These are the days of miracles and wonders
as we look to a dying constellation in the corner of the sky
now baby, don't cry, don't cry -- Paul Simon "the boy in the bubble"

In those ages long past (and not so long past) most people made the mistake of placing wonders and awe outside of life; as something not quite real; as intruders into a false word of stuff -- gifts and curses from the gods.

In such a mind set there are great barriers to progress no matter how one defines it. Unless progress be defined in terms of fatalism, fear, anger and superstition.

That world is passing. It is not gone yet, but we can see in a world of 2 billion atheists, an ascendence of science and technology, in the sure facts of our common humanity that the last hours of the dark ages are here.

So we have challenges coming which some have dreamed of for millennia, but for which we have not yet planned. Some are obvious. Some will be unexpected.

These challenges are twins, so to speak. How do we free thinkers explain to those clinging to theism -- those UnBelievers in Life -- the beauties, wonders and miracles of real (bodily) life is where we find hope, happiness and meaning. These things are not out there in some spirit world invested in some god; rather they are potentially invested in us here and now in our fragile aliveness.

And for those of us who are already atheists, it is time to begin a hundred year plan. How will we live in an atheist world; and then a post atheist world? What habits, rituals and styles of living will allow us to live fully as body beings, fully alive in our humanness (with all of its passions, hopes, fears, strengths and limits)?

Our literature, rituals, music and social norms have been poisoned by several thousand years of theism. But getting rid of god does not get rid of our humanity. We will still have art, literature, music, song dance, joy, romance, hurts, betrayal, commitment, hate, hope, birth, growth, change, death.

We are humans.

That does not change.

Whether in a world defined by religion, atheism or in a future post religious and post atheist world.

This is who we are. Humans with an imperfectly understood human nature. We are social animals with particular strengths and weaknesses of feeling, thought, health and society.

We are animals who love and hate, are passionate, who have needs both logical and foolish.

This is who we are.

We will still have morality (some ethics will be the same, some of which will change). Perhaps we will create better moralities. They can not get worse. We will still have local cultures. We will still have habits and rituals.

We in the Church of Human Bodies invite you to think, feel and live along with us. There will not be one right solution to meet our Human needs. The solutions will vary across time and place. So long as the solutions are naturalistic, accepting of our mortality, respecting of our common Humanity and open to change; the solutions will be mostly good.

Nor do we expect there to be just one Church of Human bodies. There will be many and many sects and disagreements. The Church of Human Bodies welcomes you to join in with all of your bodily aliveness, in your mortality, in your glorious fragile animal nature.

Indeed you have already joined, though you may not realize it just yet.

--Daniel Pyron