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Free Inquiring minds want to know...
"Free Inquiry" is published bi-monthly by the Council for Secular Humanism, a nonprofit group dedicated to ushering in a "new enlightenment," which is a worldview that's based on rationality, science and good old fashioned learning. They contend that one can live a good, "moral" life without religion or other superstitions, so if you're a regular churchgoin' person, this is definitely not the magazine for you. Then again, maybe this is precisely the magazine for you if you're the type of regular churchgoin' person who wants the laws of the country to conform to whatever you think your god of choice is telling you they should be this week. If the concept of seperation of church and state is highly problematic for you, then you definitely need to be reading "Free Inquiry" from cover to cover--one might even say religiously! For those of us who are already hellbound heathens, FI is that friend that comes in your mailbox to tell you that no, you are not alone. Unlike an actual church, one doesn't need to agree with all its teachings, and in fact a variety of opinions are welcome. <
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>The mastermind behind the council is Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Buffalo, and his vision informs the magazine as a whole. While you can tell he's no fan of Dubya, it would be a mistake to dismiss him, or FI, as hopelessly liberal. One of FI's regular, and most popular contributors, is Chrisopher Hitchens, the firebrand journalist who has taken on a far more libertarian bent of late. There's also longtime Village Voice columnist Nat Hentoff, whose political views are often frustratingly hard to decipher (he's strictly libertarian on free-speech issues, but he's also anti-choice and anti-euthanasia). Kurtz himself, while decrying the war in Iraq, can be described as somewhat conservative in his take on American culture. One recent FI editorial had him condemning current American pop culture as shallow, vulgar and wasteful (yes, Paul, and your point is...?). He even namechecked two films as evidence: "The Devil's Rejects" and "The Aristocrats" (two of my fave films of '05!) the latter being produced by Penn Jillette, one of the only true skeptics working in show business. Many regular FI readers of course strongly disagree with his tsk-tsking, and are not shy about telling him. So much for secular humanism being a "religion." <
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>Of course, religion, or the merciless examination and debunking thereof, are the main focus of the magazine. Pretty much every December, readers can expect to find an article or two that focus a critical eye on the myths of Christmas and the contradictions contained in the Gospels. The continuing efforts of the Christian right to force creationism, or "intelligent design," into the nation's public schools has been covered quite thoroughly, with the anti-ID ruling in Dover receiving a cover story. Not wanting Muslim apostates to feel left out, FI also has Ibn Warraq (author of "Why I Am Not A Muslim") as a regular contributor. FI, it should be noted, was one of the few Ameerican publications to print any of the controversial cartoons of Mohammed that caused riots across the Muslim world. FI published just four of them, and even that was a source of disagreement among the magazine's staffers, some of whom felt it was disrepectful and unecessary to actually show the images. Compare this with the magazine published by American Atheists, which not only published all 12 of the cartoons, but also tacked on four REALLY offensive cartoons that even the Danish paper that commissioned them refused to run--heck, American Atheists even put one of the cartoons on it's flippin' cover! So while "Free Inquiry" is definitely no supporter of religious belief, they're also careful not to endorse ad hominem attacks, either. <
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>In fact, the only real flaws I can find with FI is that it sometimes seems too academic for its own good. If they want to extend humanist thought and philosophy to the general public, they have to make greater effort to be more, well, populist. A greater sense of humor would help, too. Though regulars such as Hitchens, Wendy Kaminer and Natalie Angier are on the right track, many articles have the dry feel of a college symposium. If religion doesn't require you to have a degree in order to join in, then maybe the antidote shouldn't come across as a commandments from the top of an ivory tower. Oh, yeah, and subscribers can expect to regularly find donation requests in their mailbox, so keep that in mind. As long as the American theocracy lets you have a mind to keep.

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The antidote to the irrationality that is religion
Produced by the Council for Secular Humanism, Free Inquiry's mission statement is "to promote and nurture the good life - life guided by reason and science, freed from the dogmas of god and state, inspired by compassion for fellow humans, and driven by the ideals of human freedom, happiness, and understanding." <
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>Common topics include secular humanism, atheism, church-state issues, and the rights of religious minorities. A sampling of articles from their most recent issue (February/March 2005) is illustrative of their objective; stories include "Fundamentalist Power in America" (by James A. Haught), "Crime and Causality: Do Killers Deserve to Die?" (Thomas W. Clark), "Law Reform, or DIY Suicide" (Peter Singer); and Jihad in the Netherlands (courtesy of the brilliant and ballsy Christopher Hitchens). They post some of each issue's offerings on their web site, so be sure to check it out. <
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>However, it's well worth the price to spring for a subscription, freebies or not. The articles are consistently well-written and thought-provoking, the topical selection varied yet absorbing. I usually read each new issue cover-to-cover within a week of arrival in my mailbox. Nor do old issues grow stale; it's the kind of magazine you can return to time and again. Hubby and I still have copies from the early `90s that we peruse on occasion! <
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>If you want scholarly yet understandable discourse, sound logic, and in-depth research, Free Inquiry is the magazine for you! It's an excellent change of pace from some of the fluff that passes for news nowadays. Another outstanding option is Skeptical Inquirer, from the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Skeptical Inquirer is quite similar to Free Inquiry (indeed, it's published by the same company and many of the contributors pull double duty), but with a narrower focus (it tends to focus on aliens, faith healers, miracles, and other "supernatural" nonsense). <
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>Also, if you enjoy the magazine, you might also like their "Web Columns"; go to their web site for more details! <
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>- Kelly Garbato <
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>Lifelong skeptic and atheist

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An intellectual's publication
Intelligent, insightful, and often witty. This is a great publication for those interested in thoughtful discussions of socio-political philosophy, as well as for those who want to learn more about secular humanism, humanist morality, and the often political nature of religion in American society and beyond. <
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>Each article is presented as a treatise, and is written with a very engaging and thought-provoking style by columnists, scholars, and philosophers for an audience that the "Letters" section would indicate are also intellectuals. <
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>While Free Inquiry is focused on issues of secular humanism, atheism, church-state separation, and issues affecting the rights of religious minorities; the magazine does not resort to childish name-calling, nor does does it serve as a mouthpiece for any one political party as so many popular publications are apt to do.