Exploring the atheist personality: well-being, awe, and magical thinking in atheists, Buddhists, and Christians

A Commentary on the Relevance of Charles Taylors Critique of William James: Varieties of Spirituality and Religion and their Relevance to Psychopathology

“…Other patterns of difference between atheistic types on a variety of measure suggest that not all theistic types can be lumped together under any single explanation [17]. This is consistent with evidence suggesting atheism can be treated partly as an individual difference variable, often associate with openness [20,21]. Clearly Taylor's dialogue with James speaks to our time.…”

“…It is likely that the reasons for deconversion can be associated with emotional distress and may involve struggles with God that may but need not be viewed as pathological [18,19]. However, for others deconversions are simply a consequence of rational doubt [20]. Both Taylor and James favor struggles, long identified with the "twice born" of whom Luther is James' favorite example.…”

Measuring attitude towards RE: factoring pupil experience and home faith background into assessment

“…The question of how RE should approach children who have no religion of their own is at the centre of an ongoing debate on the role of RE in late post-modernity. Should the home nurture of atheists too, who arguably have a distinct spiritual identity (Caldwell-Harris et al 2011), be acknowledged more in RE?…”

Young People, Non-religion and Citizenship

“…In contrast, a range of research studies with adult atheists have shown that the negative stereotypes regarding morals and values have little empirical basis, with differences between the religious and non-religious mainly linked to specific doctrinal issues such as sex before marriage (Caldwell-Harris et al, 2011;Didyoung et al, 2013). Furthermore, non-religious young people in qualitative studies typically refute notions that they are amoral (e.g.…”