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Godless life: not so evil

Published: Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Updated: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 23:02

Imagine a group in America that is roughly 10 percent of the population—more than Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists combined. More than 90 percent of American scientists are members, but fewer than one percent of the imprisoned are. They are also many of the best educated. Some of the richest men in the world are part of it, too.

Yet, this group is the least trusted in the country—just less than rapists. Those in the military are considered bad for morale. Some places made it illegal for them to hold public office, and fewer than half the country would elect one for president (there's only one of them in Congress). The American Cancer Society even rejected $500,000 from them!

This sounds like a desirable, yet unfairly maligned, group, yes? Who are these people being discriminated against? The non-religious: atheists, agnostics, skeptics, secular humanists, etc.

Being an open atheist in this country is an invitation for ostracism. We aren't wanted. I've heard how we worship Satan, we're idiots, we deserve to be killed, etc. Watch the YouTube video "Anything but an Atheist" and see how despised and misunderstood we are. Google "Jessica Ahlquist" or "Damon Fowler"—they're teenage atheists who have been threatened by their communities.

Quarterback Tim Tebow is praised for Bible verses on his uniform—how much outrage would there be if he had written "No God?" It's that double standard I want to fight.

Being an atheist today is often taboo, but, since 9/11, many of us are finally coming out. Treating religion like it isn't special, or even harmful, angers many, but demystifying it and using rational methods of understanding the world have greatly benefited us. Problems from medicine to the movements of the stars, both fields that were once considered to be theological, have been eroded thanks to science and reason.

I won't rant against religion—that would insult me and the readers. Freedom of religion is a great privilege here. I don't want to be ruled in a Christian country, nor do I want to forcibly impose non-belief on others. But as others are allowed to preach their faith, I'm entitled to speak about my lack of it.

My purpose is to discuss secular issues (in science, politics and society) and reach out to others who maybe don't feel as comfortable being an atheist. To them: it's OK. Admit that you're a non-believer! Email me! You're in the company of Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Radcliffe, Carl Sagan, Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Brad Pitt, Pat Tillman, Roger Ebert and even the Mythbusters. The more of us who speak up, the stronger we'll be together.

I also expect hate mail. That's OK, too. I'll try to respond to the more reasonable ones. No death threats, please!

My name is Scott C. Broussard, and I'm good without god. Here's hoping this is a successful column.

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8 comments

Anonymous
Thu Feb 23 2012 01:41
Oh, you poor, persecuted atheist.

"I won't rant against religion"

Except you pretty much did. Just not directly.

bullet
Wed Feb 22 2012 18:16
And to Scott:

Good start, very proud of you. Get yourself an editor. You will be attacked on every word, every punctuation mark and you need to better and more precisely express your ideas so there can be little (sound) criticism of their substance.

bullet
Wed Feb 22 2012 18:10
To anon 11:32

Jefferson may be said to have considered himself a Christian because he admired Jesus' teachings but denied his divinity. Hardly this day's (or any other) definition of a Christian. He even edited the Christian Bible to remove all the magic parts.

Einstein was absolutely an atheist. From his letter to Eric Gutkind in 1954 : "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this." and "For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions." As far as your cherry picked quote above, Einstein answered to that in another letter, this one to J. Dispentiere, also in 1954: "It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."

Per the Pew Forum: "unaffiliated" is 16.1% of the US. Of those only 36% are absolutely certain of the existence of a god. 36% of 16.1 is 5.8. 16.1 minus 5.8 leaves us with 10.3% who must be atheist or agnostic, which are essentially the same thing.

The latest study on atheism among scientists was by Edward J. Larson and Larry Witham in 1998 which pegs "Personal disbelief" at 72.2% and "Doubt or agnosticism" at 20.8% That gives us 93% Given that the "Personal disbelief" numbers had risen almost 20 points in less than 100 years (Leuben 1914 and 1933), we can approximate that today approximately 75% of scientists will call themselves atheists, while around 20% are but won't.

Go ahead and look it up. Your brain feels good when you now stuff.

Anonymous
Tue Feb 21 2012 20:18
Well said! Keep up the good work!
subq
Tue Feb 21 2012 18:10
Thank you for this. There are lots of us out there, plenty of us in churches too, so anybody thinking that church attendance (like in the above commenter's example of Thomas Jefferson) is an indicator of Christianity...well, they are sadly mistaken. A lot of people brought up in the Christian faith, but who are actually atheists, are loathe to admit it to their family and friends for fear of being an outcast. I would imagine for every 1 atheist who is outspoken about their lack of belief, there are, like, 10 who are sitting quietly in a church pew, mouthing the words and never believing them. We get a ton of them at the forums I visit, people who way too scared to ever out themselves, and find that an online forum is the only place to go to get some relief. Anyway, again, thank you for writing this column. The world needs it, and needs more people like you.
Katwise, Atheist
Tue Feb 21 2012 12:56
Keep up the good work!
Leslie
Tue Feb 21 2012 12:22
Thank you for such a well-written article. My Christian friends are often puzzled by my motivation to do good and charitable things. I think a quote from Albert Einstein in an interview with New York Times magazine explains my feelings (and the feelings of many other atheists, skeptics, and agnostics) better than I ever could:

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."

I'll be looking forward to more of your articles, Mr. Broussard.

Anonymous
Tue Feb 21 2012 11:32
It's heartening to know that an atheist can have his own newspaper column dedicated to his beliefs. However, he does repeat many of the erroneous statements made about atheism. For example, neither Thomas Jefferson nor Albert Einstein would have agreed with the claim that they were athests. Thomas Jefferson was an active member of his Episcopal Church and a declared Christian. Einstein, a Jew by birth, was educated in a Catholic school which he credits for inspiring in him a wonder for the universe. Einstein also rejected atheism and declared science without religion to be lame. Given these errors, his 10% estimate of the population being atheist is likely an over estimate as is the over worn statement that 90% of scientists are atheists There is no reliable or confirmed evidence to back up this estimate. Historically, atheists have have a world wide presence of about 5%. Still a sizable number.






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