Community | April 03, 2010 | 276 comments

Atheists Cite Resurgence as They Gather on Easter Weekend for Annual Convention

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/03/easter.atheists/index.html?hpt=T2

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EthicalVegan
By John Blake, CNN
April 3, 2010 10:09 a.m. EDT

While millions of Christians worldwide will celebrate Easter this weekend, David Silverman has other plans.

Silverman will join about 300 atheists in a Newark, New Jersey, hotel ballroom to proclaim another message: The atheist movement in America is growing.

Silverman will participate in the 36th annual American Atheists National Convention at the Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel. He'll also try to clear up a misconception: Atheists aren't immoral, and they don't worship Satan.

That's what many people assume when he tells them that he belongs to an atheist group, Silverman says.

"We have a lot of wonderful people," he said. "I haven't sacrificed any Christian babies. I haven't danced naked under the stars. I haven't stolen anything."

What Silverman is doing instead is talking up the "resurgence" among atheists. He says atheists once felt isolated and misunderstood.

Two events changed that, he says: the rise of the Internet and the election of George W. Bush.

Bush's polarizing presidency showed people how bad things could turn "if religion was in charge," he said. The Internet showed atheists that they weren't alone, as they sought out and encouraged one another.



"Closet atheists are coming out all over the country," Silverman said, estimating that his group has 4,000 members. "Anybody can go on the Internet and read blogs, Facebook pages, and know that there are millions like them."

Those who ask why people need God are also raising their public profile in other ways. Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion," and Sam Harris, author of "The End of Faith," have best-selling books questioning the need for religion.

Silverman says a coalition of groups, including American Atheists, met with White House officials in February to discuss more tolerance for nonbelievers.

He takes pains to say that atheists respect those who believe otherwise. But if that's so, why hold a convention on Easter weekend?

Silverman chuckled at the question.

"It's not a slam against Easter," he said. "We always have our national convention on Easter weekend. The hotels are cheap, and everybody has time off."
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276 comments // Atheists Cite Resurgence as They Gather on Easter Weekend for Annual Convention

  • freecrack
  • MoonLoon
    • +1
      MoonLoon  

    • I want to apologise to Saladin, Shanklin Mike, and even Radallr, and anyone else I offended for some of my ill tempered comments. I promise you all that I am not as nutty or mean spirited as my posts make me out to be. My 3 brothers are atheists, but we get along quite well. They, however, suspect that I may have been adopted.

    • 2 years ago
  • Saladin
    • +3
      Saladin  
    • MoonLoon:

      Apology accepted.

      Atheism is a contentious topic and it urks people, especially online where normal etiquette is erased by anonymity.

      Believe me, compared to what I've heard, your posts were fairly mild.

    • 2 years ago
  • obamaisajoke
  • randallr01
  • onemalefla
  • JohnAdams
  • Varex_Sythe
  • unclepete813
    • 0
      unclepete813  

    • Im not an Athiest or Christian nor am I a muslim. you can just call me a god cause I have the blood of my father in my veins so that makes me a god cause he lives through me and everything on earth from water,trees,air,or animal. Now you christian people are satanic worshippers. TRUE FACT. You worship a sun god, if you new anything about the messiah, not the king james bible bullshit. You dont celebrate this passover, he told you not to in the old testament you dummys thats worshipping satanic rituals. Learn to read for yourselves and stop being followers cause you all going to drown in hell. That goes for all holidays xmas,thanksgiving, all these bullshitting,brainwashing,money spending days. They are enslaving you all. Next just go get your chip. Now your free will is over you dumbasses. Obama bout to line all yall up to get a national ID.and a microchip. lmfao. You christians and muslims are crazy..... I do agree with ISLAM I SELF LAW AM MASTER. Thats living of the land and respecting all gods creations and you create your own laws and master over them. You not looking for a saviour You are what you been looking for thats why they dont like islam. It makes you think for yourself but all religions block your thinking and you being control by the ELITES of the world for NWO wake up people throw all religion out the door and you will feel GOD inside you. no right or wrong no up or down no just ONE with everything. and thats love for all. peace out. 1love for hummanity. Your brother and son of OUR FATHER GOD.

    • 2 years ago
  • tommic
  • unclepete813
    • 0
      unclepete813  
    • tommic:

      Only thing insane is YOU. Because you a follower and cant pick up a book and research for yourself. Now what if i told you I will be the judge of you on the other side would you believe? Probally not. but when you die and if you do see me will you call me insane or beg to be saved.. Its funny I wonder what your mind pictures god. ha ha ha probally some picture that Michael Angelo painted. I see you later my lost one.

    • 2 years ago
  • Jpwhoregan
  • Almibry
  • Blkwdw
  • unclepete813
    • +1
      unclepete813  
    • Almibry:

      babygirl you a goddess and thats how you should live your life, In the days of old the women was the goddess and the man just suppose to protect and defend her, these days they got it all backwards thats why the world is about to be cleansed again. You keep your head ma and think positive and spread your goddess ways because you can create a child not a man. peace out 1love

    • 2 years ago
  • fun_size
    • +2
      fun_size  

    • Atheists are indeed a growing portion of the American demographic whether you like it or not. However, we as a group have ZERO representation in American Government. This is very wrong and needs some more attention since non-believers make up at least 14% of the population(same as the black community) and yet there is not a single recognized atheist or non-believer in congress. To add insult to injury non-believers top all other groups as the most distrusted group in America. What exactly have we done to garner that fear?

    • 2 years ago
  • UrbanGypsy
    • +2
      UrbanGypsy  

    • I keep seeing comments pitting one side against the other. To me, its not so much about Atheist against Religious, but rather Secular versus Religious. I always count secular people on my side, even if they believe in God.

      My entire family is Catholic, but we don't even attend Church or practice religion. My father is atheist and when I was born my mother told my father never to talk to me about his atheism, so as not to influence me. He agreed, on the condition that I would not be forced to go to church or read the Bible...

      So I grew up believing in God from what I heard, but not having any real emotional attachment to religion. When the time came, I formed my own beliefs and later found out my dad shared them... It wasn't hard for me to let go of something that never really mattered to me.

    • 2 years ago
  • JohnAdams
  • iamaman
  • Alex_French
    • -5
      Alex_French  

    • this is a bunch of bullshit. as an apathetic person i love to see the two sides of this issue battle it out, but i wish the articles on current had a lot less bleeding heart liberalism in them. george w. bush showed people how bad things could get? O RLY??????? i think we've seen just how SOCIALIST things can get thanks to the election of obama.

    • 2 years ago
  • Andrew_Douglas
  • shanklinmike
  • torres_tn
  • UrbanGypsy
  • iamaman
    • +1
      iamaman  
    • Alex_French:

      jesus was the ultimate socialist. christians seemed to forget that when they sold out to the party of "No!" like lambs to the slaughter............

      IMO, i feel organized atheists are just lonely agnostics looking for external validation.

    • 2 years ago
  • Varex_Sythe
  • MoonLoon
  • randallr01
  • iamaman
    • 0
      iamaman  
    • Varex_Sythe:

      ...............validating the fact that it does'nt matter if we do or dont know the secrets of the universe, and the fact that it doesnt really effect our daily lives.

      life is a user experience............ when its over, you cant take anything with you. the ride is over. take this camera and mic............but you have to give everything back when your done.

      some of us are lucky and could have checked out along time ago, by luck of the draw, accident, or deliberately, those lucky few know every new day is a gift of grace. what that grace is, i cant define for anyone but myself.

    • 2 years ago
  • tommic
    • +1
      tommic  

    • Well my post don't end up in the negative all the time like yours, I speak from intellect 99 percent of the time. My emotion shows only because I don't suffer fools and idiots. Lifes too short to even deal with people who are foolish or stupid. A wise man cannot make a fool wise or a stupid man smart. Its something they must do for themselves. That takes reading a writing even with things you disagree with.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • 0
      Almibry  
    • tommic:

      I totally agree. "With a fool, no season spend, or be counted as his friend."-Anonymous
      One of my favorite quotes along with "It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt." You (as in everyone, not you specifically Tommic) should keep that in mind before you post.
      +^'d

    • 2 years ago
  • JohnAdams
  • UrbanGypsy
    • +2
      UrbanGypsy  
    • JohnAdams:

      ROFL! LOL! Since when does this have anything to do with Atheism? Atheism is only about not believing in God. Since when are we responsible for fixing the entire world?

      And since when have we claimed to be able to cure and death? Hahahaha. Stop twisting what we stand for.

    • 2 years ago
  • JohnAdams
  • tommic
  • tommic
    • 0
      tommic  

    • Just a historical footnote, many of the great minds through history were non believers others were ex communicated from the church. The most intelligent Einstien was a non believer although he did believe in a higher power (the universe) It is not uncommon for those with higher intellect to doubt religion, they see the manipulation. I have never heard Stephen Hawking speak but I'll bet he too doubts religion as well. Thinkers vs followers I'll take the thinkers I follow no one.

    • 2 years ago
  • Blkwdw
    • 0
      Blkwdw  
    • tommic:

      It also took Darwin years after his voyages and findings to come out with the Origin of Life because it conflicted with his view of religion; only after other scientists scholars, etc started coming out with similar findings did he release the book, he led a very depressed life because of this internal conflict... sad. The truth is out there and it cannot be found in just one book.

    • 2 years ago
  • CarlosIsDown
  • Monkey_Films
    • -2
      Monkey_Films  

    • Atheism is a religion so atheists shouldn't hate religion. Having an issue with a particular or even many religions is one thing but religion itself also contains atheists.

    • 2 years ago
  • flipriza
  • CarlosIsDown
    • +3
      CarlosIsDown  
    • Monkey_Films:

      Atheisms is indeed a lack of religion. Do all of them hate religion. Probably not. Do some? Most definitely.

      Do you love atheists. Of course you do. That is. . . if you're a good Christian? or I may have my religions confused.

    • 2 years ago
  • Monkey_Films
  • Monkey_Films
  • EthicalVegan
  • Monkey_Films
  • Andrew_Douglas
    • +1
      Andrew_Douglas  
    • Monkey_Films:

      Actually, Monkey Films is right, to an extent. If you want to rely on the standard belief that religion simply means belief in some sort of deity, then he's wrong. But religion actually refers to any set of beliefs concerning the nature of our creation and continued existence. In that sense, yes, atheism is "technically" a religion.

      I suppose I'm closest to being an agnostic, although I don't really like the word (it just sounds odd to me. I'm quirky, I know). I don't pretend to know what the true origin of our universe is. I thinks it's pretentious of either side (at least either side's more extreme advocates) to say they know WITHOUT AN ABSOLUTE DOUBT that there is/isn't a God. I'm very open-minded about pretty much everything.

      On an interesting side note ( and to further soldify the fact that atheism is not a theistic religion), the word "atheist" is an evolution of the Greek word "atheos" which literally meant "no gods".

    • 2 years ago
  • shockdoctrine
    • +2
      shockdoctrine  
    • Andrew_Douglas:

      great post, I would agree completely. although i am an atheist, i would attribute my beliefs to freedom of religion and would expect equal protection that a religion receives under the constitution. i guess technically it's freedom from religion.

    • 2 years ago
  • Andrew_Douglas
    • +1
      Andrew_Douglas  
    • shockdoctrine:

      Essentially, yeah, atheism is freedom from any sort of "organized" religion ( I use that term loosely, as there's no such thing as organized religion...it's all sort of a beautiful mess, with the true meaning of the Bible and other theistic texts obscured by individual opinions or whatnot..I digress), but in the sense that it is indeed a belief system (albeit a lot more open-source than traditional theistic belief systems), it IS a religion. But that's being technical, again. I tend to repeat things a lot, sorry, guys.

      And I'm a an advocate of freedom of pretty much anything, except blatant lawlessness and hatred. Hatred implies that you're close-minded, and close-mindedness weirds me out.

    • 2 years ago
  • lovelander
  • Almibry
  • Almibry
  • lovelander
  • Almibry
  • Monkey_Films
    • +2
      Monkey_Films  
    • Monkey_Films:

      A federal court of appeals ruled (08-19-05) Wisconsin prison officials violated an inmate's rights because they did not treat atheism as a religion.

      "Atheism is [the inmate's] religion, and the group that he wanted to start was religious in nature even though it expressly rejects a belief in a supreme being," the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said.

      The court decided the inmate's First Amendment rights were violated because the prison refused to allow him to create a study group for atheists.

      The Supreme Court has said a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being. In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, the court described "secular humanism" as a religion.

    • 2 years ago
  • fun_size
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • +1
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • Andrew_Douglas:

      "But religion actually refers to any set of beliefs concerning the nature of our creation and continued existence. In that sense, yes, atheism is "technically" a religion."

      I've got to disagree. Atheism doesn't have any beliefs about the nature of our creation and continued existence. By itself, atheism is the lack of belief in supernatural explanations. It has no particular dogma to replace it with, and many atheists still leave the existence of god open, much like agnostics do.

      If we used the term "religion" to define every philosophy that in some aspect touches on our existence, we'd have a helluvalot more religions!

      Legally, I think the issue is "freedom of/from religion", we shouldn't have to classify atheism as a religion just to reap the benefits of this freedom. (Even if some places already do.)

    • 2 years ago
  • Monkey_Films
    • +3
      Monkey_Films  
    • DeliaTheArtist:

      First off, I totally agree. Surprised? lol Now, I believe the courts made a mistake in their decision. However, I understand the goal the inmates were trying to achieve and empathize with them. I believe that this right should have been afforded them without the need for this court decision. Below is the definition of religion from Webster's Dictionary. I believe entry number 4 is what they based their decision on.

      Main Entry: re·li·gion
      Pronunciation: \ri-ˈli-jən\
      Function: noun
      Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Anglo-French religiun, Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back — more at rely
      Date: 13th century

      1 a : the state of a religious b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
      2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
      3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
      4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

      — re·li·gion·less adjective

      That said, going by that definition, one could argue that the Democrat and Republican parties are religions. For that matter, the Boy and Girl Scouts, FFA, the military and even Tupperware parties might qualify then. Even my activist organization, We Are Change Ky could get tax free status. Thank you Atheists you've given me a way to save money, lol.

    • 2 years ago
  • Andrew_Douglas
    • 0
      Andrew_Douglas  
    • DeliaTheArtist:

      But it doesn't simply refer to supernatural explanations for our existence, Delia. Just the origins of our universe in general. Science, for example, has the Big Bang theory, which is, for all intensive purposes, an explanation for our existence. That belief system, could technically be referred to as a religion, if you believe that the definition is any set of beliefs on our existence.

      Atheism is lack of belief in a theistic explanation for our universe, not necessarily ANY explanation. Most atheists I know ( I know a lot, oddly enough) tend to accept the Big Bang as the origin of our universe.

      I'm not really saying that atheism is a religion, just that it could be construed as one.

    • 2 years ago
  • Andrew_Douglas
  • JohnAdams
  • JohnAdams
  • Varex_Sythe
    • +3
      Varex_Sythe  
    • JohnAdams:

      It is an interesting conundrum. Begs some questions even. I don't think you hacked he system, but I suppose it is possible that there is a loophole that you are exploiting. Kinda makes it fun though, like a mystery. All you need to keep an eye out for now are those kids and their darn dog.

    • 2 years ago
  • JohnAdams
  • StephenJohnson
  • JohnAdams
  • Varex_Sythe
  • Varex_Sythe
  • Lurkistan
  • Varex_Sythe
    • +4
      Varex_Sythe  
    • Lurkistan:

      NO YODA! DON'T BURN ME AT THE STAKE! AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!

      You do mean indian burns, and by stake you mean steak at the dinner table right? Because I cannot imagine any good Christian in any historical context ever catching another person on fire while being tied to a gigantic wooden stake for any reason because that would be a very immoral and evil thing to do.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • fun_size
    • 0
      fun_size  
    • Varex_Sythe:

      Wow awesome picture graph! Its so true too... sooooo much technology was lost during the middle ages (dark ages). The greeks literally invented the first "computer" almost 2000 years ago! Just imagine where we would be without the collapse of the roman empire...

    • 2 years ago
  • JohnAdams
  • StephenJohnson
  • lopinjop
    • +3
      lopinjop  

    • I've grown up Christian. Everything Christianity stands for is good, correct, moral. The life Philosophy of Christianity is spectacular.
      But, I'm not Christian...
      I realized I shouldn't believe in a Hell that sends everyone who isn't Christian to eternal damnation. >_O not right.
      And i don't feel m- never mind, not getting into details.
      I'm not Atheist, I believe in a creator.
      But I don't like the sound of Agnosticism.
      The fact for me is, nobody really knows the 100% truth.
      Atheists shouldn't bash Christians,
      Christians shouldn't disprove Buddhism,
      Nor Buddhists look down on Muslims,
      and the Natives practicing their form of spiritual fulfillment shouldn't be seen as crazy.
      Accept what IS real in your life and live by it. Live a path that has heart. Don't let the destination get in the way of the journey.

    • 2 years ago
  • StephenJohnson
  • sk0j0
  • lopinjop
    • 0
      lopinjop  
    • StephenJohnson:

      well, i suppose I am sort of a deist. But I like Christianity and Buddhism as well... the teachings in both are great...
      Truly, I'm just confused >_<
      I might read those books later, thanks.

    • 2 years ago
  • ibrake4rappers13
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • +7
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • ibrake4rappers13:

      Most atheists aren't specifically against Christianity; they reject supernatural explanations, deities and "faith" across the board. Atheist groups tend to stand for secular government systems, human rights and having their viewpoint represented.

    • 2 years ago
  • ibrake4rappers13
  • ahappymintleaf
    • +4
      ahappymintleaf  
    • ibrake4rappers13:

      Atheism doesn't have morality or ethics. Which, when viewing it from the perspective that there must be a totalizing form of thought to instill benevolence into others, is a problem. But I know of several religious individuals who somehow missed the lessons of moral and ethics in favor of ruthlessly attacking those who fall outside their boundaries of acceptance. Not to ever suggest all religious people are that way. But I don't think atheism requires inherent moral structures to be a good mode of thought, if I can be as bold to draw conclusions from your line of questioning. The moralism I see most prevalent in atheism tends to be humanism. So yeah.

    • 2 years ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • +6
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • ibrake4rappers13:

      "Do they offer forgiveness of sins? any kind of moral values? anything to strive or hope for? I mean besides death because theres really nothing after that....bummer"

      I can't speak for all atheists, but I can offer my opinion which I think in many aspects is shared by a lot of other atheists.

      Forgiveness of sins: First, we have to define sins. Who's definition are we going by? A specific dogma? What are the rules? Some "rules" for behavior are common ground for many belief systems- like treating others as you would like to be treated. We all make mistakes, and I think most atheists would judge "forgiveness" based on behavior as opposed to ritual. When you are not tied to one specific set of rules, "sins" become rather relative; society and culture dictate norms and taboos and they are constantly changing.

      Moral values: Atheism itself doesn't dictate a moral system; instead it encourages one to explore many value systems and actively think about what is important. I'm sure, just as could be said for any philosophy, that there are "good" and "bad" atheists.

      Hope: People choose what they "live for", what's important to them, what gives them hope, whether or not they believe in god. Atheists aren't necessarily "nihilists" - contrary to popular belief many of us DO believe in more abstact concepts that are "bigger" than us, like love, humanity, community, unity, expression, freedom, etc. Atheist groups get involved in humanitarian causes and advocate for a secular government where multiple viewpoints can be represented.

      I understand that sometimes people who believe in god imagine that a life without that belief is horrible, depressing, even hellish. It's not, at least not for me, and many other people. You don't need god to be a good person.

    • 2 years ago
  • Monroe812
    • +3
      Monroe812  
    • ibrake4rappers13:

      Flatter yourself much? I would guess being an atheist means they don't spend any time of the day thinking about "christianity," or "god." They also don't seem to legislate to others how to live their lives.

    • 2 years ago
  • indecisiveh
  • UrbanGypsy
  • Dejan_Croatia
  • kitteneater
  • JohnAdams
  • StephenJohnson
  • StephenJohnson
  • randallr01
  • Almibry
  • JohnAdams
  • kitteneater
  • JohnAdams
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • +6
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • Image
    • JohnAdams:

      It just doesn't make sense. You're going to show Current how wrong they were by breaking more community guidelines than ever? And here I am feeding the troll again when I should already know better!

    • 2 years ago
  • Chris_G
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • +4
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • Image
    • Chris_G:

      He has already sent himself to the graveyard- ah, martyrdom! "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man!"

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • CarlosIsDown
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