HUFFINGTON
11.10.13
IDA MAE ASTUTE/ABC VIA GETTY IMAGES
Voices
PAUL BRANDEIS
RAUSHENBUSH
How Not to Talk About
the Beliefs of Others
RECENTLY TWO CELEBRITIES
offered us mirror textbook cases
on how not to talk about the belief
— or lack thereof — of another.
On a show that aired Oct. 13,
Oprah Winfrey hosted Diana
Nyad, who recently completed
a historic swim from Cuba to
Florida. In the now famous exchange, Nyad, who is an atheist,
explained her beliefs to Oprah:
I can stand at the beach’s edge
with the most devout Christian,
Jew, Buddhist, go on down the
line, and weep with the beauty
of this universe and be moved
by all of humanity. All the billions of people who have lived
Oprah
Winfrey
recently came
under attack
by atheist
groups for
seemingly
disregarding
the nonbelief of
swimmer
Diana Nyad.