A Recovering Angry Atheist Talks Religion

Religion is a topic that’s normally banned from polite conversation. But it’s in the news constantly these days; three Muslim students murdered assassination style by their neighbor, a county clerk refused to give marriage licenses to gay applicants, Black churches set on fire in Louisiana, and a Pittsburgh synagogue that lost 11 members to an act of terrorism. Our collective aversion to the subject has only fueled our collective ignorance, contributing to a culture of fear. Even if we’re not personally religious, we do need a better understanding of the religious diversity all around us, and we need to be comfortable in conversation about it. But we aren’t comfortable, and that discomfort reduces our ability to address the culture of fear when we come across it. Recovering angry atheist, Allison K. Ralph of the Aspen Institute Inclusive America Project, talks religion, pluralism, and our collective consciousness.