In a moment at Yosemite, I was overwhelmed and assured by God’s presence. What I experienced, I later learned, is called awe. My dreams fell apart in Hollywood—and not in the usual Hollywood ...

Awe is often associated with religion and spirituality, but atheists are no less capable of experiencing it. Psychologist Tania Lombrozo considers the common core of religious and scientific awe.

To stand in awe of God, Wettstein says, is not a matter of knowing awesome things about God so much as it is to feel privileged, to be overwhelmed, to feel humility without being diminished.