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Post details: The Atheist Closet

07/22/08

10:18:02 pm, Categories: Announcements [A], 307 words

The Atheist Closet

ATHEIST COMING OUT PARTY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2008 TO FEATURE KAGIN,
MEHTA, PARAMORE & MORE!
"It's OK to not believe..."

THE NATION'S first Atheist Coming Out Party will take place on Saturday, August 2, 2008. The event brings together a roster of national, regional and local groups including Students for Freethought (Ohio State University); American Atheists; Secular Student Alliance; Michigan Atheists; The Free Inquiry Group of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky; Central Ohioians for Rational Inquiry and others.

Organizer Ashley Paramore says, "The goal is to be a networking opportunity for Atheists, Agnostics, Freethinkers, Humanists, Skeptics and everyone in-between!" The event invites "closeted" nonbelievers to meet other like-minded, non-religious people in a welcoming environment, and urge them to "come out."

"It's OK not be believe in a god," said Paramore.

The speaker roster includes Edwin Kagin, National Legal Director for American Atheists and Freethought activist/blogger Hemant Mehta.

There will be talks, literature tables and other activities. Visitors can bring popup information tents and literature. There will be a camping trip to Alum Creek following the Coming Out event. The venue is the Everal Barn, 60 N. Cleveland Avenue, Westerville Ohio 43081. (http://www.westerville.org/Default.aspx?tabid=113 ). More information can be found at http://healthyaddict.googlepages.com/home, or by E-mailing Ashley Paramore at ashley@secularstudents.org .

WHAT: First Atheist "Coming Out Party."

WHEN: Saturday, August 2, 2008, 12:00 noon - 5:00 PM

WHERE: Everal Barn, 60 N. Cleveland Avenue, Westerville Ohio 43081. (http://www.westerville.org/Default.aspx?tabid=113 ).

WHO: Edwin Kagin, Hemant Mehta, Ashley Paramore & more!

MORE INFO: http://healthyaddict.googlepages.com/home, or by E-mailing Ashley Paramore at ashley@secularstudents.org .

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

Have you come out? Still in? Never in? What's your story?

15 comments

Comments:

Comment from: Dagny3 [Member] · http://www.myspace.com/PianoWoman78

I'm sorry this is off-topic, but I just thought of it, in reference to the thread about Gideon Bibles. Why don't we start our own version of such an organization? We could call ourselves the Ingersolls, the Russells, or otherwise name ourselves after a well-known former Atheist (and a better role model than Gideon!) and leave Atheist literature, such as the non-tracts available from ffrf.org or our own material that points out the errors/inconsistencies in the Bible, in hotel rooms? The Gideons encourage men who travel a lot or stay in hotels a lot to join their organization; why can't we do the same (and include women too)? Instead of merely recycling the Bible, why not contribute our own material, agreeing to leave those Bibles alone as long as our pamphlets are left alone too? Am I being too optimistic here?

07/22/08 @ 23:26

Comment from: David Silverman [Member] · http://www.atheists.org/

Dagny,

Please address this in the next post.

07/23/08 @ 00:38

Comment from: subflea [Member]

The more info link doesn't work.

07/23/08 @ 09:46

Comment from: David Silverman [Member] · http://www.atheists.org/

http://healthyaddict.googlepages.com/home

worked for me...

07/23/08 @ 10:03

Comment from: George Ricker [Member] · http://www.godlessinamerica.com

http://healthyaddict.googlepages.com/home

The link worked for me too.

I realized my own atheism more than three decades ago. As I wrote in my book, "Once I had escaped the spell of god-belief and religion, I felt like someone who finally has been restored to health after a long, lingering illness."

07/23/08 @ 13:36

Comment from: cbo [Member]

I have not come out yet. Inside I really want to and I know I should, but right now in my life it is just so much easier and convenient not to. On the other hand I am at a turning point in my life at the moment (moving schools, and in a year moving out of the country) so it makes sense to come out, but I am scared. I am scared at what my extremely religious(my mom is on practically every committee and organizes every event and is on vestry) parents would say and what my friends would do, especially my friend since most all of them are pretty religious. I don't want to continue to lie to everyone, but at the same time it's not like it is taking that big of a toll on me, I do try and express that I hate church to people and I don't act religious. I am just stuck and I don't know what to do. Some help please?

07/23/08 @ 22:15

Comment from: sam moore jr [Member]

I begin by identifying myself as a Unitarian Universalist. Then comes the question what's a UU? I proceed to explain that historically, Unitarian means one God and Universalist means God loves everybody and everybody's eligible to Salvation. I continue that UUism has evolved over the years into a secular humanist ungodly meta-religion and although God is sometimes mentioned in our services, some 30% of UUs are Atheists and that I belong to the 30%. I am completely "out" at church and in the workplace where I converted a Southern Baptist to Deism and an Apatheist (don't know, don't care) firmly to Atheism. Unfortunately I cannot be "out" in the 2 civic groups I belong to which begin and end with prayer-- but I am planning to explain to them what a UU REALLY is.

07/23/08 @ 23:02

Comment from: teammarty [Member]

I have a saying.

You don't really lose any friends, but sometimes you find out who they really are.

I'd say just hoist the sails and head straight into the wind.

You'll get told all kinds of shit. You'll get told to get out if you don't believe in god. Go swim to Canada (or Cuba if you're in the south) (Swimming to Canada is pretty easy for a skilled swimmer. Just avoid the undertow, the shipping and don't swallow ANY of the Detroit River). That you've given up your right te be an American (by daring to exercize them, of course). You'll get screamed at for you bumper stickers and maybe even punched for not standing during god bless America during some game.

You'll also get asked all kinds of questions by honest curious people. You'll be expected to give detailed answers to questions on evolution that are so esoteric that only a handful of scientists know more than the 2 paragraph artilce that appeared on page C-5 of your local newspaper.

But for the other 99.5% of the time, you'll go through your daily life unnoticed and ignored, just like normal.

07/24/08 @ 14:50

Comment from: Jim diGriz [Member]

cbo, you're probably better off waiting until you're financially independent before stating your views to parents, relatives, friends, etc. And unless you own your own business, keep your views to yourself at work.

07/24/08 @ 21:38

Comment from: What [Member]

And unless you own your own business, keep your views to yourself at work.

Speak your minds.

07/25/08 @ 03:17

Comment from: matador [Member]

The comments from some of the posters here reinforces the doubts I've been experiencing lately about having lived my life "out".

Considering the sacrifices I've made...

- loss of relationships(that country song, "She Left Me for Jesus" describes my life)

- affiliation with this increasingly-embarrassing organization(all aspects of the Ellen Johnson debacle)

...I feel that those losses have been cheapened to the point of irrelevance by the idea that they've been made so someone like you can hide out until things are convenient.

So...are you going to wait until the folks are dead before you pop your head out of that closet? Are you gonna have some kids and church them to keep everybody happy in the meantime - infecting another generation?

I currently pay my dues by delivering Viewpoint tapes to my cable provider every other week. You people are increasingly making it a waste of my gas and my time.

07/26/08 @ 13:02

Comment from: shorebird [Member]

cbo, When you finally come out you may find that some of your friends felt the same as you did but were facing your same fears.

But be careful at work. I have been fired for being honest about my atheism. I prevailed at mediation when I sued but it was a hastle.

07/26/08 @ 20:57

Comment from: David Silverman [Member] · http://www.atheists.org/

I disagree.

It's too late to hide in the closet anymore.

CBO, if you are financially independent, suck it up and spit it out. We are beyond the closet now. This country needs outed Atheists.

Everyone I know and work with knows who and what I am. Have I lost friends? Only the ones worth losing in exchange for my freedom to live as I see fit. Parents get over it, and real friends will too. Good trade.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

07/26/08 @ 23:05

Comment from: atheon [Member]

Yeah,

I've been out since leaving home. However, I've become more vocal about it over the last 5-10 years. At work? If they ask, I don't mind telling them. However, I avoid
having what I believe identify who I am as a person or an employee. I'm a competent employee first, who so happens to be atheist. This way I'm judged based on my competence rather than what I believe. At least this is the theory behind my logic :)

My mom doesn't understand atheism, she has no concept of living without believing in some kind of God. No matter how many times I say "MOM, I don't believe in God" she
introduces it back into the conversation a different way.

Some of my other family members believe that I got sick during Desert Storm and lost my mind. They treat me like a retard by patronizing me during conversation about God because I don't know any better.

I've learned to pick my battles...

07/27/08 @ 18:17

Comment from: Chris B [Member]

CBO,

I recommend using this website or atheists.org to find a local atheist group. Make some friends there and you will find it much easier to risk the friends who might shun you if they knew who you were. Think safety net!

I recommend not dating xians if possible. When kids and family pressures come along, there's a nasty breakup on the way. Again, you have to locate the resources to find another atheist and avoid this result.

As for your family, there is an actual risk of rejection and estrangement. It happens, so prepare yourself (but with many families, it turns out to be a surprising non-event). Yet there is no excuse to live in fear. If they would reject you if they knew the truth about you, then you have actually already been rejected and they just don't know it yet.

You will have to explain your atheism, which I'm sure you can do. When you explain your conclusions, make it clear that your reasons are purely logic-based and not a rebellion or rejection of them as people. If they get agitated, be the calm one to reinforce this message. If it goes badly, keep in mind that you still are family, and it will be better in a few weeks. If it never does (which is rare), then you never were accepted to begin with and you will move on, perhaps stronger.

Best wishes.

07/28/08 @ 19:20

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