Come Out Of the Closet, Atheists!!!!

A recent study by the PEW Center (Forum on Religion & Public Life) indicates that a full 16% of Americans aren't affiliated with any religion. According to the survey, the unaffiliated group has experienced the sharpest growth recently, while the Catholic sect has (thankfully) registered the largest loss of followers. The study also breaks down the results into demographics, maps, and comparisons.. check out the whole thing at:

http://religions.pewforum.org/reports

It is truly fascinating!

At the same time, it's discouraging that so few people (only about 4% in the survey) either a) realize that they are atheist/agnostic or b) will come out and admit it. I believe that if every practicing church-goer in this country were forced to really examine the religious dogma that they claim to follow (as opposed to just showing up to church weekly, half-listening as the priest selects some inoffensive scripture to preach to the flock), a good majority would have to conclude that it is ridiculous. The Bible is fraught with contradictions and discrepancies, and much of the work previously attributed to 'god' can now be explained by science, so really, what is left but some weird kind of Santa-for-grownups wishful thinking? I believe that part of the reason that christianity is perpetuated is that it's not challenged frequently enough. I have been guilty of keeping my mouth shut in order not to rock the boat in the presence of christians, not wanting to offend them or have them judge me for my heresy, but I shall sin thusly no more! There is too much at stake!

As noted in my prior post, I believe that it is hazardous to the good of our society/world to let this kind of "faith" persist. Even in terms of the very preservation of our planet, the Republican Party's (pandering to the evangelists?) stance seems to be that global warming either is false or some kind of feel-good liberal issue, because they refuse to trust SCIENCE. They believe that "god will provide". This is dangerous thinking! As has been said during the Iraq War - the Rapture is NOT an exit strategy!!! To think that some of these nutjobs would actually welcome the "end times" on some level because they actually believe in some divine afterlife jeopardizes the well-being of every living creature on this planet!

I have become more rabidly liberal/atheistic since having children because I do not want my kids' world to be compromised by these pious nutjobs. I'm tired of the blind zealots, those imbeciles who hang on Limbaugh or O'Reilly's every word as though it came directly from the good lord himself. I would love to be able to write them off as the lunatic fringe, but in actuality, these sheeple are a menace because they are sufficient in number to impact legislation.

Thus, those of us who have evolved beyond needing the god crutch have a moral obligation to try and spread the message about the importance of science and reason over fantasy-based 'faith'! To that end, I have joined Richard Dawkins' 'OUT Campaign'.. and encourage you to do the same. We can't afford for our country (or world) to be hijacked by the religious (whether they be right, center, or left!).

Let Logic Prevail!


http://outcampaign.org/


From the Out Campaign Website:

Atheists have always been at the forefront of rational thinking and beacons of enlightenment, and now you can share your idealism by being part of the OUT Campaign.

COME OUT!
Atheists are far more numerous than most people realize. COME OUT of the closet! You'll feel liberated, and your example will encourage others to COME OUT too. (Don't "out" anybody else, wait for them to OUT themselves when they are ready to do so).

REACH OUT!
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.

SPEAK OUT!
As more and more people join the OUT Campaign, fewer and fewer people will feel intimidated by religion. We can help others understand that atheists come in all shapes, sizes, colours and personalities. We are labourers and professionals. We are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and grandparents. We are human (we are primates) and we are good friends and good citizens. We are good people who have no need to cling to the supernatural.

KEEP OUT!
It is time to let our voices be heard regarding the intrusion of religion in our schools and politics. Atheists along with millions of others are tired of being bullied by those who would force their own religious agenda down the throats of our children and our respective governments. We need to KEEP OUT the supernatural from our moral principles and public policies.

It is time to step up and...

STAND OUT!
We have many exciting activities and plans for the OUT Campaign, so be sure to watch OutCampaign.org for the latest developments.