Category Archives: Secular morality

Swerving into Philosophy

Posted on July 21, 2020 by John Swinburn

I woke up late this morning, sometime around 6:45. The fact that I was awakened in the middle of the night probably contributed to my late rising. Or maybe I was just tired and needed more sleep than normal. Whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Dreams, Religion, Secular morality | 6 Comments

Beyond 3000: The Good Fight and Restoring a Lost Culture

Posted on August 26, 2019 by John Swinburn

Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed that my post two days ago, the one entitled My Children, was post number three thousand on this blog. Big whoop-de-doo. So, now, I’ll have to wait until I’ve published 998 … Continue reading →

Posted in Complacency, Democracy, Government, Politics, Secular morality | Leave a comment

Biblical Insights from Nonbelievers

Posted on May 30, 2017 by John Swinburn

The insight service day before yesterday at the Unitarian Universalist Village Church was among the more thought-provoking I’ve heard (and I’ve heard some that inspired me to give serious thought to some pretty complex issues). The presentation, given by a man … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Secular morality | Leave a comment

BIG Ideas

Posted on December 23, 2016 by John Swinburn

The perception of technological advances allowing customers to check out their own groceries differs radically, depending on one’s perspective. From the viewpoint of the grocer, investing in such technology means an investment in profitability or, indeed, economic survival. But store … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Economics, Intellect, Philosophy, Politics, Secular morality | Leave a comment

Grace

Posted on October 23, 2016 by John Swinburn

An image of a hand-written letter George H.W. Bush left in the Oval Office on January 1993 for Bill Clinton has gone viral (click on image to enlarge). The letter exemplifies a flurry of shared sentiments that seem to have sparked … Continue reading →

Posted in Civility, Philosophy, Politics, Secular morality | Leave a comment

Flaws, Faults, and How We Define Them

Posted on October 17, 2016 by John Swinburn

If you’re looking for flaws, look inside yourself. Look at your own behaviors, behaviors for which you would condemn others were they to engage in them. If you judge other people for failing to meet standards and expectations you are incapable … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Secular morality | Leave a comment

Surprise

Posted on March 20, 2016 by John Swinburn

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not becoming a Christian. Nor an apologist for Christian religions. Nor am I changing my mind about the likelihood that there’s a deity (I’d lay odds of 20 billion to one against that possibility). But … Continue reading →

Posted in Secular morality | Leave a comment

Coincidental Judaism and Humanism

Posted on March 10, 2016 by John Swinburn

Last night, we attended a program in which Theodora Klayman, a Holocaust survivor from Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia) spoke of her experiences. She and her family were members of a very small minority of Yugoslavs/Croations who were Jewish. Hers was an … Continue reading →

Posted in Essay, Philosophy, Secular morality | 4 Comments

Spiritual Promiscuity

Posted on May 29, 2015 by John Swinburn

I wrote much of the following for another of my blogs, one I began a few years ago and have since abandoned.  I allowed it to languish after just one or two posts and have, until recently, paid little attention to what … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Secular morality | 2 Comments

Drawing the Line on Twisted Thinking

Posted on February 24, 2015 by John Swinburn

Certain topics are so imbued with social radioactivity that we have learned sharing our curiosity or our thoughts about them in most social environments and in most person-to-person interactions is unsafe, emotionally or psychologically. What are these topics? The sex act. Homosexuality. … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Religion, Secular morality | 2 Comments

Hard as Nails and Half as Sharp

Posted on February 9, 2015 by John Swinburn

More than occasionally I come across people I quickly decide are as hard as nails and half as sharp. These are people about whom I make a snap judgement based on a single encounter, maybe not even an encounter with me but an encounter I witness … Continue reading →

Posted in Secular morality | Leave a comment

Behaving Decently: A Reminder

Posted on December 28, 2014 by John Swinburn

Words that bear consideration: “I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without expectations of rewards or punishments after I am dead.” ~Kurt Vonnegut That point having been considered, something that should have … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality | Leave a comment

The St. Francis Prayer

Posted on December 23, 2014 by John Swinburn

Yesterday, a friend (thank you, Tara) posted something on her Facebook page and her blog that struck a chord with me (I recommend her blog, by the way). Though neither she nor I are “believers,” we seem to share a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Secular morality | Leave a comment

Recollections of a Broken Spirit

Posted on August 2, 2014 by John Swinburn

Several years ago, not long after I started the business that I finally abandoned for a sabbatical/ retirement, a guy I knew from a professional association to which I belonged contacted me.  He called me as part of his networking efforts … Continue reading →

Posted in Memories, Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality | 1 Comment

Getting “Religion”

Posted on June 1, 2014 by John Swinburn

Get ready to be surprised, flabbergasted, astonished, and amazed. I went to church today.  No, really.  Not for a wedding or a funeral, but for a Sunday service. An article in last week’s Hot Springs Village Voice newspaper included an … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality | 2 Comments

You May be Getting Ripped Off; Someone Else is Dying

Posted on February 12, 2014 by John Swinburn

Rarely will I ask readers to forward one of my posts, but I’m making an exception with this one. Please, please read it and the stories linked to it, then forward this to as many people as you can…or post … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Philosophy, Secular morality | 2 Comments

The House You Live In

Posted on December 18, 2013 by John Swinburn

I know I may be opening myself up to criticism, snickering, and accusations that I’m a whimpering dreamer, but the lyrics to The House You Live In are some of the most touching, most moving, most INSTRUCTIONAL words of any … Continue reading →

Posted in Secular morality | 9 Comments

Sunday Assembly

Posted on December 4, 2013 by John Swinburn

If you’ve read my blog, or my Facebook comments, you know I’ve spoken well of “the church” with respect to “doing good,” and have lamented the lack of a church-like organization for non believers who desire the social benefits of … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Secular morality | 5 Comments

Roots of Religion

Posted on December 1, 2013 by John Swinburn

A few months ago, I watched The Buddha on PBS for the third or fourth time.  Almost every time I see that it’s on, I watch it.  That’s not my usual practice with television; generally, I don’t watch it much … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality | 6 Comments

The Legacies of Bigotry

Posted on March 22, 2013 by John Swinburn

As I watched the video presented below, I was struck by the fact that there have been so very many lives lost and ruined by bigotry in all its many forms. Stop, think what bigotry means: big·ot·ry /ˈbɪgətri/ noun, plural … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Secular morality, Wisdom | Leave a comment

More on Religion

Posted on October 28, 2012 by John Swinburn

I have an acquaintance who’s an Episcopalian.  I know this because he frequently comments about his faith on his Facebook page.  He makes no bones about his faith, but neither does he condemn people of other faiths or those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality | 2 Comments