New ‘Openly Secular’ group seeks to combat anti-atheist discrimination

[rug]

By Kimberly Winston | Religion News Service, Updated: Friday, May 2, 3:41 PM

A new coalition of secular organizations hopes to combat prejudice and discrimination against atheists, humanists and other nonbelievers.

Called “Openly Secular,” the coalition wants to draw attention to incidents of anti-atheist discrimination in hopes of making such bias socially unacceptable.

“Our goal is a world where there are no social costs for being secular, where people do not have to risk losing relationships, jobs and elections when they are open about their nonreligious beliefs,” said Todd Stiefel, chair of Openly Secular.

“By getting more people to be open about who they are, we will reduce the misunderstandings that lead to fear and distrust of secular people.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/new-openly-secular-group-seeks-to-combat-anti-atheist-discrimination/2014/05/02/b8195ba8-d231-11e3-a714-be7e7f142085_story.html

http://secular.org/stories

[cbayer]

1. Nice and I am glad they are going to work with religious and civil rights groups.

Coalitions - that is where the power to enact change lies.

Surprised that Mehta isn't more supportive, though.

Congratulations to them.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. Good luck with that.

It's OK in the cities but if you're rural and don't go to church, you are viewed with great suspicion.

You're supposed to be a WASP, and a particular kind of Protestant at that, or else you're different, and different is BAD.

I've been reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

I had already read most of what Hitchens had written, but this was the first time I've read Dawkins. He's more academic than Hitchens was, and less outgoing, but still an interesting book from the viewpoint of a biologist. I have a B.A. in biology myself.