A Secular Humanist Puzzle

by Gary Berg-Cross

I'm no puzzle master, but I had a stray thought that it might be fun to create one with secular humanist terms and topics in mind. You'll find it below with the clues below that. I note that Secular is a frequent crossword puzzle clue, but I haven't used it in this puzzle. The LA Times apparently keeps track of such things and notes that puzzle clues of the word secular include:

• Not of the cloth
• Not of the clergy
• Nonclerical
• Of the flock
• Not clerical
• Like some church matters
• Flock member
• Concerning the congregation
• Worldly
• Temporal

Recent usage in crossword puzzles:

• USA Today - March 31, 2011
• USA Today - March 11, 2011
• LA Times - March 2, 2011
• LA Times Sunday Calendar - Dec. 5, 2010
• New York Times - Nov. 8, 2010 etc.
  

Hint, I did lift a few terms from this Blog. that we have spotted over 20 times. There are related clues (shown below).



Clues

Across

4. American educator, philosopher, psychologist and author or Humanist Manifesto I

7. ? vs intelligent design

8. Formulated as “any rational person would bet on the existence of God by believing in him since there is no cost with a losing bet and an infinite reward with a winning bet.”

9. Free-Will versus ?

10. Church associated with Pastafarians

14. Claim of Sam Harris – Morality is?

17. You and maybe me?

19. A philosophical stance that offers a solution to the free will vs. determinism debate.

20. Mythical powerful being starring in ancient, popular, some say (Good) book

21. Jefferson for one

24. Inventor or memes and much more

25. Famous, mild agnostic American writer on slavery and tomfoolery in general.

26. Often opposed to reason

Down

1. Great American agnostic

2. Faith-based belief is opposed to what type of belief?

3. Latin American writer who said, “Being an agnostic makes me live in a larger, a more fantastic kind of world, almost uncanny. It makes me more tolerant."

5. Author of Breaking the Spell’

6. Should have evidence, which should have a repeatable basis

10. A Great English Atheist of the 19^th century

11. Binary thinking flaw

12. AKA a mental virus

13. Susan Jacoby’s favorites

15. A person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in things, such as God

18. Colonial era term for atheists and Deists

22. Neo-Plationist philosopher, librarian and secular martyr trained in Athens tradition of inquiry.