Isis
In November, after the Paris bombing, a bookstore in Colorado was vandalized. Sadly, it wasn’t the first time this year that the store, Isis Books & Gifts was damaged by the uniformed. Unfortunately, it’s not the only casualty of current events. One wo…
Winter Solstice
There are any number of holidays to celebrate in December. The Jews have Hanukkah. Christians remember the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Kwanzaa is a reminder of African traditions. Many non-religious individuals celebrate Saturnalia. All of these ce…
Openly Secular
Penn and Teller, the famous comedy and illusionist duo, are standing up to create a positive image of atheists, humanists, and secularists in America. As part of an initiative by Openly Secular, Penn and Teller released a video which affirmed their a…
Jedi
In 1977, George Lucas introduced a movie that has permeated many different cultural traditions. “Star Wars” didn’t just transform science fiction movies, it also worked its way into religious beliefs. Jediism was inspired by the first movie, but it wasn…
Kwanzaa
Understanding the traditions of another culture is a great way to gain insight into what is important to its members. Through this knowledge, people can come together in meaningful ways. Consider Christmas, Hanukkah, Saturnalia, and Kwanzaa. One of the unde…
Bodhi Day
Buddhists may not recognize one of the traditional Western celebrations of winter such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or Saturnalia, but that doesn’t mean the religion doesn’t have its own seasonal festival. December 8 recognizes the day when Siddhar…
Celebrating Hanukkah
During the holiday season, Jews celebrate Hanukkah, which is known as the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication. Although Hanukkah is not ordained in the Bible, it is still widely celebrated around the world. The dates for this eight-day ho…
Religious Displays
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably heard about the Starbucks red cup controversy. Christians are up in arms about the plain red cup which Starbucks uses during the holiday season. Some people think it’s a non-issue…
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of the most traditional holidays in the United States, but it can be a field of landmines when you have family members who get together with different beliefs and views. If you need some neutral topics beyond sports or shopping duri…
Tolerance
On November 16, 1995, the Member States of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted their Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. Since that day, they’ve taken one day annually to generate awareness of tolera…