Q: I’m a 75-year-old man who’s never followed any formal religion but have always tried to do what I thought was right. As of late, I’ve been reading (with great interest) about something called Deism ...

Atheism in America requires a sense of humor, however black, a thick skin, or an active embrace of outsider status; lacking these defenses, you risk being unnerved by the onslaught of religiosity and ...