Darrel Ray

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Darrel Ray
Darrel Ray.jpg
BornDarrel Wayne Ray
(1950-08-24) August 24, 1950 (age 73)
Wichita, Kansas
Occupation Organizational psychologist, author
Education MA, Ed. D.
Alma mater Friends University
Scarritt College for Christian Workers
Genre Non-fiction
Subject Religion, secularism, organization development, sexuality
Years active1978–present
Notable worksThe God Virus, Sex and God
Darrel Ray's voice

Darrel Wayne Ray (born August 24, 1950) is an American organizational psychologist and author who focuses on topics such as workplace organizational culture, secular sexuality, and the treatment of religion-induced trauma. He is a public speaker, podcaster, and atheist activist, and founded the non-profit organization Recovering from Religion as well as the Secular Therapy Project.

Contents

Personal life

Ray was raised a fundamentalist Christian in Wichita, Kansas, by parents who eventually became missionaries, and among family members highly involved in church life. [1] This fundamentalist upbringing informs much of his later writing. [2] In 1979, Ray joined the Quaker church, and later he attended the Presbyterian church. [3] From 1969 to 1984, he taught Sunday school, preached, and was a tenor soloist in several church choirs.[ citation needed ] He left the church in the mid-1980s and identifies as an atheist.[ citation needed ]

Ray is the father of two children and also a grandfather. [4] He is also openly polyamorous. [5]

Education

In 1972, Ray earned a bachelor's degree in sociology/anthropology at Friends University in Wichita, and in 1974 he completed an MA in Church and Community at Scarritt College for Christian Workers in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1978 he finished a doctoral program in psychology at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, earning his Ed.D. [6]

Professional work

Ray was very involved in organizational culture and clinical psychology. [4] He is the author of two books on team building and was the director of The Institute for Performance Culture. [7] He also founded Teaming Up, an organizational and team-building coaching program. [8] Ray co-authored 2 books with Howard Bronstein which describe how to create and manage self-directed teams. [9]

In 2009, Ray created the organization Recovering from Religion (RfR), an international, non-profit organization which helps people dealing with issues stemming from religious trauma, doubt, and non-belief. [3] Ray serves as the president of the RfR Board of Directors, [10] and also founded the RfR's Secular Therapy Project which has the goal of helping clients find therapists offering secular and science-based therapy. [11]

Ray is also the author of books about secularism and atheism, The God Virus: How Religion Affects Our Lives and Culture and Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality. Ray's books about secularism and religion explore how religion interacts with human beings on a personal and cultural level. Ray explores how religious institutions and ideas can be used to control human thoughts and behaviors, especially sexual behaviors. [4] Ray pays special attention to placing sexuality and various religions into context culturally and historically. [5] He takes the stance that many human impulses, feelings and sexual behaviors are normal and can be desirable. [12] Ray's books have influenced other atheists, where his psychological interpretation of Richard Dawkin's concept of religion as a virus has influenced the atheist and secular movement in America. [13]

On August 30, 2014, Ray launched a podcast about human sexuality and atheism called Secular Sexuality where is he also the host. [14]

Ray has also appeared as a secular psychological expert on television, including ABC News show, Nightline, where in 2011, he spoke out against exorcisms and took a scientific viewpoint towards psychological illnesses that might look like possession. [15]

Research

In June 1982, Ray and several other authors released a paper describing a study done on male youth offenders in a juvenile correction institute. Ray and the group studied whether population density had any effects on the participants. [16]

In May 2011, Ray and Amanda Brown (an undergraduate at the University of Kansas studying sex and sexuality) released the results of a self-reporting online survey [17] of over 14,500 American secularists, titled "Sex and Secularism: What Happens When You Leave Religion?", concluding that sex improves dramatically after leaving religion, and people who are religious exhibit similar sexual behaviors as the non-religious, but experience markedly increased guilt. [18] The study has been criticized for suffering from self-selection bias, [19] due to its recruiting of participants via the science blog Pharyngula . [20]

Bibliography

Books

Journals

Ray has written for a number of journals, including The Humanist, a publication of the American Humanist Association. [21]

Podcast

Ray's podcast, Secular Sexuality addresses human sexuality from an atheist or freethinker's viewpoint. It is produced by Secular Media Group, LLC, an atheist media and publishing company. [22]

Related Research Articles

Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secular humanism</span> Life stance that embraces human reason, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism

Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system, or life stance that embraces human reason, logic, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freethought</span> Position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism

Freethought is an unorthodox attitude or belief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Secular Society</span> British campaigning organisation founded in 1866

The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866.

Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, rationalism, and secularism. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious holding a diverse array of specific beliefs about religion or its role in their lives.

Jewish atheism refers to the atheism of people who are ethnically and culturally Jewish.

Pharyngula, a blog founded and written by PZ Myers, is hosted on ScienceBlogs and on FreeThoughtBlogs (2011–present). In 2006 the science journal Nature listed it as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist based on popularity. The blog addresses a range of topics, including Myers's academic specialty, biology. It has become particularly well known for Myers's writing style and for his criticism of intelligent design and creationism. In 2009, Hemant Mehta ranked Pharyngula the most popular atheist blog, based on subscriber levels and other factors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science</span> Non-profit organization

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is a division of Center for Inquiry (CFI) founded by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 2006 to promote scientific literacy and secularism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Jacoby</span> American author (born 1945)

Susan Jacoby is an American author. Her 2008 book about American anti-intellectualism, The Age of American Unreason, was a New York Times best seller. She is an atheist and a secularist. Jacoby graduated from Michigan State University in 1965. She lives in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Dillahunty</span> American atheist activist (born 1969)

Matthew Wade Dillahunty is an American atheist activist and former president of the Atheist Community of Austin, a position he held from 2006 to 2013. Between 2005 and October 2022, Dillahunty was host of the televised webcast The Atheist Experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PZ Myers</span> American biologist (born 1957)

Paul Zachary Myers is an American biologist who founded and writes the Pharyngula science blog. He is associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) where he works in the field of developmental biology. He is a critic of intelligent design and the creationist movement and other pseudoscientific concepts.

Atheist feminism is a branch of feminism that also advocates atheism. Atheist feminists hold that religion is a prominent source of female oppression and inequality, believing that the majority of the religions are sexist and oppressive towards women.

Austin Dacey is an American philosopher, writer, and human rights activist whose work concerns secularism, religion, freedom of expression, and freedom of conscience. He is the author of The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life, The Future of Blasphemy: Speaking of the Sacred in an Age of Human Rights, and a 2006 New York Times op-ed entitled "Believing in Doubt," which criticized the ethical views of Pope Benedict. He is a representative to the United Nations for the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the creator and director of The Impossible Music Sessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale McGowan</span> American writer and academic (born 1963)

Dale McGowan is an American author, educator, podcaster, and philanthropist who has written and edited several books related to nonreligious life, particularly parenting without religion.

In the Philippines, atheists and agnostics are not officially counted in the census of the country, although the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2020 reported that 43,931 Filipinos have no religious affiliation or have answered "none". Additionally, a study by the Dentsu Communication Institute in Japan indicated that around 11 million or 11% of Filipinos are irreligious. Since 2011, the non-religious increasingly organized themselves, especially among the youth in the country. There is a stigma attached to being an atheist in the Philippines, and this necessitates many Filipino atheists to communicate with each other via the Internet, for example via the Philippine Atheism, Agnosticism and Secularism, Inc. formerly known as Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recovering from Religion</span> International non-profit organization

Recovering from Religion (RfR) is an international non-profit organization that helps people who have left religion, are in process of leaving, or are dealing with problems arising out of theistic doubt or non-belief. RfR provides support groups, telephone and chat helplines, an online peer support community, and online meetings for "people in their most urgent time of need". It is headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas.

The secular movement refers to a social and political trend in the United States, beginning in the early years of the 20th century, with the founding of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism in 1925 and the American Humanist Association in 1941, in which atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, freethinkers, and other nonreligious and nontheistic Americans have grown in both numbers and visibility. There has been a sharp increase in the number of Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated, from under 10 percent in the 1990s to 20 percent in 2013. The trend is especially pronounced among young people, with about one in three Americans younger than 30 identifying as religiously unaffiliated, a figure that has nearly tripled since the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atheism in the African diaspora</span> Atheism experienced by black people outside of Africa

Atheism in the African diaspora is atheism as it is experienced by black people outside of Africa. In the United States, black people are less likely than any other ethnic groups to be religiously unaffiliated, let alone identifying as atheist. The demographics are similar in the United Kingdom. Atheists are individuals who do not hold a belief in God or gods. Atheism is a disbelief in God or gods or a denial of God or gods, or it is simply a lack of belief in gods. Some, but not all, atheists identify as secular humanists, who are individuals who believe that life has meaning and joy without the need for the supernatural or religion and that all individuals should live ethical lives which can provide for the greater good of humanity. Black atheists and secular humanists exist today and in history, though many were not always vocal in their beliefs or lack of belief.

References

  1. ↑ "Darrel W. Ray Speaks Out". webcitation.org. AnAtheist.net. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Dr. Darrel Ray". Baker & Taylor Author Biographies. Literary Reference Center: 1. January 4, 2000. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Gray, Helen (June 12, 2009). "New support group Recovering from Religion helps people who leave the church". The Kansas City Star . Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Darrel W. Ray". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Tani, Red (August 4, 2000). "A Conversation with Darrel Ray" (Audio). Filipino Freethinkers. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Atheists United Hosts Special Meeting with Noted Psychologist, Darrel Ray". Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ Ray, Darrel; Elder, David (December 1, 2007). "Managing Horizontal Accountability". Journal for Quality and Participation. 30 (4): 24–28. ISSN   1040-9602.
  8. ↑ "IPC Teaming Up". Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ Gerard, Robert (August 1995). "Teaming Up: Making the Transition to a Self-Directed, Team-Based Organization". Academy of Management Executive. doi:10.5465/AME.1995.9509210324 . Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Board Of Directors". recoveringfromreligion.org. Recovering from Religion. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Our Mission". seculartherapy.org/. Secular Therapy Project. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ Hall, David (July 20, 2012). "Book Review.Sex & God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality". Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ Boghossian, Peter (2013). A Manual for Creating Atheists. Durham, NC: Pitchstone Publishing. pp. 216–217. ISBN   9781939578099.
  14. ↑ Eberhard, JT. "Darrel Ray enters the world of podcasting with Secular Sexuality!" . Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Nightline". New York, NY. January 27, 2011. 4.45 minutes in. ABC News. ABChttp://tv.ark.com/transcript/nightline/714/KGO/Thursday_January_27_2011/553973/.{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  16. ↑ "The Effects Of High Density In A Juvenile Correctional Institution". Basic & Applied Social Psychology. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  17. ↑ Clark-Flory, Tracy (May 23, 2011). "Do atheists have better sex?". Salon.com . Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  18. ↑ Myers, PZ. "This has to be our new selling point". Pharyngula (blog). Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  19. ↑ Donaldson James, Susan (May 25, 2011). "Atheists Have Best Sex Lives, Claims Psychologist". ABC News . Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  20. ↑ Myers, PZ (January 24, 2011). "Prying into your dirty, dirty secrets". Pharyngula (blog). Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  21. ↑ Darrel, Ray (July 2012). "America's War on Sex: The Attack on Law, Lust, and Liberty". Humanist. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  22. ↑ Dogma Debate and Secular Sexuality "Secular Sexuality". Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
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