According to a Gallup poll, Americans’ confidence in organized religion is at an all-time low. This news may come as no surprise, as confidence in organized religion has been on the decline for several decades now. Whe ...

Category: Politics Religion

Since ancient times, people have been attributing symbolic meaning to foods. In some cultures, a plate of spaghetti is not just a plate of spaghetti, and in some households, a single piece of fruit may represent luck, fe ...

Category: Religion Superstitions

In America, the “holiday season” consists of all the major holidays beginning with Halloween and ending with New Year’s Day. However, in today’s diverse society, it’s worth noting that not everybody celebrates ...

Category: Holidays and Observances

Continuing on with the holidays occurring during “the most wonderful time of the year,” we now get to the month of December. December 1–24, Advent: Catholic, Protestant, Secular The dictionary defines ...

Category: Holidays and Observances

Back in the day, crooner Andy Williams had a mega-hit record called “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” In this upbeat Christmas song filled with warm fuzzies, he sang about all the joys of the ...

Category: Holidays and Observances Religion

Ah, Thanksgiving. This most American of holidays started well over 300 years ago when righteous Pilgrims and friendly Wampanoag Indians came together to thank their respective gods for a bountiful harvest. Thanksgiving ...

Category: Holidays and Observances Religion

Cohabitation, whether prior to or instead of marriage, has become almost the norm in America. As of three years ago, approximately 65% of Americans said they approve of cohabitation, and over 70% of couples now cohabit b ...

Category: Morality Science

Halloween is a time for ghosts, goblins, and all things scary, right? Yes! But did you know that many scary things have their origins in religion and folklore? It’s true. Virtually all religions and cultures have ...

Category: Religion Spirituality Superstitions

In Part I of this series, we explained the beginnings of Halloween and how the Celts, Romans, Catholic Church, and immigrants all contributed to the way in which we celebrate this beloved holiday today. In Part II we exa ...

Category: Holidays and Observances

Far too many people think that “live” and “exist” are synonyms. They aren’t. While of course you must exist in order to live, you don’t have to live in order to exist. At its core, th ...

Category: Freedom Spirituality