NPR's SCOTT SIMON DESERVES OUR THANKS FOR A SENSITIVE AND COURAGEOUS SEGMENT ON ATHEISTS IN AMERICA!

In a January 10, 2004 commentary, National Public Radio host Scott Simon ("Weekend Edition") discussed the status of Atheists and other nonbelievers in America.

NPR's Scott Simon (NPR Photo)

It was an insightful, sensitive and courageous piece. Simon began with lighthearted humor, and stated that according to the 1999 Gallup poll, only 4/10ths of 1% of Americans said that they were Atheists. That figure is likely low. But Mr. Simon added that while we are a segment of Americans who do not believe in a God, "They (Atheists) believe in family, country, working hard, being fair and kind in the same proportion as any other group of people, including religious ones..."

Simon added that "Politics is sounding awfully godly at the moment," with many voters incorrectly identifying public religious as a qualification for a candidate.

"But in this time in which candidates are often exquisitely careful to salute every possible demographic group from the unborn to prescription drug care, dependent seniors in fixed incomes" Mr. Simon observed, "it might be refreshing for a candidate to acknowledge atheists."

We agree. And we think Mr. Simon deserves our thanks for airing such an astute piece which acknowledges Atheists and others-of-no-faith as members of the American polity.

You can hear Mr. Simon's commentary on the NPR web site at http://www.npr.org. You may also order a transcript.

We urge you to write Mr. Simon at NPR and thank him for his fair and provocative piece.

"Snail Mail" to Mr. Simon may be sent to:

National Public Radio
635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001

You may fax a letter to NPR at 202-513-3329.

The Weekend Edition Saturday program hosted by Mr. Simon can be reached through wesat@npr.org. You may also thank NPR for having this level of program commentary by sending E-mail to ombudsman@npr.org.

Send us copies of your letters, and we will post a selection of them on this web site...

Let's thank those in the media who recognize and treat Atheists with respect and fairness!

* Share this action alert!

(AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)

Letters

Hello,

My name is Mark Thomas, and I'm president and co-founder of Atheists of Silicon Valley. I'd like to thank Scott Simon for his generally favorable essay on American Atheists. He started by saying that they couldn't find an Atheist hymn. The song that comes closest for me and many others is "Imagine" by John Lennon.

He also referred to "small-minded and whiney" Atheists, and some being offended by Christmas trees in a shopping mall. From my experience, it's not that the tree is offensive; it's just that we want to keep government and religion separate, as specified in our Constitution. In fact, the evergreen tree at this time of year is an old pagan symbol, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun as it starts its slow path back from the Winter Solstice.

While less than 1% of Americans identify themselves as Atheists, approximately 14% of Americans call themselves nonreligious; in California it’s 19%. One 1998 national survey in Nature magazine showed that only 7% of National Academy of Sciences members believe in a personal god.

Mr. Simon seemed to have a fairly good idea about some of what makes many Atheists tick. For more insights, here is the conclusion of my talk on Atheism, at http://www.godlessgeeks.com/WhyAtheism.htm

Many religious people ask how Atheists can be happy without God. For me and for many Atheists I know, the realization of our Atheism has been extremely freeing and has opened us to our own happiness.

Atheism gives us the ability to see the universe as it actually is, without the mental filters of dogmatism and superstition preventing us from directly experiencing it.

• Atheism allows us to experience our selves, without the debasing idea that we are innately sinful.
• Atheism gives us the freedom to think for ourselves, to construct our own meanings.
• Atheism allows us to experience true interpersonal love, without any supernatural intervention.
• Atheism lets us see that we have to make choices about our future. No big daddy god is going to protect us from bad decisions.
• Atheism teaches us to treasure this moment, this life, and this world - because we realize that it’s all we have.

Most Atheists are also Secular Humanists. The philosophy of Secular Humanism takes the Atheist position and adds another layer. It declares that humans are most important, not any imaginary gods. We have the power, thru reason, science, courage, and vision, to solve our problems; we shape our destiny. We are each capable of personal development and satisfaction. Humanism holds as its highest goal the happiness, fulfillment, and freedom of all humankind.

If you're interested, I'd like to invite you to take a look around our website http://www.godlessgeeks.com. We've put together a large collection of Atheist websites, articles, and jokes (but no knock-knock jokes). Our most popular page is http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm

Sincerely,
Mark Thomas

To: Weekend Edition
Re: January 10 Scott Simon Essay

I would like to convey my gratitude to NPR for their excellent piece "Atheists are Americans, too."

I am hopeful that Scott Simon's open and honest assessment of the plight of America's last closeted minority will encourage all atheists to come out; seek the comfort of community offered by local and national Bright, atheist, skeptic, freethought and humanist groups; and work to effect change through the political process.

Our religious liberty is at stake now more than any other time in our history. Two of the factors which contribute to this are:

1. The Bush administration's endorsement of religion, only one example of which is promotion of faith-based initiatives and
2. The very misguided and undeserved opinion, held by a large segment of our population, that atheism is a disqualification for holding public office by virtue of the fact that atheists believe in one less god than those of the majority religious persuasion.

It is time for atheists to demand and be given the same respect afforded members of other minorities.

Carol Smith
Mequon, Wisconsin

Mr. Simon,

I just listened to your January 10 essay "American Atheists" online. I didn't hear it on the radio because I was getting ready to go to a monthly meeting with other Atheists in my area.

Thank you so much for that wonderful piece. Perhaps at last we are beginning to be accepted as just another demographic group.

You said that you were unable to find an Atheist hymn. My first dictionary definition of a hymn is: "A song of praise or thanksgiving to God or a deity."

Since Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods, we must move on to the second definition. My dictionary says: "A song of praise or joy; a paean." Now, there are plenty of songs of joy that do not involve gods, godesses, or the supernatural. They would all fit the definition of an Atheist hymn.

If there is one that stands out in my mind, it is John Lennon's "Imagine" which expresses the Utopian dream of a world without strife.

Larry Mundinger
St. Augustine, Florida

Mr. Simon,

As an Atheist (with a capital A), I am heartened by your treatment of our friendly legions last weekend. It is delightful to know not everyone in the media thinks we eat small children and dead rats. Let me help you with some of the statistics. We are, indeed, a lot more prevalent than what Gallup Poll suggests. First, let me advise you that George Gallup appeared on the Coral Ridge hour (I saw him, and remember it, because it was the Sunday before 9-11) and said that one cannot have morality without faith. So, I don't think Gallup is prone to favoring Atheists in his polling. He also used statistically unsound closed-end questions. With a potential data set of 50 plus answers, a closed end question is normally insufficient. Other researchers have used more open ended questions on the faith issue, such as "What is your religious faith, if any?" When the American Religious Identification Survey (CUNY Graduate Division) asked that question, they got 14.1% "No Religion," which was up nearly double from the previous decade. Interestingly, Gallup did poll the Brits and got a 46% Atheist count. 46% of Brits said "No" to the question "Do you believe in God or a Universal spirit?" Here are some links that might help you understand the statistics. I have corresponded with some of the authors of some of these studies and it is my impression that anywhere from 10-20% of Americans (that's 1 in 10 and growing) are Atheist or pretty much so.

Hope you enjoy and thank you again,

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=359
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=408
http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/news/gra/gnoreligion/flash.htm
http://www.gc.cuny.edu/studies/studies_index.htm#aris_1

For a future commentary you may want to mention that when Atheists are the majority in the US, we will never require the government to build shrines to Atheism, or change the Pledge to one nation, "not under God." We expect to remember how difficult it was to be a minority.

Regards,

I am a member of American Atheists. Having been made aware of your work by an AMERICAN ATHEISTS ACTION ALERT, I wish to thank the persons responsible for making the program discussing the status of Atheists and other nonbelievers in America. When the mainstream media make every effort to dismiss and ignore nonbelievers, NPR has the guts to at least acknowledge we exist.

Although, as the segment indicates, possibly as few as 4/10ths of 1% of Americans said that they were Atheists, there is a significant number of Americans who are nonreligious...an ARIS poll suggests this number to be around 14% of the population. These people do not necessarily identify themselves as Atheists, but the question may be, how atheistic are they? I suspect most of these millions of Americans do not place religion or the concept of gods in any worthwhile stead in politics or their own lifestyles. They have other priorities which, if government were made as religious as the Religious Reich (Right) would wish, would become difficult if not totally unattainable.

You, at NPR, provide a valuable service to all these ignored Americans. Thank you.

Franklin Bacon
Grand Rapids, MI

Dear Mr. Simon,

Thank you so much for your insightful commentary dealing with atheists on this last weeks Weekend Edition. It was refreshing to hear at a time when belief in God seems to have become an unofficial qualification for citizenship.

You start your piece by asking if there is an atheist hymn. I just so happen to have written such and wish to share it with you:

Amazing Place

(sung to the tune of Amazing Grace by John Newton)

Amazing place, this earth of mine--
A paradise for me.
Unending grace is yours to find
However lost you be.

Twas death that taught my heart to fear.
My fears aren't yet relieved.
But I will live each moment here
As an eternity.

Let toils and snares and dangers come.
I've dealt with them thus far.
With patience, hope and faith in man
I’ll take them as they are.

How sweet the waves upon the sound
Whose rushing fills the ear--
The gentle whispers of the world
That drive away my fear.

I needn't bear my cross alone;
My brother walks with me.
We work to build a heaven her,
Where every soul is free.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing life’s praise
Than when we'd first begun.

Thanks again for giving a voice to the . . . well, if not voiceless, a voice that is tiny and viewed by many as shrill. ;-)

Robert Fentress

Dear Scott Simon,

Thank you for your courageous piece, aired Jan 10 on Weekend Edition, defending religious freedom and the essential human value of atheists and religiously nonaligned citizens.

Some years ago, Prs. George Bush Sr. made an outrageous prouncement that atheists were "not real citizens." Since then we have stood in need of an honest media voice that would defend the civil rights of nonbelievers. We are people like anyone else.

Again, thanks.

Sincerely,

Kenneth E. Nahigian,
Sacramento, California

Dear Mr. Simon,

I was forwarded a link to your January 10th essay on atheists in America. After listening to it couldn't believe my ears. I couldn't believe that someone nationally would lay praise upon the Godless in American and for that... I WANT TO THANK YOU! Its a rare thing for atheists (like myself) to be mentioned in the media let alone in such a positive light. And when atheists are mentioned they are usually seen as Un-American spoilers. As you state, nothing could be further from the truth. We believe in passion, people and progress as much if not more so then, as anyone else. We seek to have a country that is fair for all to live as they see fit by their conscience and that is why we are the chief supporters of the separation of church and state.

In closing, I wanted to send you a thought about religion and candidates from a man who knew both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Baptist preacher John Leland (1754-1841). "Guard against those men who make a great noise about religion, in choosing representatives. It is electioneering. If they knew the nature and worth of religion, they would not debauch it to such shameful purposes. If pure religion is the criterion to denominate candidates, those who make a noise about it must be rejected; for their wrangle about it, proves that they are void of it. Let honesty, talents and quick dispatch, characterize the men of your choice. Such men will have a sympathy with their constituents, and will be willing to come to the light, that their deeds may be examined."

Thank you again for your astute observation. A loyal NPR listener.

Mr. Simon,

I wholeheartedly thank you for your comments on NPR concerning Atheists. This kind of fair, unbiased journalism goes a long way toward improving the biased image of journalism. It also helps to reduce the negative image of Atheists and reduce the animosity between Atheists and religionists. The media traditionally depicts Atheists as being undesirable and un-American. Without knowing us, or really knowing what an Atheist is, many, if not most Americans, think of us as despicable people with whom they don’t want to associate. Ironically, most Americans, unknowingly, have close friends, relatives and business associates, who are Atheists. The media can be a positive element in relieving tensions that divide Americans, instead of inciting more animosity. What could be more patriotic than that? Thank you for doing your part as a patriotic American.

George Shiffer
Allen Park, MI 48101

Mr. Simon,

I am writing this letter to thank you for using your position at NPR to provide a commentary on the January 10th episode of NPR's Weekend Edition that mentioned how politicians ignore atheists. While I thought that many of your observations placed atheists in a positive and accurate light-that we "believe in family, country, working hard, being fair and kind in the same proportion as any other group of people, including religious ones" and we "believe that people must strive to build that world themselves"-there are some points in your commentary that appear to me as counterintuitive to the overall message I assume you were trying to convey.

You began your commentary by observing that your director couldn't find any atheist hymns, and then you suggested that atheists need songs and jokes. Did you or your director consider entering "atheist hymn" or "atheist jokes" into an Internet search engine, or even consider asking some of the national atheist groups-such as American Atheists, the Council for Secular Humanism, or the Freedom From Religion Foundation-for input on these matters? Being an award-winning journalist yourself, I'm surprised this did not occur to you. To update you, though, here's a list of atheist hymns and jokes and where they are located on-line:

· The Atheist's Hymn: http://freespace.virgin.net/ellis.dave1/recordings/lyrics/atheistlyric.html
· The Battle Hymn of the Atheist: http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/traditional273.shtml
· Atheist Hymn Parody Page: http://www.angelfire.com/oh/kizu/hymn.html
· Atheists of Silicon Valley Humor Page: http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/Humor.html
· Atheist Jokes: http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/Jokes.htm, http://www.geocities.com/sannatork3030/ajokes.html, http://www.angelfire.com/ky/nogod/joke.html

Off the top of my head, I can think of three songs that don't praise atheism so much as reflect how atheists think about religion: "Methodist Coloring Book" by The Dead Milkmen, and "Merry F**king Christmas" and "The Most Offensive Song Ever" on the Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics CD from the TV show South Park. (Give yourself bonus points if you can figure out what Kenny is singing in "The Most Offensive Song Ever.")

You also said that, "When atheists organize, they can sound small-minded and whiny." What fits your criteria for "small-minded" and "whiny," exactly? When a panel of representatives from atheist organizations consisting of Timothy Gorski, Margaret Downey and David Silverman appeared on the October 5, 1998 episode of NPR's Talk of the Nation, were they small-minded and whiny? What about Katherine Bourdonnay from the Council for Secular Humanism and her commentary piece on the December 27, 2001 episode of NPR's Morning Edition? Or the list of speakers from the Godless Americans March on Washington (GAMOW, http://godlessamericans.org/), which was held on the National Mall on November 2, 2002 and aired by C-SPAN? You cite as your example "late-night talk shows" where "a self-proclaimed official atheist complains that he is offended by seeing Christmas trees in a shopping mall." Of what shows are you talking about? I've never seen an atheist on Leno, Letterman, or even Jon Stewart's The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Or are you talking about Darrell Lambert, the 19-year-old Eagle Scout who's been on talk shows before and after he was kicked out of The Boy Scouts of America after refusing to declare a belief in a supreme being? Is he small-minded and whiny? I would appreciate knowing where you choose to find information about us atheists if you have the time to tell me (by e-mail at tm_hsm@yahoo.com), because they may not be that different than those used by the politicians you alluded to in your commentary.

One thing I do know about organized atheists and the media is that we receive little attention from major media outlets, for reasons that most likely have more to do with ratings and advertising revenue (or I suppose in the case of NPR, donation revenue) than with a genuine desire to fairly cover all viewpoints on the subject of religion. As an example, I looked around NPR's own on-line audio archive and only found 24 files that fit the entry "atheist." In contrast, I found 187 for "Jesus," 743 for "god," 675 for "God," and 723 for "Christian." I also entered the word "pornography" to serve as an additional measurement for comparison, and found up to 92 files. On that basis, I guess you could say that as far as the media are concerned, pornography-the graphic depictions of one or more individuals engaged in sexual intercourse and/or sexual activity-is more media-friendly and less controversial than atheism. Isn't that rather odd for a group what sounds whiny and small-minded when it gets organized?

You suggest that others, such as the candidates for the upcoming presidential election, should acknowledge us and possibly show us some respect. But when you downplay what atheists believe-that we "just don't see or feel any evidence of divine intervention in the process that made the splendors of this universe or, for that matter, its voids and horrors"-it feels like you're defeating your own argument. There are many reasons why people even bother to call themselves atheists (or secular humanists, or freethinkers, or even "brights"), reasons that are just as sincere and complex as any religious belief system, beyond the mere disbelief in an all-powerful supernatural being. If such were not the case, we'd be content to call ourselves "agnostic" or give ourselves no label at all, and leave it at that.

If no one wants to listen to atheistic discussions about religion, that's fine. It's a free country, and people are welcome to read, watch or listen to whatever they choose. (Going back to the pornography comparison, if the Christian majority would prefer to read about or watch the sexual exploits of Jenna Jameson or Ron Jeremy over learning more about atheists, a group they may find to be whiny and small-minded, who's to stop them?) But if atheists are going to be truly welcome in the forum of public discussion, then it has to be understood that much is at stake when one chooses to be an atheist. Many of us have lost friends, family, and jobs because we have openly admitted our disbelief in any god and our misgivings about organized religion. Our atheist veterans face insults to their integrity every time they're told that there are no atheists in foxholes. (Just contact the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF, http://www.maaf.info/) and they'll give you plenty of examples of what I'm talking about.) I've met several atheists who are former clergy people, including a former monk with theological training from an Ivy League university. Clearly, their willing shift in attitude regarding religion may be troublesome to many believers, but such a substantial transition comes from more than just lacking a belief in a supreme being (or beings) and their stories need to be heard if they are to be understood and appreciated.

Once again, I am thankful for your inclusion of us as a subject worthy of coverage on your show. But if you are sincere about telling your listeners that atheists should not be overlooked in the forum of public and political debate (and I do hope that is what you intended to do), then this atheist would appreciate you trying to get to know us better before deciding to speak on our behalf.

I know that many people would prefer to believe that religion is less controversial and divisive than it actually is. I also know that what we atheists have to say will bother many individuals, and that atheism is considered in many communities to be a dangerous, immoral idea. But if we cannot be open and honest about what we think as atheists and still be treated as equals, then the recognition you suggested will never come to pass. Downplaying what atheism is all about will only make us nonbelievers less significant and not worthy of anything, let alone respect.

Sincerely,

Timothy Mitchell

Dear Mr. Simon,

On behalf of Michigan Atheists I thank you for your outstanding and sensitive commentary on Atheists in America.

I especially agree that political candidates, and politicians at large, need to recognize the Atheist community. For the past decade those of us who find no reason to believe in any of the dogmas of traditional theology have been sited by the American Religious Identification Study as the fastest growing group in the Country. Nonbelievers easily number in the 30 millions and far outnumber most religious groups.

Atheists are not a mere handful of citizens that one can casually insult or ignore. Perhaps your commentary will serve to remind our legislative body, and the community at large, that our great country is rooted in secularism and we are governed by a secular document - the Constitution.

I, personally, am an NPR fan and rarely miss your weekend commentaries. Thank you, once again.

Sincerely,
Arlene-Marie, Michigan State Director, American Atheist,

[text only]