Ronald A. Lindsay argues that secular people need not avoid December 25 or conform to religious expectations when the holiday arrives. He emphasizes that Christmas is historically arbitrary and culturally syncretic, encouraging secularists to freely adopt—or discard—traditions à la carte in whatever ways bring joy, without guilt or deference to Christian claims.

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https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/christmas-a-la-carte/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

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Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques the Catholic Church's latest decision to bar women from the diaconate as another exercise in institutional paralysis, masking inaction with dense theological language to avoid alienating opposing factions. He argues that fear of undermining claims to absolute truth keeps meaningful reform perpetually out of reach, even at enormous moral and financial cost.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/the-hamster-wheel-of-catholic-reform/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

This essay is the author's abridged version of his book-length memoir, The Long Surrender: A Memoir about Losing My Religion (Wisdom Editions, 2022), available wherever books are sold.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/2025/11/the-long-surrender-a-memoir-about-losing-my-religion/

About the Author: Brian Rush McDonald is a psychotherapist in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia. After leaving the ministry, he worked in various capacities for a couple years, from university professor to Starbucks barista before completing all the requirements to be a licensed psychotherapist. He has now been in private practice for nearly twenty years. He treats individuals who are experiencing depression, anxiety, or life adjustment issues. He also provides couples counseling. He and Kathy have been married for forty-seven years and have three adult children and three grandchildren. McDonald enjoys playing trombone in several community groups, and he and Kathy enjoy sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry