- Darrel Ray
-
Darrel Wayne Ray 
Born Darrel Wayne Ray
24 August 1950
Wichita, KansasOccupation Organizational psychologist, Author Nationality American Ethnicity White American Education MA, Ed. D. Alma mater Friends University, Scarritt College for Christian Workers[1] , Peabody College of Vanderbilt University[2] Genres Non-fiction Subjects Religion, Organization development Darrel Wayne Ray (born 1950) is a writer and speaker on leadership and organizational development and author of two books on the topic. He is the author of the book The God Virus: How Religion Affects Our Lives and Culture. Ray is founder of the organization "Recovering Religionists", a national self-help group for those leaving their religious indoctrination.[3] In May 2011, he published the survey Sex and Secularism: What Happens When You Leave Religion?.[4]
Contents
Early life and education
Ray was raised a fundamentalist Christian in Wichita, Kansas by parents who eventually became missionaries, and among family members highly involved in church life.[5]
In 1972, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology/anthropology at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, and in 1974 he completed an MA in Church and Community at Scarritt College for Christian Workers in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1978 he finished a doctoral program in psychology at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, earning his Ed.D.[6]
In 1979, Ray joined the Quaker church and later he attended the Presbyterian church.[3] From 1969 to 1984 he taught Sunday school, preached, and was a tenor soloist in several church choirs. He left the church in the mid 1980s.
Books
- Teaming up: making the transition to a self-directed, team-based organization (1995). ISBN 978-0-0705-1646-5
- The performance culture: maximizing the power of teams (2001). ISBN 978-0-9709-5050-5
- The God Virus: How Religion Affects Our Lives and Culture (2009). ISBN 978-0-9709-5051-2
Research
In May 2011, Ray and Amanda Brown (an undergraduate at University of Kansas studying sex and sexuality) released the results of a self-reporting online survey[7] of over 14,500 American secularists, titled "Sex and Secularism: What Happens When You Leave Religion?", concluding that sex improves dramatically after leaving religion, and people who are religious exhibit similar sexual behaviors as the non-religious, but experience markedly increased guilt.[8] The study has been criticized for suffering from self-selection bias[9], due to its recruiting of participants via the science blog Pharyngula.[10]
References
- ^ "LinkedIn profile". LinkedIn. http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-darrel-ray/0/985/986. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ "About Darrel W. Ray, Ed.D.". http://www.teaming-up.com/drdray_bio.html.
- ^ a b Gray, Helen (12 Jun 2009). "New support group Recovering Religionists helps people who leave the church". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 17 Jun 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090617033259/http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/1249250.html. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ "Atheists have 'better sex lives than followers of religion who are plagued with guilt'". The Daily Mail. 20 May 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1388827/Atheists-better-sex-religious-followers-plagued-guilt.html. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ "Darrel W. Ray Speaks Out!". 2010-05-20. Archived from the original on 2011-06-03. http://www.webcitation.org/5z9zjyAsh. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ "Atheists United Hosts Special Meeting with Noted Psychologist, Darrel Ray". Archived from the original on 2011-06-03. http://www.webcitation.org/5zA0F5kRF. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ Clark-Flory, Tracy (23 May 2011). "Do atheists have better sex?". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5ywbaG4eQ. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ Myers, PZ. "This has to be our new selling point". Pharyngula (blog). http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/05/this_has_to_be_our_new_selling.php. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ Donaldson James, Susan (25 May 2011). "Atheists Have Best Sex Lives, Claims Psychologist". ABC News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5ywc4WxKy. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ Myers, PZ (24 January 2011). "Prying into your dirty, dirty secrets". Pharyngula (blog). http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/01/prying_into_your_dirty_dirty_s.php. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
External links
- The God Virus book website
- Recovering Religionists
- Sex and Secularism - press release and full report
- Atheist Nexus profile - Darrel Ray
Categories:- American atheists
- American social sciences writers
- Atheism activists
- Criticism of religion
- Living people
- Friends University alumni
- Peabody College alumni
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