Atheist Community

Not every atheist is a militant individualist like me. I have always been different, always been an outsider, and I am just fine with that. I never looked to the church for a sense of comfort and belonging even when I was a believer. Church folk always seemed alien to me. But for many, leaving the safety of the herd is a difficult thing. We are, after all, social animals and for many the church satisfied that need to belong.

As I said in earlier posts, if you are black or Latino, it is even harder because our communities are so closely tied to the church and non-believers are very small minorities within these minorities. Black and Latino atheist are often demonized by their communities, scaring non-believers into silence out of fear of rejection and increasing their feeling of isolation. that is why there are so many atheists in the church and even in the pulpit. They are afraid of leaving the safety of the community, afraid of being judged, ridiculed, maligned, and ostracized.

It feels good to say, "Praise Jesus!" or "Praise the Lord!" and have everyone within earshot say "Amen!" Being in agreement feels better than constant dissonance and most people in America would agree with you were you to make any of the hundreds of vapid religious platitudes like "Have a Blessed Day" or "We are all God's children" or "Jesus was on my side" other such nonsense. The minute you contradict such statements with reason you immediately place yourself outside of the herd. You become the outsider and, in some circles, a social pariah.

So tell you something you don't already know right? What do we do about it? How do we reclaim that sense of belonging? Well, let's take a page from the Lesbian Gay Transgender movement. Like homosexuals, it is not always immediately apparent who is a freethinker and like lesbians and gays if we stay hidden we remain alone and easily oppressed. The solution is to be out, to come out of the closet and band together with other non-believers and free-thinkers.

You would be surprised how many of us there truly are. You would be surprised how many believers are sitting on the fence out of fear, afraid that letting go of these childish fantasies would completely isolate them from the communities they love. Well, it may be time for us to isolate ourselves from these communities and form our own. If they can't accept us then fuck 'em. The church is not the only game in town though it may feel that way if that's how you were raised, if the religious community is the only community you have ever known. Seeing other atheists out there living a happy, healthy, religion-free life with strong friendships and relationships and even a supportive community might give those who remain hidden or uncertain the strength they need to finally let the silliness go. And I don't mean just joining an online group, I mean by being outspoken in your daily life, by speaking out when believers publicly bash non-believers or advocate policies that would force their dogma upon us. I mean by banding together with like-minded individuals in your cities and neighborhoods. Be proud and be visible and form new communities to replace the one you lost when left the church. That's the only way. The way out is not to go back but to go through. Let's go through it together.