Secular and Proud of It - Book Review
http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-atheist-awakening-by-richard-cimino-and-christopher-smith-1420408360Atheists in America are anxious about their status, eager for acceptance and struggling to sort out the core assumptions of their unbelief.
By NAOMI SCHAEFER RILEY
Jan. 4, 2015 4:52 p.m. ET
On a recent episode of the CBS show “The Good Wife,” Alicia Florrick, played by Julianna Margulies, is considering a run for state’s attorney. She has plenty of skeletons in her closet, not least of which is serving as the lawyer for an organized-crime boss. But her political consultant tells her that there is really only one thing that will end her political career before it starts: her professed atheism. So when she sits down with a local religious leader for an interview and he asks about her faith, she tells him that she is “struggling.”
That word could probably be used to describe a lot of atheists these days. The decline of religious affiliation (particularly among young people) would seem to offer a recruiting opportunity for nonbelievers. And best-selling works by the so-called New Atheists (Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, among others) suggest a broad receptivity to the secular outlook. But according to the latest Pew Survey, only about 2.4% of Americans identify themselves as atheists. And according to a survey conducted by Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith —a sociologist at the University of Richmond and an independent researcher, respectively—more than half of American atheists believe that they are “still discriminated against.”
In “Atheist Awakening,” Messrs. Cimino and Smith track the current state of the atheist community, such as it is, using interviews, surveys and field reporting. The portrait they draw reveals a diffuse group that is struggling to sort out the core assumptions of its unbelief. It is also a group anxious about its status in society and keen to coalesce into a movement. “Increasingly,” the authors write, “secularists have identified themselves with other minorities in America, even borrowing from the gay rights movement as they seek to come out of the closet and claim an atheist identity among their families, friends and the public in general.” In an interview on CNN, Mr. Dawkins went so far as to say: “I think we’re in the same position the gay movement was in a few decades ago. There was a need for people to come out.”
And so, in the grand tradition of identity politics, atheists have attempted to mount public displays of solidarity. The Reason Rally, held in Washington in 2012, attracted about 10,000 people, “most likely the largest atheist gathering in American history,” the authors write. As the crowd gathered, a band started things off with a song that “lampooned the belief in ‘Jesus coming again,’ mixing it with sexual innuendo.” Other songs also made fun of religion, and a costumed figure of Jesus danced in the crowd. “We’re not here to bash anyone’s faith, but if it happens, it happens,” said the master of ceremonies, comedian Paul Provenza. Messrs. Cimino and Smith, who attended the rally for their research, offer a vivid account of it without commenting on its tone. One can’t help thinking that the gay-rights movement did not see the public ridiculing of heterosexuals as a centerpiece of its strategy.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
I looked at my profile recently, it lists my favorite Group as Religion.
Hmmm.
Not at all true. I have strong opinions on the subject, but I have to admit that I really don't care that much about sharing them. I've been "reactionary", reacting to posts that show up on the "Greatest".
That's inappropriate. Since I really don't have anything to contribute, I shouldn't just pop in with a shit-bomb. My excuse: for the last 2 decades I've lived in an extremely hostile Evangelical community. The stalking and harassment has gone so far that I've had the local Sheriff's deputies come by to inform me they've been called with complaints against me for "blasphemy". Actually, the Deputies have all been pretty decent about it, but they have to come by to investigate any reports of "Peace Disturbance", even if ludicrous.
It's unfair that I unload my frustration at DU; hence, you all have my apologies and a promise to be more circumspect in the future. Although my views haven't changed, I'll try very hard to keep them out of this Group.
Again, sorry about the interruption, I should have OPd this, but I have to admit I haven't been able to figure out how to post an OP. 
I'd appreciate a tip on that if you don't mind sharing.
