“Because CASS is founded on the belief that critical thinking is for everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender—” Juanita lifted her necklace to reveal her crucifix. “Or creed.” –Juanita Vega from Revenge of the Phantom Press: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story

My upcoming novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, is set in an alternate version of 2015. In the book, Juanita Vega is the president of the Chicago Anti-Superstition Society. She also believes in God and doesn’t apologize for it. Figuratively speaking, she’s like an angel of reason to Tom Larsen, the main character.

Revenge of the Phantom Press

While Juanita is a fictional character, she’s partially inspired by religious members of the skeptical movement. Back around the 2010s, there was a debate within the skeptical movement about whether someone could call themselves a skeptic and still believe in God. In many ways, it was part of the debate over science and religion being  non-overlapping magisteria.  Dr. Pamela Gay and Hal Bidlack were prominent religious promoters of scientific skepticism. When I was involved with Chicago Skeptics, the leaders made it very clear that religious skeptics were welcome.

As the Deep Rifts intensified and the skeptical movement declined, that debate faded into the background. Nowadays, between Lawrence Krauss’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Richard Dawkins’s cringeworthy commentaries, and Michael Shermer victim-blaming Renee Good, who wants to identify as a skeptic?

I don’t subscribe to non-overlapping magisteria because religion doesn’t confine itself to ethics and morality. We’re seeing this today with the government defunding any study that includes the word “trans.” Not to mention, abortion, stem cell research, and the teaching of evolution. Most people compartmentalize their religious beliefs and scientific knowledge. They can accept the world is billions of years old and draw inspiration from books saying the world was created in six days. Compartmentalizing is not the same as saying science and religion don’t overlap.

Still, I’d rather work with a religious person to advocate for science-based policies than a person who dresses up alt-right talking points as rationalism.

What are your thoughts?

Revenge of the Phantom Press releases this Saturday. You can preorder it from most book retailers or check it out from your local library.