Kurt Vonnegut: Our Reluctant, Agnostic, Hippy Guru
Vonnegut's timeless stories challenge the assumptions, institutions, and ideologies that so delimit critical thinking and open-mindedness.
wit attitude
What Does Randy Newman Say When He Talks With God?
One of the less celebrated satirists of religion, a study of some of Randy Newman's key songs reveals a subtle subversive at work.
The Gospel According to Ricky Gervais (in 140 Characters or Less)
One of today's most accomplished and revered comedic minds has jettisoned himself onto the frontlines of the culture wars where he wittily battles on behalf of humanism, reason, and secularism.
Bill Maher and the Perils of the Commentator-Comedian
To offend is inevitable for the socio-political commentator-comedian, and to suffer the slings and arrows of backlash should be equally expected.
George Carlin: Philosopher, Poet, Preacher
Few comedians have aimed for the mind over the funny bone (while still reaching both) quite like George Carlin has.
Before Charlie Hebdo: The Cartoon Wars
Why is it that cartoons, more than any other expressive form, have incited the wrath of religious backlash?
Diss-Illusioned! Magic and the Supernatural
A new breed of magicians are self-consciously aware that their toolbox of trickery enables them to wield the potential power to affect beliefs—and thus behavior.
Weapons Drawn! Perspectives on Charlie Hebdo
Questioning cartoons, satire, and the role of the media after the Charlie Hebdo assassinations.
Mr. Mencken Went to Dayton and the Culture Wars Began
Long before Christopher Hitchens and Bill Maher, H.L. Mencken was America's most notorious satirist of religion. And thus began the battle for the soul of America.
The Fascination with Fundamentalism in Hardcore Punk
Some bands echoed the Dead Kennedys' anti-Moral Majority messages; others embodied right-wing religion.
A User’s Guide to Parody Religions: Churches of the SubGenius & the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Our prophet explains that we may know what gravity is, but we don't know the cause of it, thus, “What if it is He, pushing us down with His Noodly Appendages, that causes this force?”