What if you don't believe, won't believe or simply can't? Whether you're a hard core atheist, heretical apostate or just a wishy-washy doubting Thomas, the big human issues of meaning, ritual, belonging, death and suffering still have to be faced. Dick Gross has written and broadcast on these issues from a godless perspective for over a decade. Join him on his blog as he wanders through the big issues of existence without a god to help him. Even though he is more than a little neurotic, even Dick has found that a life lived without the ``G'' word is not so scary after all.
Atheism - a fizzer or fantastic?
Dick Gross With the Global Atheist Conference about to kick off this weekend, it might be a good time to assess where atheism is at the moment.
The 21st grog fest
Dick Gross The 21st in the 21st century is a great Aussie tradition. Celebrating the change in the young from child to adult is the last of this rite of passage series which has also looked at citizenship...
Two new Aussie queens
Dick Gross This weekend saw the enthronement of two very religious women as new Australian queens.
Grieving as a group
Dick Gross This is the second of the Rites of Passage Triple Bill, dealing with ceremonies that celebrate change and how they assist people with change.
Aussie Open - the tribe has spoken
Dick Gross The stoush that is the just-finished Australian Open is always fought with tribalism very much in the spotlight.
Rites of Passage: Citizenship
Dick Gross Changing one’s status is a big deal. When you change your status, by hitting certain milestones in your life or even ending your life, that change of status needs to be acknowledged by the ...
Two bizarre moments
Dick Gross Faith never fails to astonish and on occasions, appal. Out of the tragedy unfolding in Haiti there is one strange outpouring from a very strange religious man.
From Church to State
Dick Gross Australia Day tells us of the growing capture of traditional religious functions by the state.
Atheist defence of Mary's sainthood
Dick Gross There is a godless vindication of Mary’s canonisation. No, this secular leopard has not changed his godless spots. I haven’t been wandering towards Damascus and suffered a Pauline moment.
Outing no revelation
Dick Gross Kathleen Evans has now outed herself as the miracle woman on whose coattails Mary MacKillop is riding to sainthood.
A Moment to Reflect
Dick Gross Janus, whose name is preserved for posterity in the month January, was Roman god of gates and new beginnings.
The patron saint of quack cancer cures
Dick Gross One hates to be a kill joy, but is anyone else far from a state of rapture about some of the aspects of the canonisation of Mary MacKillop? I am afraid that this inspiring but long dead woman ..
Atheist defence of Xmas
Dick Gross The God of Sun, not the Son of God, is at the heart of the Aussie Christmas. That is why I love it.
O Glorious Prejudice
Dick Gross Hallelujah. Praise the Lord! The right wing bit of our broad church of the religious community has done it again. It has actively campaigned on promoting prejudice and bigotry and ..
Of Saints and stormers
Dick Gross What in God’s name is a blog devoted to the age old issues of faith and belief doing talking about the footy? Isn’t it just sleazy opportunism by an embryonic blog trying to tap into ...
On faith and suffering
Dick Gross Humanity needs a narrative or explanation when things go horribly tits up.
Springtime opportunism
Dick Gross Spring has sprung, the grass is ris’ I wonder how many lame sermons using a flower, there is.
An Unholy Trinity
Dick Gross The Church in Australia has had a bad week or two. Or is it that the Church has a bad century or two and last week was more of a shocker than usual?
In praise of the veil (part the second)
Dick Gross This is the second part of this atheistic defence of Islamic women wearing the veil. Primarily this is a question of pragmatic love versus doctrinaire hate – and love wins hands down.
Heart full of pride at sight of veil
Dick Gross My godless heart leaps with joy when I see brave, veiled Muslim women walking in Australian streets. My soul sings at this sight.
