I'm a committed atheist; I stopped believing in gods at age 13. As concerned as I am about the assault on gay rights, I've come to the conclusion that the ever-thinning wall of separation of church and state is the single most important issue facing the U.S. today. Fixing that would fix so many other issues at the same time.
So I've been investigating books and podcasts on the subject of atheism, the role of science in public policy, etc., and was struck by the following.
Again and again, I find this point being made: that atheists need to take a lesson from the gay community and come out of the closet. "Look what good it did to the cause of gay rights after more and more people came out," they say, stressing the importance of visibility.
I'm reminded of a lesbian friend from Canada who lived in my home town for two years. As she was returning to Nova Scotia at the end of her stay, I asked her about her impressions of the U.S. and Americans after living here. She didn't need to think about it: to paraphrase, she said "you have freedom
of religion here, but you
don't have freedom
from religion. I learned very quickly not to mention that I don't believe in gods, because Americans just freak out."
So I've decided I'm going to come out as an atheist, and have bought some T-shirts so that people will know my stance when I wear them.
The T's say
"Friendly Atheist" (my favorite, as it's the least "in your face")
"Lord, Protect Me From Your Followers"
"I Think, Therefore I'm Atheist."
Anyway, if you don't believe in gods either -- or if you consider yourself agnostic -- I encourage you to come out of the closet, letting those around you know your beliefs. It's important to increase our visibility, and to let others know that there is moral behavior without it being caused by fear of a god.
Cheers!
