Jason Heller is a senior writer at The A.V. Club, a Hugo Award-winning editor and author of the novel Taft 2012. Stacks of pop philosophy books, from the late Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on down, have sought to equate everyday activities with a deeper understanding of reality and self. In Aaron James' new book, Surfing with Sartre, he uses the surfboard as a vehicle of enlightenment. It seems, at first glance, like a simple task. "Go with the flow," after all, might as well be the mantra of both the surfer and the sophist. But there's much more to Surfing with

Several of President Donald Trump’s key Cabinet officials meet regularly for bible study in the White House, according to a laudatory report released Monday by the Christian Broadcasting Network. At least one expert said she finds the news “troubling” — not because of the meetings themselves, but because of who’s conducting them. The man who’s leading the meetings, Ralph Drollinger, is an evangelical minister with a history of anti-LGBTQ sentiment and the founder of the evangelical Capitol Ministries, a group with the stated goal of spreading “the Gospel” to public servants. Maggie Garrett, t

This article is accompanied by an illustration by Marion Fayolle that is available at no charge to clients of The New York Times Op-Ed service. THE LESS RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ARE, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO THINK ALIENS EXIST. Are Americans becoming less religious? It depends on what you mean by “religious.” Polls certainly indicate a decline in religious affiliation, practice and belief. Just a couple of decades ago, about 95 percent of Americans reported belonging to a religious group. This number is now around 75 percent. And far fewer are actively religious: The percentage of regular churchgoe