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James A. Haught is editor emeritus of West Virginia's largest newspaper, The Charleston Gazette-Mail. Mr. Haught has won two dozen national news writing awards. He has written 12 books and hundreds of magazine essays and blog posts. Around 450 of his essays are online. He is a senior editor of Free Inquiry magazine, a weekly blogger at Daylight Atheism, and was writer-in-residence at the United Coalition of Reason. He is in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Contemporary Authors and 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century. He will be 88 years old on Feb. 20, 2020. Many of his articles are republished from chapters in his 1996 book, 2000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People With the Courage to Doubt, published by Prometheus Books, all rights reserved. He can be reached by phone at 304-348-5199 or by email: haught(at)wvgazettemail.com.
(11 comments) SHARE Thursday, December 24, 2020 Personal Freedoms Kill Religion
Religion is collapsing in all Western democracies - most rapidly in the United States. A new book cites many causes for this remarkable sociological change.
SHARE Thursday, December 17, 2020 Secular Power Changing America
Oregon Democrats passed sensible sex education to prevent teen pregnancy, curb sexual disease, reduce "date rape," and the like. Outraged churches and Republicans forced a recall vote - but they lost solidly.
(3 comments) SHARE Sunday, December 6, 2020 Monstrous Miracles
Religion contradicts itself. We are told that God is pure love - yet the Bible says he massacred Egyptian children, and drowned nearly everyone in Noah's flood, and burned all the people in some cities, etc. Is he a Jekyll-Hyde deity?
(3 comments) SHARE Wednesday, December 2, 2020 'Nones' Elected Biden-Harris
Americans who have no religion were decisive in tipping the 2020 election to the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket, according to a top socio-political researcher. Hurrah.
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, November 30, 2020 Is 2020 a Watershed?
Ever since 1980, white evangelicals have been strong enough to tip American elections to Republicans. But maybe this four-decade phase of U.S. history ended in 2020. The answer will become clear in the future.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, November 19, 2020 How Democrats and Republicans Flip-Flopped
Oddly, at the time of Abraham Lincoln, Republicans were the liberal party, and Democrats were conservative. Gradually,the two major parties reversed identity.
(5 comments) SHARE Saturday, November 7, 2020 Where Will the Deplorables Go Now?
Hurrah! Thank heaven, voters chose to end the bizarre Trump era that has been rooted in appeals to racial and ethnic prejudice.
SHARE Saturday, October 31, 2020 Possible Election Headlines
For four decades, white evangelicals have tipped American elections to Republicans. But religion is shrinking rapidly in America. Will white evangelicals finally flop in Tuesday's election?
SHARE Friday, October 23, 2020 Fantasies Made of Words
Since prehistoric time, every religion - from human-sacrifice groups to armed holy warriors - has followed a fantasy composed of words. Thank heaven, supernatural beliefs are fading among modern western people.
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, October 19, 2020 Will 'Nones' Bring a Progressive Future?
Millions of young Americans ignore religion - and most of them have humane progressive political values. People who say their religion is "none" have become the largest faith segment in the Democratic Party base.
SHARE Tuesday, October 13, 2020 Hunter Who Stopped Killing
Gradually, hunting - killing wildlife for sport - has diminished in America. In this commentary, an Appalachian native recounts how he came to pity the creatures he shot.
(6 comments) SHARE Friday, October 9, 2020 Trust Science
Some findings by science are so bizarre they boggle your brain - but honest thinkers have no choice but to trust science as humanity's only reliable search for truth.
SHARE Monday, September 28, 2020 Babbling in 'Tongues'
Incredibly, one-fourth of all the world's Christians now "speak in tongues" - a practice associated with 'holy rollers." President Trump's new Supreme Court nominee reportedly is among them.
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, September 26, 2020 Cheating Women in Science
Lucrative Nobel Prizes have been granted to many male scientists - but sometimes it was female researchers who deserved credit. This pattern was tragically unfair.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, September 18, 2020 Jekyll and Hyde
Churches say God is all-loving, all-merciful - but the Bible reports many murders and massacres committed by God, along with other cruelties. Is the deity Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
(3 comments) SHARE Thursday, September 10, 2020 Watching Religion Die
Although America often is called a "Christian nation," religion actually is fading rapidly and relentlessly. Loss of faith may undercut the GOP, which depends heavily on white evangelicals.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, September 4, 2020 America's Ugly Flaw
Donald Trump is the most obnoxious, insulting president in American history - so why do millions support him politically? It reveals a national flaw.
SHARE Thursday, September 3, 2020 The Oil Boom Days
The author's grandfather was a pumper running mighty single-piston engines pumping wells on a ridge by the Ohio River - a remnant of the oil boom heyday.
SHARE Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Who Owes Me $10 Million?
Catholic altar boys who were molested by priests got $10 million lawsuit settlements - while other young victims got nothing. How can America have "Equal Justice Under Law"?
SHARE Wednesday, September 2, 2020 The UMW Cleanup
A half-century ago, the United Mine Workers was plagued by corruption. President Tony Boyle sent killers to murder a rival - and eventually went to prison.