Does God exist? Is religion merely a superstition? Does anyone even care in an era when scientific rationalism has become, for many, a sufficient explanation for just about everything under the sun?
Since “Atheists with Attitude” hit the newsstands, we’ve received a multitude of passionate responses from readers on both sides of the issue—so much so that we decided to invite our audience to explore their questions and opinions in a live conference call with the authors. In this fascinating discussion between Phipps, Pitney, and a worldwide audience of listeners, recorded live, the editors join host Jeff Carreira in an exploration of the core issues raised by the new atheists and their critics. Topics include everything from the evolution of atheism through history to the latest developments in neuroscience’s quest to explain religion and spiritual experiences.
Carter Phipps is executive editor of EnlightenNext magazine. In his ten years with the magazine, he has been responsible for some of its most in-depth investigative features, including the “The Real Evolution Debate,” a spiritual and scientific analysis of evolutionary worldviews, and the acclaimed “Is God A Pacifist?” a philosophical analysis of war, peace, and nonviolence. Phipps has also helped to forge the magazine’s reputation as the premier popular publication espousing the ideas of integral philosophy through his feature articles on the work of Ken Wilber (“A Philosopher of Everything”) and on Steve McIntosh (“Integral Politics Comes of Age”). Covering topics from metaphysics to politics to science and technology, Phipps’s work combines the careful rigor of contemporary journalism with a passionate concern for the development of human culture.
Phipps is increasingly recognized as a key player in the growing network of thinkers, activists, spiritual leaders, scientists, scholars, and cultural pioneers who are reshaping the face of spirituality and progressive culture today. He regularly represents EnlightenNext magazine at conferences and leadership gatherings, including the invitation-only assembly of religious leaders at Montserrat, Spain, convened by the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions. In 2008 he was invited to speak at the Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace, and he has been a guest speaker at Brown University, JFK University, and the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, as well as at conferences sponsored by Praxis Peace Institute, Wisdom University, and Integral Institute. Phipps was recently interviewed for the BBC Radio show “Reporting Religion,” has been featured on the globally syndicated New Dimensions radio show and is a regular guest on Deepak Chopra’s Wellness Radio on Sirius.
Phipps received his BA in Business Economics from the University of Oklahoma and worked as a computer engineer for a number of years. He currently lives with his wife in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts where he practices the Evolutionary Enlightenment teachings of Andrew Cohen.
Joel Pitney
Joel Pitney joined the editorial staff of EnlightenNext magazine in late 2007. Previously, he spent six years working in the field of sustainable agriculture, managing organic farms in Oregon, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Most recently, he helped found an online marketing and communications start-up, ThoughtLead. Pitney received a BS in Environmental Science from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. He has been a student of Evolutionary Enlightenment since 2005 and currently lives at EnlightenNext’s international headquarters in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachussets.
