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 haught@wvgazettemail.com Telephone (304) 348-5199 SHARE 
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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.
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Saturday, March 7, 2020Evolution Debate is about Honesty Evolution is the basic premise of biology. Nearly all the world's top scientists are convinced that advanced animals evolved from earlier, primitive ones. Yet some religious zealots refuse to accept science.
Friday, March 6, 2020Where on Earth are we Headed? Few people today can imagine what it was like to live without electricity. Snowballing technology keeps transforming and re-transforming human life.
Friday, March 6, 2020Francisco Ferrer: Secular Martyr Few people today remember a crusading reformer, Francisco Ferrer, who was railroaded and executed by Spain's right-wing church-and-government complex. He founded secular "modern schools" that still operate worldwide.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020Religion-Tinged Politics White evangelicals are the heart of the Republican Party, and wield great control over America. But their numbers are fading fast, and their power soon may end.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020It's All About Honesty An honest person doesn't claim to know supernatural things that nobody can know. Preachers are the most dishonest because they endlessly make supernatural assertions.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020Religious Holidays Without Religion Old holy days - Easter, Christmas, Jewish holidays, etc. - slowly lose their miraculous, supernatural components and become just times for human enjoyment.
Sunday, March 1, 2020Joy on the Water Gliding a small sailboat across a rippling lake is spiritual and gratifying - a joy of living with nature.
Saturday, February 29, 2020Coal Mine Wars Hardly anyone knows that America's worst armed uprising since the Civil War was a struggle by Appalachian coal miners in the early 1900s.
Friday, February 28, 2020Living With Absurdity So much of daily life reeks of absurdity. President Trump's 17,000 countable lies make Washington a zoo of absurdity. But thinking people must cope, anyway.
Friday, February 28, 2020Problems with Bible Classes Several Republican-controlled states require public schools to teach Bible classes. But that opens the door to stormy problems over Bible commands to kill gays, kill non-virgin brides, kill Sabbath workers, approve slavery, etc.
Friday, February 28, 2020Snowballing Technology Destroys, Creates Since the 1950s, technology change has transformed newspaper printing - and most other American jobs. The process is ruthless and hurtful, but inescapable and unstoppable.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020Parable of Floundering Frogs The struggle to solve human problems may seem overwhelming - but an old Russian parable about drowning frogs tells everyone to keep on kicking.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020Low-Pay Writing In the past, authors earned solid income from a small array of writing markets. But now, the astounding Cyber Age publishes vastly more writing - at near zero pay.
Sunday, February 23, 2020Many, Many, Many Gods Around the world, over the centuries, people have worshiped a zoo of thousands of gods - all of them imaginary, as far as any honest researcher can determine.
Sunday, February 23, 2020Moral Progress Although TV news makes the world seem horrible, life actually grows constantly less violent and more humane. The improvement began two centuries ago with The Enlightenment.
Saturday, February 22, 2020Epic Love Story Created Black Town Slavery left its mark on much of America. In my region, a plantation owner fell permanently in love with one of his slaves, had 13 children by her, and was murdered by white neighbors - but she and the children inherited his land, which became the state's largest black town.
Friday, February 21, 2020Existentialism for Secular Humanists During the 1950s, millions of educated western people were gripped by existentialism, a philosophy that focuses on the ultimate absurdity and pointlessness of life.
Friday, February 21, 2020Purpose-Driven Lives Finding ultimate purpose is impossible - but honest people can give meaning to their lives by following scientific honesty.
Thursday, February 20, 2020Right and Wrong: A Daily Dilemma In the 1950s, was it right for gays to be thrown in prison - but not today? A century ago, was it right to forbid women to vote - but not today? Morality evolves.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020Everyone is a Skeptic Beliefs of other religions - such as praying over models of Shiva's penis - seem absurd to those who follow different religions.
