Welcome to the CODA Project
Most of us inherited a lot of ideas about how we’re supposed to live before we were old enough to question them.
The CODA Project is an invitation to start asking those questions.
What do I actually believe? What do I value? Why do I value it? And what deserves to guide my life now?
You don’t need to be an atheist, Humanist, Christian, ex-Christian, or anything else to explore those questions here. Whatever you believe (or don’t believe) about the supernatural, the CODA Project starts with something we all share:
Our human experience.
If you’re willing to question some of the answers that you’ve inherited, think critically about what you believe, and explore what helps human beings live better lives together, then you’re in the right place.
A Good Place to Begin: The Foundations
At the center of the CODA Project is the Foundational Values Framework.
Instead of looking to religious doctrine or another external authority to tell us what we should value, I started with a different question: What human capacities appear to have helped us survive, adapt, learn, cooperate, and flourish throughout our history?
That exploration led me to five Foundational Values:
Cooperation • Empathy/Compassion • Fairness • Integrity • Curiosity
These aren’t commandments, and I don’t claim they’re the final answer. What they are is a lens. They’re a starting point for examining our beliefs, choices, relationships, traditions, and assumptions.
Explore the Foundational Values Framework
Put the Values Into Practice
If you want to start with something practical, try the Weekly Compass.
Each week, I explore a single value. I dive into things like Autonomy, Responsibility, Acceptance, Mindfulness, Resilience, and many others. We consider what the value means, why it matters, how it grows from the Foundational Values, and how we can actually practice it in our daily lives.
The Weekly Compass is written for individuals, families, and small groups, with questions that can lead to some surprisingly good conversations.
Explore the Weekly Compass
Question Something You Thought You Knew
If religion or the Bible has played a significant role in your life, or if you’re simply curious about how these ancient texts continue to influence our culture, then you should check out Mythologizing the Bible (MTB).
I spent nearly four decades involved in Catholic ministry before eventually becoming an atheist and secular humanist. MTB gives me a chance to return to texts I once approached as sacred scripture and ask different, more constructive questions.
What does history tell us? What does the textual evidence suggest? What human values do these stories reflect? Which ideas are still useful? And which ideas deserve to be challenged?
You don’t have to believe the Bible is the Word of God.
You don’t have to believe it’s worthless, either.
Discover Mythologizing the Bible
Go a Little Deeper
Afterthoughts and other CODA essays and podcasts give me room to follow interesting questions wherever they lead.
Religion. Culture. Ethics. Leadership. Critical thinking. Personal growth. Community. The assumptions we make about ourselves and other people.
The subjects change, but the approach doesn’t:
Stay curious. Follow the evidence. Examine what you’ve inherited. Decide what deserves to guide you.
You Don’t Need to Have It All Figured Out
Neither do I.
And that’s kinda the point.
The CODA Project isn’t a place where I’ve assembled all the right answers so I can hand them to you. I’m definitely not a guru or authority figure you have to obey. What I’m trying to do with the CODA Project is lead us on an ongoing exploration of how we can live thoughtful, meaningful, values-based lives without surrendering our responsibility to think for ourselves.
Question everything. Keep what’s good. Live what matters.
Oh… and don’t forget to change your mind when there’s good reason to.
And then keep going.
The first part of our music may have been written for us. The coda is ours to compose!