A sudden wind parts the mist, and where only yesterday there was nothing, there now stands a tall and stately mansion. Through the arched windows, you can catch glimpses of the rooms within:
An entrance foyer, where deep, soft chairs gathered around a brick fireplace welcome old friends and shelter storm-tossed travelers…
A majestic library, where ceiling-high shelves filled with well-worn, lovingly-tended books overlook reading tables of polished wood…
A domed observatory, a magnificent clutter of gears and clockwork, where a golden-hued telescope swivels to follow the skies…
A great rotunda, where images scroll in a never-ending stream all around the high vaulted ceiling, and two podiums face each other on a raised dais…
An airy loft, where artists and dreamers can watch dust motes dance in the sunbeams or retire for solitary midnight contemplation…
And surrounding the house, there grows a wild and verdant garden, where ivy twines around sculpted marble statues in the sun-dappled shade of towering trees, and bronze fountains cast rainbow veils in the air…
Welcome, all, to the new home of Daylight Atheism! I’m happy to be the latest addition to the neighborhood here at Patheos. For those of you who don’t know me, some introductions are in order.
My name is Adam Lee, and I’m a writer and activist living in New York City. I’ve been an atheist since my first year of college, in 2000. I created Daylight Atheism in February 2006 and ran it independently for a few years, until October 2011, when I joined Big Think. Late last year, I accepted an offer to move to Patheos, deeming it a more fitting place for my kind of writing – and here I am!
As you’ve undoubtedly guessed, I’m an unapologetic atheist. Reason is my lamp, scientific skepticism my sword and shield. On this blog, I write about history and philosophy, science, politics, humanism, nonreligious ethics, the growing secular community, and social justice. Most of all, I argue that atheism is a positive, healthy worldview that everyone should adopt, and that it embodies and promotes the virtues which our society most needs. (See also my full statement of principles.)
Some of my favorite essays from ten-plus years of blogging and writing include “A Ghost in the Machine,” about the neurological evidence which proves the nonexistence of souls, “Bands of Iron,” which won the top prize in an annual science-writing contest judged by Steven Pinker, and “The New Ten Commandments,” which was cited in Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion.
I’ve also been attacked by name in a Republican senator’s campaign ads; experienced atheist transcendence at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico; debated Christopher Hitchens’ Christian brother, Peter Hitchens, over whether there’s such a thing as non-human moral authority, and sparred with John Buehrens, one of the revered figures of Unitarian Universalism, over whether that liberal, non-creedal religion is biased against atheists.
I’m on the speakers’ bureau of the Secular Student Alliance and the Center for Inquiry, and I’ve spoken to student groups and at major secular conferences around the country, most recently the SSA’s 2012 convention in Columbus, Ohio, and Skepticon V in Springfield, Missouri.
Last but not least, I’ve published my first book, also titled Daylight Atheism, which defends the atheist viewpoint and argues that discarding religious belief is a liberation and the gateway to a moral life filled with purpose and joy.
If this appeals to you, then I invite you to join the community here on Daylight Atheism. I always welcome new commenters, and whether you thrive on fierce debate or are seeking advice and support, there’s something here for you. (You can follow me on Twitter as well.) Now that you know about me, I’d like to get to know you. Hope to see you soon!