J. Eric Harrington

J. Eric Harrington is currently trying to puzzle out life while living in Mississippi.

Summary of Vital Data: Born and raised in Greensboro, NC. Has traveled in Western Europe and the United States (both coasts). Spent over 20 years as a Christian, being a member of a Southern Baptist church. De-converted in the fall of 1998. Currently living in Mississippi while on assignment as a programming contractor.

Education: Graduated from High School in 1976; BA in Math (concentration in Computer Science) from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1981. Still working on a degree from the "School of Hard Knocks."

Hobbies: Writing, coin collecting, astronomy, model rocketry, wilderness camping, studying history and religion, and SCUBA diving.

General message: While most religions appear to be evolving into more benign forms these days, their ability to become powerful forces for the harm of mankind must not be forgotten. The work of creating a better world for our children must include both the destruction of religion's ability to harm and the building of a superior framework to replace that which we are working to destroy.

Material from Eric:

Atheism & Discrimination
Few people appear to realize that atheists face problems with discrimination. Many people who demur from religion often live lives of separation from the mainstream, as my experiences illustrate. As you will see, there are ways to react to the problem of religious discrimination, subtle though it is.

Raising a Child of Freethought
Parents may wonder how they will be able to raise their child such that they will be more likely to end up thinking for themselves. Just how does one raise their child to be a freethinker? Our guest columnist shares his experiences and perspectives on how he raised his own son.

Thoughts on Growing Up
How are religion and the process of maturing as a human being related? One father talks about his experiences and suggests various relationships.