We Are A Fluke Of

Mysteries Once Thought To Be Supernatural Or Paranormal Happenings - Such As Astronomical Or Meteorological Events - Are Incorporated Into Science Once Their Causes Are Understood.

The Evening Was Very Professionally Organized, And Most Of The People Were Exceptionally Polite, Although It Did Make Me A Little Nervous When One Church Official Told Me After The Debate When A Big Crowd Of People Surrounded Me That He Had Assigned Me A Body Guard "just In Case." Just In Case What? I Thought Christians Were Suppose To Be Exceptionally Tolerant. Well, In Any Case, I Guess I Was Grateful For The Gesture, "just In Case."

I Am An Atheist. There, I Said It. Are You Happy, All You Atheists Out There Who Have Remonstrated With Me For Adopting The Agnostic Moniker? If "atheist" Means Someone Who Does Not Believe In God, Then An Atheist Is What I Am. But I Detest All Such Labels. Call Me What You Like - Humanist, Secular Humanist, Agnostic, Nonbeliever, Nontheist, Freethinker, Heretic, Or Even Bright. I Prefer Skeptic.

Science Is Not The Affirmation Of A Set Of Beliefs But A Process Of Inquiry Aimed At Building A Testable Body Of Knowledge Constantly Open To Rejection Or Confirmation. In Science, Knowledge Is Fluid And Certainty Fleeting. That Is At The Heart Of Its Limitations. It Is Also Its Greatest Strength.

We're All Talking About The Same Thing, Whether It's Religious People Or New Age Spiritual People Or Buddhists Or Scientists. We're All Talking About Having A Sense Of Awe And Wonder At Something Grander Than Ourselves.