To Hell with Heaven

The population of the United States is becoming less and less affiliated with any religion, at the same time that national, state, and local governments are considering policies that elevate religious freedom over other civil rights and liberties. Meanwhile, religious extremism and religiously motivated violence are steadily rising. In these vigorous debates, the loud voices of extremists drowned out religious and irreligious moderates. How should this “silent majority” approach such a pressing national conversation? In To Hell with Heaven, I offer one theory: apatheism. This part-philosophical, part-autobiographical account explains what apatheism is and how it differs from its opposite, religious zealotry. When it comes to religious extremism, rather than “fight fire with fire,” moderates should embrace passive resistance. Ultimately, this book empowers believers and non-believers to look extremists in the eye and declare: “I don’t care.”