating religion or...For the most part, I found the book confirmed what I suspected The world is gettingandsecular and, I am glad for that The author convinced me that the United States is at about 35% secular withandpeople checking the none box on religion Given statistics that show thesecular countries of the world rate higher on nearly every factor that represents human well being, and thereligious countries states rate at the bottom of all positive factors and highest on For the most part, I found the book confirmed what I ...I received this book through first reads giveaway I found this book to very interesting I really wish that many in the religious community could read this They may look at those who are not religious in a new way This book seemed to reinforce my personal beliefs ...Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist, has interviewed a number of atheists and agnostics and found that, contrary to what some religionists believe, secular people lead meaningful, happy, empathetic lives.It is a helpful book but the iron is, both sides, secularists and people of religions have serious misconceptions about one another.

01 April 2017

Phil Zuckerman