Wendy Thomas Russell

I am very proud and happy to announce that my book will be featured on the PBS NewsHour's BookShelf segment sometime in the following week.

Parenting an only? If so, you've probably heard the litany of reasons to have more children. (Haven't we all?) But there are two sides to every story, and to provide a bit of balance (and humor) to the procreation debate, I've written an essay in defense of making your kid an only. It was published this morning over at the PBS NewsHour, and I'd be awfully grateful if you gave it read.

Although there are more than 33,000 (!!) Protestant denominations, all of them still operate in ways that are separate and distinct from the Catholic Church. But what are the differences, really? I mean, all Christians Churches hold the same core value: Jesus Christ was the son of the God who died for our sins, arose from the dead, and ascended to heaven. Isn't the rest just window-dressing? Well, here, you decide.

So can we talk about near-death experiences for a minute? You know — the whole tunnels-and-bright-lights thing? I bring it up because a good friend recently shared with me a YouTube video featuring an 18-year-old with heart disease. In the video, the high school senior, whose name is Ben Breedlove, uses index cards and music to tell the story of his life, his illness and his three near-death experiences.

After reading yet another story on the flap over the Girl Scouts book I wrote, I'm reminded once again at how irrationally freaked out some parents become when their kids are exposed to ideas different from their own. Whether it's nonreligious parents instructing their kids on what to think about Catholicism, or conservatives instructing kids on what to think about gay marriage, the short-sightedness involved in both is the same.

Well, they got it mostly right. And, dammit, maybe that's enough. The current issue of Psychology Today contains a really great piece about atheism and agnosticism and what it terms "a new breed of nonbelievers." Apparently I belong to this new breed because I'm featured in the article, along with a handful of others — including my all-time favorite advice-giving atheist, Richard Wade.

A woman writes a book for the Girl Scouts of the USA and then, a couple of years later, authors a website about nonreligious parenting. Which one ends up as fodder for the conservative media giant Fox News? Why, the Girl Scouts, of course!