An Interview with Marie Alena Castle Communications Director, Atheists for Human Rights

[rug]

April 28, 2017
Scott Jacobsen

Marie Alena Castle is the communications director for Atheists for Human Rights. She was raised Roman Catholic, but became an atheist. She has been important to atheism, Minnesota Atheists, The Moral Atheist, National Organization of Women, and wrote Culture Wars: The Threat to Your Family and Your Freedom (2013).

Was there a familial background in atheism? Were friends an influence on explicit atheist views?

Raised Catholic. Didn’t know any atheists. Religion was accepted as an expected normal part of life.

What were the moments, and the possible big awakening, for lack of belief in gods or God?

Pope’s position on birth control became more and more unrealistic but I accepted it because I was told the pope was infallible. Finally “saw the light” when church authorities could not answer my logical questions about the morality (or not) of birth control. It became very clear that the pope was not infallible and if wrong on that how did I know he was right about existences of God. Gave that some thought and saw zero evidence for a god and I was out of there. I realized I was an atheist and it felt SO good to have my mind feel so clear at last.

You are an atheist activist/activist atheist. How does one be an activist for atheism? It seems counterintuitive. That is, why be an activist for the lack of belief in something, in gods and God? A humanist activist seems more intuitive because it affirms beliefs, traditionally speaking, more than atheism.

Atheism is not a belief, it’s a conclusion. I became an activist when I realized all the harm irrational religious beliefs caused. It’s like realizing how harmful slavery is and becoming an abolitionist to put a stop to that harm. Being an activist atheist is like scraping the barnacles off of the boat – get rid of them and the boat (humanity) sails along much better. Being a humanist just means dropping religious beliefs based on irrational doctrines. Liberal religionists who want to be moral do it by abandoning traditional religious beliefs so they can be moral and allow their basic human decency to come through. I get along fine with liberal religionists. They do good because they think it’s what their god wants. Fair enough. I do good because it needs to be done.

https://conatusnews.com/interview-marie-alena-castle-communications-director-atheists-human-rights/

A very interesting interview with a very interesting woman - getting a degree over eight years while raising five children - with very interesting views on - and experiences with - organizing atheist groups.

http://www.atheistsforhumanrights.org/

[LOL Lib]

1. Bookmarked for later. She sounds brilliant.

Off to plant begonias and wave petunias today!

[rug]

2. I just noticed a tree in the back yard that has pink flowers.

I've lived here 18 years.

[LOL Lib]

3. HA! This is my first spring in my own home.

Give me a few years and I won't care if the plants consume the house! Have a good day and thanks for the thread. Definitely coming back to read later!