Still a Good Thing

A few years ago, in honor of my daughter’s tenth birthday, I posted an essay I recorded years earlier about what a good thing it is to be able to choose whether or not to have a child. I wish it were completely out of date instead of desperately relevant. https://soundcloud.com/katecohen/a-good-thing

“I’m Actually An Atheist”: Revisiting Rebecca Vitsmun’s CNN Surprise

Five years ago this week marked a victory for atheists. It wasn’t a group of newly elected politicians affirming that they didn’t believe in God; those representatives are still few and far between. It wasn’t a handful of states finally purging anti-atheist rhetoric from their constitutions; we still have seven to go. And it had… Continue reading “I’m Actually An Atheist”: Revisiting Rebecca Vitsmun’s CNN Surprise

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Categorized as Atheism

Take the Statues; Leave the Pedestals

“It’s Wrong to Erase History” is the title of an angry letter to the editor of the Baltimore Sun complaining about the swift and stealthy removal of four Confederate statues Tuesday night. That’s the gist of much of the argument for leaving intact commemorative statues of Confederate leaders.  I agree. It’s wrong to erase history.… Continue reading Take the Statues; Leave the Pedestals

Dear Mr. Miranda: A Thank-You Note

Dear Mr. Miranda, The morning after the election I made my husband get up with the kids. I couldn’t face them. They were not innocents: they knew about North Carolina’s bathroom law and the dangers of driving while black. But they are children of the Obama era: they’ve grown up believing that the forces of… Continue reading Dear Mr. Miranda: A Thank-You Note

Donald Trump’s Elusive Frenemy

On a call home from The Mountain School—a semester program for high school juniors—my son Noah complained about a committee he had joined to decide how the student body should talk about the coming election. The conclusion: delicately. “It was ridiculous,” he said. “I’m sorry but it was just so politically correct.” The “I’m sorry” was… Continue reading Donald Trump’s Elusive Frenemy