Third Quarter 2016

American Atheist
A JOURNAL OF ATHEIST NEWS AND THOUGHT
Also in this issue:
Christian Dominionism in Government

Openly Atheist in a Catholic High School
Scenes from Reason Rally 2016
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ATHEISTS.ORG
THIRD QUARTER 2016
AMERICAN ATHEIST
A Journal of Atheist News and Thought
3rd Quarter 2016
Vol. 54, No. 3
ISSN 0516-9623 (Print)

ISSN 1935-8369 (Online)
Thousands of atheists gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in June for Reason Rally 2016.
Story on page 24, photo by Alt Media Pros/Reason Rally Photography Team
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Pamela Whissel
[email protected]
LAYOUT and GRAPHICS EDITOR
Rick Wingrove
[email protected]
COPY EDITOR
Karen Rei lly
PROOFREADERS
Gil Gaudia
Shelley Gaudia
AMERICAN ATHEIST PRESS
MANAGING EDITOR
Frank R. Zindler
[email protected]
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3RD QUARTER 2016
In This Issue
4
My Vote Wont Make a Difference: A Bigger

Myth than God | Pamela Whissel
6
10
12
God is Pro-Abortion the Bible Says So | Brian Bolton
16
Beyond the 2016 Election: Simple Ways to

Expand Our Influence | Chuck Miller
20
The Real Story from an Ex-Mormon Missionary

Lesson 4: The Commandments, Part 4 | Greg Hawkins
24
28
30
34
Reason Rally 2016A View from the Stage | J.T. Eberhard
46
Why I Am An Atheist | Kathleen Johnson
A Patients Right to Know | Amanda Knief

Raymond D. Bradley is the Most Prolific Atheist
Youve Never Heard Of | David G. McAfee
Too Bad! Youre an Atheist! | David Silverman

Openly Atheist at a Catholic High School | Mark Kolsen
Moses Helped Write the Constitution: Christian Dominionisms
Fruitful Distortion of American History | Eric Wojciechowski
www.atheists.org | AMERICAN ATHEIST | 3
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
My Vote Wont Make a Difference:

A Bigger Myth than God
emocracy is a lot like Atheism. Both are

grounded in the belief that there is no sovereign,
no ultimate arbiter of right and wrong who will
steer us in the proper direction if we just listen closely enough
and, most importantly, obey.
Not everyone in a democracy is an Atheist, and not all
Atheists think democracy is a good idea, but Atheists in America
do. So why is it that Atheist voter turnout is so low?* There are
probably as many reasons as there are non-voters, but after years
of listening to people talk about all aspects of voting, Ive come
to understand that a lot of us have never had the opportunity
to take a close look at what democracy is and what it isnt.
Not voting is the very

antithesis of Atheism.
Democracy is born of the understanding that when more
than a handful of human beings are thrown together, at least
some of them will want to govern. The problem of deciding who
ends up in charge can be solved in a number of ways. Birthright
and force have been the two most common in history. Other
choices include lotteries, omens, and default. Democracy
solves the problem by placing the burden of the decision
squarely on your shoulders and mine. And I do mean burden
because democracy is not easy; it was never meant to be. Just
like the word god, the word easy appears nowhere in the
Constitution.
Democracy is not a synonym for freedom because it
doesnt promise that you will get your waynot even once
in your lifeafter the votes are counted. Democracy doesnt
guarantee voting procedures without deep flaws and deliberate
complications (but it does offer ways to remedy them, albeit
with a lot of work and never overnight).
In the equation of democracy, staying home on Election Day
does not make a statement because unlike a restaurant menu,
ballots often come with no appealing choices. But the purpose
of an election isnt to provide us with a satisfying experience.

The purpose is to decide who will govern.
When there is an appealing candidate, but youre
convinced they have no chance of winningeven with
your voteor when there is an appealing candidate youre
convinced couldnt possibly loseeven without your vote
our responsibility is not diminished one bit. Every time we
cast a vote, were doing more than choosing a candidate. We
are voting for democracy itself, which needs every one of our
votes in every single election because it does come with a
guarantee that it is fragile.
If theres any disadvantage to living in a democracy thats
worked so well for so long, its that it is natural to assume ours
will last forever. Right now, there are people living all over
the world who mistakenly assumed the same thing about
their own democracies. There may have been significant
differences between theirs and ours, but that doesnt justify
our complacency.
Every time we cast a

vote, we are voting for
democracy itself.
The realities of democracy are the same for everyone, but

for Atheists, theres an additional truth. Not voting is the very
antithesis of Atheism just like making god your co-pilot is the
very antithesis of Atheism. Theres no point in refusing to rely
on a deity to govern the course of your life if you leave it to
other people (such as Evangelical Christians) to determine the
circumstances of your government.
Pamela Whissel
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
*In 2012, 45 million non-believers were eligible to vote, but only 15.5 million did. The number of Evangelical Christians eligible to vote was
also 45 million, and close to 30 million did. (How the Faithful Voted, Nov. 7, 2012, PewForum.org)
4 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org
3RD QUARTER 2016
3RD QUARTER 2016
God is Pro-Abortion
The Bible Says So
by Brian Bolton
long quite a few roadways in America

is a billboard that says, Before I
formed you in the womb I knew
you, and before you were born I
consecrated you. This quote, from Jeremiah 1:5, is
attributed to God. Next to the quote is a depiction
of a human fetus. In the verse, anti-abortion zealots
find their justification for doing everything possible
to eviscerate womens reproductive rights by
outlawing abortion. The message is also available
on a bumper sticker, often adorning vehicles driven
by people with In God We Trust on their license
plates.
The other Bible passage popular with anti-abortion
activists is Psalm 139:13-16, which says, For you
created my inmost being; you knit me together in my
mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I

know that full well. My frame was not hidden from
you when I was made in the secret place, when I was
woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes
saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came
to be. It should be emphasized that abortion is not
prohibited or condemned in this lengthy extract.
These two citations contain the strongest biblical
support fundamentalists have to argue that life is a gift
from god, that god loves the unborn, and that aborting
a fetus is murder. Defenders of womens reproductive
rights should know what the Bible actually says about
abortion and, by extension, related issues, including
contraception, the morning-after pill, in vitro
fertilization, and fetal tissue research. In fact, god is
historys greatest abortionist.
The Bible does not support todays fundamentalist

Christian assault on womens reproductive rights.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Scriptural Truths
Summarized here are twelve biblical episodes and
prophecies that provide an unequivocal expression of gods
attitude toward human life, especially the ontological status of
unborn children and their pregnant mothers-to-be.
A pregnant woman who is injured and aborts the fetus
warrants financial compensation only,
suggesting that the fetus is property,
not a person (Exodus 21:22-25).
God promised the Israelites that if
they worshipped him alone, he would
not cause their women to miscarry
(Exodus 23:24-26).
The gruesome priestly purity test to which
a wife accused of adultery must submit
will cause her to abort the fetus if she is
guilty, indicating that the fetus does
not possess a right to life (Numbers 5:
11-31).
God enumerated his punishments for
disobedience, including cursed shall
be the fruit of your womb and you
will eat the fruit of your womb, directly
contradicting sanctity of life claims
(Deuteronomy 28:18, 53).
Elishas prophecy for soon-to-be King Hazael was that he
would attack the Israelites, burn their cities, crush the
heads of their babies, and rip open their pregnant women
(2 Kings 8:12).
King Menahem of Israel destroyed Tiphsah (also called
Tappuah) and the surrounding towns, killing all
residents and ripping open pregnant women with swords
(2 Kings 15:16).
The dead are happier than the living, but more fortunate
than both are those who have never been born, indicating
that life is not sacred (Ecclesiastes 4:2-3).
Isaiah prophesied doom for Babylon, including the
murder of unborn children: They will have no pity on
the fruit of the womb (Isaiah 13:18).
For worshipping idols, god declared that not one of his
people would live, not a man, woman, or child, not even
babies in arms, again confuting assertions about the
sanctity of life (Jeremiah 44:7-8).
God will punish the Israelites by destroying their unborn
children, who will die at birth, or perish in the womb, or
never even be conceived (Hosea 9:10-16).
For rebelling against god, Samarias people will be killed,
their babies will be dashed to death against the ground,
and their pregnant women will be ripped open with a
sword (Hosea 13:16).
Jesus did not express any special concern for unborn
children during the anticipated end times: Woe to
pregnant women and those who are nursing (Matthew
24:19).
These twelve incidents and declarations document gods
complete rejection of the anti-abortion crusaders claims about
the sanctity of life and a divine right to life. There is clearly no
biblical justification for the radical theology they espouse.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Biblical Atrocities
This section summarizes gods monumental history of
murderous behavior as recorded in holy writ. We know that god
killed millions of unborn children and their pregnant mothersto-be in Noahs flood (Genesis 6,7,8), the Conquest of Canaan
(Joshua 6,8,10,11,12), the incineration of Sodom and
Gomorrah (Genesis 18,19), and in twenty major
slaughters described in the Bible (e.g.
Judges 1:25, 21:10-14; 1 Samuel 15:18; 1 Kings 16:11; 2 Kings 17:19-20; 2
Chronicles 36:17-20). The critical
feature of these horrific
events is that all people
were exterminated (Luke
17:26-29). Whenever entire
communities were massacred,
we can be sure that pregnant
mothers-to-be and their unborn
children were among the victims,
along with infants,
babies, and children.
Moreover, there are no
stated exemptions for
this specific segment
of the population.
This ghastly program of human annihilation makes the
god of the Bible the greatest mass murderer in history, who
does not care about unborn children or living children or living
adults. If god really opposes abortion, why didnt he just say so?
Why didnt he authorize one of his trusted spokesmen Moses,
Jesus, or Paul to issue a definitive statement on the subject?
Why didnt he include Thou shalt not abort a fetus in the Ten
Commandments?
It is also noteworthy that while the Bible requires the death
penalty for 60 specified criminal violations, abortion is not
among them. When all relevant documentation in the Bible is
examined, it is obvious that god does not love the unborn, and
he certainly does not disapprove of abortion.
Theological Questions
Anti-abortion zealots assert that life begins at the moment
of conception and, therefore, the destruction of a fertilized egg
is murder. This is the basis for the concept of personhood,
which has been defeated in five statewide initiatives since
2010.
The Bible declares that god breathed into mans body the
breath of life, and man then became a living person (Genesis
2:7). At least a dozen additional verses indicate that breath
is synonymous with life (e.g. Job 33:4; Psalm 104:29; Isaiah
42:5; Acts 17:25). Therefore, because fetuses dont breathe, this
scriptural truth completely contradicts the personhood dogma.
More importantly, if the fertilized ovum is a person, as antiabortion extremists claim, then gods record as the greatest
murderer of unborn children is expanded further. This is
because most fertilized eggs either fail to implant in the uterine
wall and pass out of the body or, if they do implant, they begin
to develop but then are spontaneously aborted. Fewer than one
third of fertilized ova survive to be born nine months later.
The Bible demonstrates conclusively
that god is pro-abortion.
Why does god murder untold millions of these persons

every year in the U.S. alone? Why did god, who allegedly loves
the unborn and hates abortion, kill so many unborn children,
infants, babies, children, adolescents, and adults throughout
biblical history? Why do fundamentalists pursue a political
agenda that is thoroughly refuted by gods word?
Inapplicable Verses
Abortion opponents believe that eight verses referring
to the development of the fetus in the
mothers womb establish the continuity
of human existence from the womb to
life following birth (Psalms 22:10, 127:3,
139:13; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Isaiah 49:5;
Jeremiah 1:4-5; Hosea 12:3; Luke 1:41).
These verses contain undeniably poetic
and sometimes literal truth. But while
they illustrate why abortion may be an
emotional and controversial issue, they
do not provide an explicit prohibition
against it.
Four additional verses that refer
indirectly to abortion or miscarriage
which are sometimes cited by antiabortion extremists are Leviticus 26:22,
Isaiah 47:8-9, Jeremiah 15:7, and Ezekiel
5:17. In none of these cases is the practice
of abortion prohibited or condemned,
and it is often described as gods ordained
punishment.
Anti-Abortion Antilogies
Among those who deny womens
reproductive
rights,
numerous
contradictory positions exist. For
example, some prominent politicians
who want to overturn Roe v. Wade would allow exceptions for
rape, incest, severe fetal abnormality, and/or life of the mother.
These abortion exceptions necessarily require destroying the
fetus, which is the very action they condemn. In other words,
the murder of unborn children is acceptable when anti-abortion

politicians approve.
Another blatant inconsistency involves physicians who
want to defund Planned Parenthood because the organization
provides aborted fetuses for medical research. Yet some of
these physicians have themselves conducted research using
aborted fetuses! Furthermore, medical investigations using
fetal tissue have produced lifesaving vaccines and therapeutic
interventions that have benefitted everyone, including the
anti-abortion devotees and their
families.
A disgusting contradiction exists
between the anti-abortion activists
preferred label pro-life and their
horrific record of godly violence. In
the forty years since Roe v. Wade was
decided, twelve abortion providers
have been murdered and seventeen
have been maimed or seriously
injured. More than six thousand acts
of violence have been perpetrated,
including fire bombings, arsons,
kidnappings, assaults, and death
threats. These agents of godly
violence are accurately labeled
radical Christian terrorists.
The political activists who want
to make abortion illegal in the U.S.
invariably call themselves Christian
conservatives, stating that they want
to reduce government intrusion into
the lives of Americans and eliminate
burdensome regulations that limit
personal liberty. They say they want
to get government off our backs and
out of our lives. Except, of course, when they want to use the
coercive power of government to inflict their theological beliefs
on everybody else, especially in matters of reproduction and
sexuality.
If they really
want to prevent
the murder
of unborn
children, why
dont they just
pay women
not to have
abortions?
There is clearly no biblical justification for the

radical anti-abortion theology they espouse.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Why do fundamentalists pursue a political agenda

that is thoroughly refuted by gods word?
After forty years of at least one million elective abortions
performed annually, opponents still refuse to endorse programs
that are proven to reduce the number of abortions, such as
family planning that stresses contraception and comprehensive
sexuality education in the schools. Instead, they promote
ignorance with their abstinence-only curricula. If they would
focus their efforts on preventing unwanted pregnancies, they
would stop many more abortions than their politically coercive
and sometime violent tactics have. Ironically, the anti-abortion
crusaders help to cause the abortions they denounce!
mothers-to-be and their unborn children.

Summary
The Bible is an unending compilation of atrocities
illustrating gods penchant for feticide, infanticide, and the
wholesale slaughter of adults. There is no biblical basis for the
alleged principle of respect for the sanctity of life, the assertion
that life is a gift from god, or the claim that fetuses possess a
god-given right to life. God does not love the unborn or their
pregnant mothers-to-be or living children or adults. He is the
greatest murderer of unborn children and the preeminent mass
Anti-abortion dogmatists condemn what they call the

holocaust of 56 million abortions since Roe v. Wade became
the law of the land. At the same time, they spend tens of billions
of dollars annually building and operating their grandiose
mega-churches, Christian academies, and other programs that
promote fundamentalist Christian doctrines. If they really
want to prevent the murder of unborn children, why dont they
just use some of their vast wealth to pay women cash stipends
not to have abortions?
The most egregious contradiction occurs whenever the
anti-abortion religionists invoke a biblical justification for their
sanctimonious stance, because the Judeo-Christian god of the
Holy Bible simply does not care about the lives of pregnant
murderer of living people in human history.

The Bible does not support todays fundamentalist
Christian assault on womens reproductive rights. This crusade
is a political campaign that is thoroughly refuted by gods holy
word. God causes all abortions, spontaneous and elective, as
well as the destruction of fertilized ova or persons, because he
is omnipotent and therefore is the cause of everything.
The Bible demonstrates conclusively that god is proabortion.
Brian Bolton is a retired psychologist, humanist minister, and
university professor emeritus who lives in Georgetown, Texas.
It is obvious that god does not love the unborn,

and he is certainly historys greatest abortionist.
3RD QUARTER 2016
A Patients Right to Know

by Amanda Knief, National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists
nformed consent is a fundamental principle of modern

healthcare, which means that a patient undergoing
treatment has the right to know several things about
that treatment, including all known risks and all medically
accepted alternatives. And then, before the treatment
commences, a patient should be required to sign a document
which verifies that all information has been presented.
In the United States, Catholic healthcare systems do not
fully participate in informed consent. Thats because physicians
who practice in those networks are obliged to follow the Ethical
and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services
(ERD), issued by the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. The
ERD forbids treatments that incorporate, among other things,
contraception, abortion, fertility assistance, and certain options
available to terminally ill patients. And because Catholic
healthcare systems are religious organizations, they are exempt
by law from even letting their patients know that treatments not
provided in their facilities may be available elsewhere.
These religious exemptions extend to medical education
as well. For example, even though terminating a pregnancy is
sometimes a medical necessity and not a choice at all, several
federal laws provide religious exemptions so that healthcare
providers can refuse to even teach or learn abortion procedures.
As they take advantage of this favored status granted to them
as religious organizations, these healthcare systems also
receive billions of taxpayer dollars in the form of Medicare and
Medicaid compensation.
Here are some examples of treatments that are neither
provided nor even discussed in Catholic healthcare networks:
Birth control of any kind, including tubal ligations and
vasectomies. Any prevention of pregnancy is prohibited
by the ERD, so if a woman or a couple wants to prevent a
pregnancy, they will not get information or services to assist
them.
Abortion and ectopic pregnancy termination. This
includes procedures for women whose lives are at risk because
of complications, whose pregnancies are not viable, or whose
fetuses are not viable. As long as there is a fetal heartbeat,
nothing will be done to terminate a pregnancy, even when
it means a prolonged miscarriage. Complications range from
severe emotional trauma to deadly infections.
Right to die. In five states, it is legal for a patient with a
terminal illness to choose to end their life with the assistance
of a doctor. The ERD not only forbids physician participation,
it also refuses to allow patients to be informed of their rights.

Fertility assistance, such as in vitro fertilization,
surrogacy, and sperm/egg donation. Even a married
man and woman who are unable to conceive cannot receive
information about fertility treatment.
Certain cancer treatments. The ERD forbids cancer
treatments that involve removal of reproductive organs, even
if the treatment increases a patients chances of survival.
According to MergerWatch.org, Catholic hospitals account
for more than seventeen percent of all hospitals in the United
States. In Iowa, Washington, and California, they account for
more than forty percent of all hospitals. Last fall, American
Atheists launched a legislative initiative called the Patients
Right to Know Act (PRTKA), which, if passed into law, would
require healthcare systems to inform their patients of all
services and treatments not provided in their facilities due to
religious or philosophical objections.
Under this legislation, physicians would not be compelled
to provide any of these treatments, and they would not be
required to refer a patient to a provider who would. All they
would have to do is let their patients know up front about
treatments they will not provide because of religious or
philosophical objectionsand how these objections impact
a patients access to a specific treatment.
We are working with a broad coalition of organizations,
including the National Organization for Women, to have
this legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress and in
state legislatures. Thanks to the Secular Coalition for
Arizona, the PRTKA was introduced in the Arizona House
of Representatives as House Bill 2664 with nine sponsors
last February. The original sponsor was Democrat Randall
Friese, a physician and the Ranking Member of the Houses
Health Committee. Though the bill did not make it out of the
Republican-controlled committee, it was a big win for the new
legislation. In June, the Delaware House of Representatives
voted down the PRTKA in form of House Bill 366 after St.
Francis Healthcare, a Catholic system in Dover, objected to
the legislation.
This fall, American Atheists plans to work again with
groups in these two states, as well as in Iowa and Connecticut,
to get the legislation introduced and passed. Your involvement
can make a difference. Call or email your representative and ask
them to sponsor the legislation. For more information, go to
AtheistVoter.org/patients.
3RD QUARTER 2016
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3RD QUARTER 2016
RAYMOND D. BRADLEY
Is the Most Prolific Atheist Youve Never Heard Of

by David G. McAfee
aymond D. Bradley is not a New Atheist. He completed his Ph.D. on the theological problem
of free will sixteen years before Richard Dawkins rose to fame with his bestseller The Selfish
Gene. During his forty-year career as a philosophy professor, he debated the well-known
Christian apologist William Lane Craig. That was in 1994, years before Lawrence Krauss, Sam
Harris, or Christopher Hitchens did. Bradley used a course of formal logic to obliterate both the idea that a
loving god would send people to hell and the existence of god altogether.
Now retired and living in New Zealand, Bradley is the author of the new book Gods Gravediggers: Why No
Deity Exists. In it, his rich analogies put forth moral, logical, and scientific arguments against the existence of of
god while also illustrating the damage that is done by the concept of god.
: Over the past decade, the increase in literature about

Atheism has been remarkable. Gods Gravediggers is the
culmination of your careers work on the subject of Atheism.
Since the past decade has seen dramatic increase in books on
Atheism, what new perspectives do you bring?
Bradley: My book differs from the others in being
more strictly philosophical. By strictly philosophical I
mean philosophical in the analytical tradition established
by Aristotle nearly two-and-a-half thousand years
ago. Aristotle excelled in the analysis of differences of
meaning and references of wordsconceptual analysis,
we call it. I try to emulate him in the field of philosophy of
religion by, for instance, drawing attention to the multireferential nature of the term god and the contrariety
of its opposing concepts, by disambiguating the term
free will, and by showing how failure to observe the
distinction vitiates arguments about the theist god and

the presence of evil in the world he ostensibly created. I
even sort out different meanings of the little word is, as
did Aristotle.
Logic, it is said, is the science of rational reasoning.
It tells you whether your arguments are valid, whether
their conclusions follow from their premises. It enables
you to tell whether this statement, or set of statements,
is consistent with that; whether this statement, or set of
statements, implies that; and so on. Understanding its
elements is essential to our being able to evaluate inferences
and arguments critically in any field whatsoever.
Aristotle laid the foundations of logic. I spend a page
or two outlining the basic concepts of his logic, as well
as elements of modern modal logic so that we can better
observe high standards of rigor in our reasoning about
matters to do with religion. Above all, I pursue issues
3RD QUARTER 2016
It was precisely because I read the Bible

and struggled vainly to believe its contents
that I became an ardent Atheist.
of consistency, inconsistency, and implication in the

evaluation of doctrinal beliefs about matters of science
and morality.
Thus equipped, my book ventures into areas barely,
if at all, even touched on by other books in the New
Atheist genre. It resuscitates, for example, Humes
argument from the contrariety of religions, it explores
in depth the concept of an afterlife, and it subjects the
pseudo-theism of modern piety to scathing scrutiny.
In between, it examines standard, and some nonstandard, arguments for the existence of some god or
other. It turns the moral argument for theism on its
head, and it explores the logic of hell and damnation to
its predestined end.
In brief, the focus of my book is the conceptual
and logical analysis of beliefs and arguments about the
existence of a supernatural word and its denizens: god, or
gods, and human souls. The upshot of my analysis is that
there is no warrant in reason or experience for belief in
the existence of a deity of any sort, not even the supreme
being of modernistic theology.
: Most people believe that the existence of god is one

which we cannot disprove, yet Gods Gravediggers
challenges this. Do you believe that there is evidence that god
doesnt exist?
Bradley: People sometimes say that Atheism cannot
be proved. They trot out the old claim, You cant prove
a negative, as if to prove the point. But this is fatuous.
No negatives can be proved is itself a negative! So, by
its own token, it cant be proved true.
Not only that, it is easy to prove it false. Consider this
humdrum negative: Theres no butter in the fridge.
This negative can be proved empirically by removing the
fridges contents and looking carefully among them.
Of course, the existence of a supernatural god cant
be disproved as easily as that. He isnt conceived of as
existing in a confined spatiotemporal manner, as is a
fridge, but as omni-present both in this world and the

supernatural world, if such there be. Hence, looking in
one place at one time and failing to find him wont count
as a disproof of his existence somewhere or other. Thus
conceived, hes more slippery than butter.
But that doesnt mean that empirical tests cant be
effective, for theres another sort of empirical proof of
non-existence that we accept in ordinary lifeand in
science as well.
: One criticism of Atheism comes from people who say

Atheists must not understand or have read the Bible or
the Koran. What would you say to this?
Bradley: Those who make these allegations know not
that of which they speak. It was precisely because I read
the Bible and struggled vainly to believe its contents,
and the theological doctrines associated with them,
that I became an ardent Atheist. I tell the history of my
own de-conversion from Christianity, and rejection
of religious belief in general, in the first chapter of my
book From Fundamentalist to Free-thinker: It All Began
with Santa.
Those who accuse Atheists of ignorance of the Bible are
either themselves ignorant or they willfully ignore these
cases of prominent non-theists (deists and Atheists) who
knew their Bible well such as Celsus, author of The True
Word, against whom the self-castrating, third-century
biblical scholar Origen wrote his puerile refutations.
They certainly know nothing of Voltaire, the great
deist/Atheist philosopher of the French enlightenment
whose prodigious biblical scholarship is manifest in his
Philosophical Dictionary, a set of scathing criticisms of the
scriptures.
Likewise with Thomas Hobbes, Arthur Schopenhauer,
and Friedrich Nietzsche. They almost certainly are
ignorant, too, of Thomas Paine, who described central
Bible stories as fabulous inventions; of Robert Ingersol,
son of a prominent Presbyterian minister; of Samuel
I came to the conclusion at a relatively

young age that Christian doctrine is
intellectually pernicious and morally obnoxious.

3RD QUARTER 2016
I agree with Humes indictment of all

supernatural religions, not just of Christianity.
Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) whose atheistic Letters
from the Earth was considered un-publishable during
his lifetime; of the writings of ex-priest Joseph McCabe;
or the writings of another ex-priest, John Remsberg. I
could go on with this list of counter-examples from past
centuries without even venturing far into the twentieth,
let alone the twenty-first century.
They must surely have heard of Bertrand Russell, JeanPaul Sartre, Albert Camus, Michael Martin, Paul Kurtz,
Graham Oppy, and Michel Onfray, to name just a few.
All these and hosts of other prominent philosophers are
Atheists who called upon their knowledge of biblical texts
to ground their non-belief. And I havent even included the
so-called New Atheists, writers like Sam Harris, Daniel
Dennett, A. C. Grayling, and Richard Dawkins.
: You explain in Gods Gravediggers how you became an

Atheist academic despite being raised as a Christian
fundamentalist. Did you ever think that you were just rebelling
against your upbringing?
Bradley: It didnt occur to me spontaneously. But
it certainly was suggested to me when my apostasy
became public. And the idea of a psychological rather
than a rational cause for my loss of belief was given
some degree of plausibility when it became known that
I had suffered from beatings at the hands of my parents
throughout my teens. But I had kept that fact to myself
until I was in my fifties.
In any case, the psychological hypothesis of
mere rebellion got the explanation the wrong way. I
rebelled against the faith of my fathers and friends
because reason compelled me to. I literally could not
believe the implausibilities of the Bible or accept its
immoralities. As I explain in my book, I came to the
conclusion at a relatively young age that Christian
doctrine is intellectually pernicious and morally
obnoxious.
: You have debated a variety of well-known Christian

academics, including, of course, William Lane Craig in
1994. Whats striking in those debates is how one-sided they
are. Your opponents generally pose questions to you about
logic or evidence, which you explain in great detail. But then
your questions are met with mystical comments about gods

will or the Bible. Have you ever encountered anything useful
in these debates?
Bradley: No is the simple answer. That is to say, I
have never learned anything substantial in the course
of my debates. But they have taught me some valuable
procedural lessons. Here are just three of them. All
obvious, perhaps, but worth repeating.
First, prepare for your debate well in advance by
learning, if possible, exactly what position your debating
opponent is likely to take and what arguments they are
likely to advance. Do this by reading anything your
opponent has published on the issue. I devoted quite
a lot of time to this aspect of my preparation for the
debate with Bill Craig, who was reputedly one of the
best debaters in the world on any topic. The issue in
dispute was Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
Predictably, he invoked a modified form of Alvin
Plantingas so-called free will defense, which relies on
modal logic for its apparent cogency. Modal logic is an
area of my own specialty, so I had little difficulty in citing
a counter-example to demonstrate the fallaciousness of
his argument.
Second, go on the offensive. This tactic was
best exemplified by my first public debate, when
I proclaimed at the outset that I intended to show
that Christianity is both intellectually pernicious
and morally obnoxious. Then again, in one of my
debates with Paul Chamberlain on objective morality,
I announced at the very beginning that I proposed
to show that the argument from objective morality
provides a conclusive proof of Atheism, not of theism.
That tactic took my opponent aback. He simply hadnt
prepared for it. Neither had the audience.
Third, try to anticipate and prepare for the inevitable
sophistry with which your arguments and evidence will
be met. Again, I would cite the apparent success I had in
countering Bill Craigs responses. To my knowledge, he
never again debated the topic of hell with anyone else.
: Although Gods Gravediggers focuses primarily on

Christianity, do your ideas translate to religion or other
mystical ideas in general?
Mark Twains atheistic Letters from the Earth was

considered un-publishable during his lifetime.
3RD QUARTER 2016
I even sort out different meanings of

the little word is, as did Aristotle.
Bradley: Many of my arguments against Christianity
translate mutatis mutandis to other religions. For
instance, the case against believing in the Christian
doctrine of Christs ascension carries over into the case
against believing in Mohammeds being carried up to
heaven on a winged horse. I have articulated the first
case in some detail, leaving it to my readers to infer its
application to the second.
Likewise for any religion sufficiently well-developed to
be supported by theological arguments for the existence
of its deity. These arguments are likely to be akin to those
advanced on behalf of belief in a theistic god: arguments
from religious experience, cosmological arguments, design
arguments, moral arguments, etc. I have dealt with each
of these in broad enough terms to make their application
to particular variants fairly obvious. All of them, I have
argued, fall short of demonstrating, or even making
remotely probable, the truth of the associated religion.
More generally, in the section of Chapter 2 entitled
The Logical Contrariety of Rival Religions, I advance a

completely general case for saying, like David Hume, that
no religion whatever has the slightest chancewhether
the possibilities are assessed empirically or a prioriof
being true. Hume claims that his argument against all
supernatural religions is decisive, one that will with the
wise and learned, be an everlasting check to all kinds of
superstitious delusion and consequently be useful as long
as the world endures.
I agree with Humes indictment of all supernatural
religions, not just of Christianity.
David G. McAfee is the author of four books: Disproving
Christianity and Other Secular Writings; Mom, Dad, Im an Atheist:
The Guide to Coming Out as a Non-believer; The Belief Book; and
The Book of Gods. His B.A., from the University of California, Santa
Barbara, is in English and religious studies with an emphasis on
Christianity and Mediterranean religions.
Parenting Without God is not just about the

absence of religionits about the glorious
space that opens up for secular parents and
their lucky kids once the clutter and smoke of
religion is gone. Dan Arels voice is clear, smart,
and a welcome addition to the growing chorus
of parents taking the hands of their children
and running at full speed into the real world.
~ Dale McGowan, author/editor, Parenting
Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers
Available everywhere books are sold.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Beyond the 2016 Election

Simple Ways to Expand Our Influence
by Chuck Miller
he religious right and

theocratically
inclined
politicians are seeing their
power and influence slide away. This creates
an opportunity to restore secular, pluralistic politics in
America and offers Atheists a significant opening for greater
involvement in politics. But we must seize it now and commit
right away to a four-part strategy. If we dont, our apathy will
only fuel religions inf luence in American government.
1. Atheists Must Vote
That cannot be said enough. Atheists must vote at every
opportunity, not just in presidential elections. Midterm elections
are just as important, but the turnout is much lower than it is in
presidential years. Local elections that occur at times other than
the midterms have even lower turnouts, which can give minority
voting blocs a numerical advantageonly if they vote in relatively
large numbers. That is exactly what happened in 2010 when the
Tea Party faction took so many seats in Congress and in state
legislatures. As a result, there has been a sharp rise in religiously
motivated legislation and restrictions on the rights of minorities.
But that trend can be reversed just as quickly. Whats required
is a high turnout of Atheists, a demographic with an historically
dismal record of showing up at the polls.
My vote doesnt count is a common refrain, and it couldnt
be more wrong. The ballot not cast is the ballot not counted. If
you dont think your vote counts for

anything, consider the voter turnout in
past elections. The 2014 midterm elections
saw a turnout of about thirty-six percent, the
lowest since World War II.1 The 2012 presidential election
saw a slightly better turnout of about fifty-three percent.2 With
those numbers, you could say that a ballot cast in those midterm
elections actually counts for 2.77 eligible voters. So your vote
counts more than doubleif you use it. The situation is even
more critical in primary elections, where even lower turnouts are
the norm. In fact, many local and state races are determined in
the primaries and are the only opportunity to select a candidate.
So lets stop saying that votes dont count.3,4,5
A lot of people dont like voting for the lesser of two evils.
That shocks me when Atheists say it, as if this idiom can truly
apply to all political candidates. I wont deny that political leaders
can do harmful things, but they can implement good policies,
too. So try thinking of the choice among candidates another
way. Say there are two candidates, neither of which represent
your values fully. But Candidate A represents your values even
less than Candidate B. That means B is slightly better, so vote for
B. Even when the difference is slight, its not nothing. And yes, I
did say values. The Religious Right has stolen that word and we
must take it back.
So, what values am I talking about? After all, Atheists are in
total agreement about only one thing, but I believe that most
Our apathy will only fuel religions

influence in American government.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Atheists would also agree that public policy should never be based
on religious belief. That leaves a lot of room for us to debate a great
many topics, but it defines some core values that we should all
share: separation of religion and government, separation of myth
from fact in all subjects in public education, personal autonomy
in body and thought, and equal rights for all. So, I also reject the
claim that Atheists are destroying religious liberty. Because we
stand firmly against religious privilege, we are the true defenders
of that liberty.
Increasing Atheist turnout is by far the most important step.
Beyond that, there are more strategic actions that will make
Atheists a demographic force that all candidates must reckon
with. But it wont happen overnight, and it will never happen at
all if we dont cast our votes this November and in every election
after that.
2. Advocate for the Issues
Most of us can, in one way or another, be effective issue
advocates. For example, Atheist activists have a long tradition of
letter-writing. There are now many social media outlets, such as
podcasts and blogs, where we can have a great deal of influence.
Advocacy for Atheism has driven the rise of the Nones, to use
the pollsters preferred term for people with no affiliation, and
has given Atheists greater courage to speak up and speak out.
The Secular Coalition for America and the Freethought
Equality Fund are two organizations that have made great
strides in keeping religion out of government, but neither are as
large nor as well-funded as the lobbying organizations for the
Religious Rightat least not yet. In the meantime, we have a
vast, untapped resource that will be highly influential if we use
it. That force is the citizen lobbyist. We can be highly effective
when we, as individuals, consistently lobby our elected officials
and share with them the demographics that show they need our
votes and, therefore, must represent our concerns.
The definitive guide to this type of activism is the book The
Citizen Lobbyist: A How-to Manual for Making Your Voice Heard in
Government, written for anyone who wants to have a more active
role in pubic policy. The author is Amanda Knief, the National
Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists.
Public forums and speaking engagements have become
my favorite avenue for advocacy. There are many groups, like
pro-choice and LGBTQ organizations, who are more than just
our allies. They are us. When I speak to these groups, I have a
clear message about the intrusion of religion into government
and politics. As a result, many members of these groups openly
express their own Atheism. It happens over and over again: when
we boldly speak up and speak out, others do too.
Another benefit of speaking up in public forums is the response
of the politicians and candidates in attendance. At these events,
candidates running for office at every level have approached me
and asked for our support. In the run-up to the 2012 election, I
was at a forum in Huntsville, Alabama, that was dominated by
politicians who were part of the Religious Right. Their aim was
to push a Christian-nationalist ideology, so some members of
the North Alabama Freethought Association attended, along
with a local student organization, the University of Alabama in
Huntsville Non-Theists.
We were not on the panel, and the organizers werent
interested in our side of the discussionat first. The panels
moderator started by declaring that an overwhelming majority of
the crowd were Christian nationalists after he asked for a show of
hands. When it came time for questions from the floor, one of our
members asked for a show of Atheists hands and immediately
proved the moderators claim was false.
We then asked for five minutes for a rebuttal, and we ended up
with ten. Then something even more interesting happened. More
questions and comments came from the floor and the Christian
nationalist majority started to fold. This occurred in Alabama,
recently identified as the most religious state in the country.6 If it
can happen here, it can happen elsewhere, too.
At another event, a rally held by the Alabama Reproductive
My vote doesnt count is a common

refrain, and it couldnt be more wrong.
3RD QUARTER 2016
They all asked how they could gain the support of Atheists
because they understood that we are an important voting bloc.
Rights Advocates, I gave a five-minute speech. Afterwards, I was
approached by three different candidatesone was running for
county sheriff, one for U.S. Congress, and one for governor. They
all asked how they could gain the support of Atheists because
they understood that we are an important voting bloc.
When candidates notice us, they pay attention to us because
they want to know how to get our votes. They need us to win, then
they need to stay in office, and we need them to fortify church/
state separation. So our price for that support is that they leave
religion at home when they serve the public.
3. More Direct Political Involvement
Political parties thrive only when they have active local
committees, and there is always something you can do at the local
level because volunteers are always needed and welcomed. More
Atheists need to volunteer on these committees because at the
local and state levels, its the workers who have the most direct
influence on the platforms and candidates.
Public forums give us an opportunity to speak directly to
officials and candidates. This is where we can heighten our
influence because typically, very few people attend these events,
and even fewer speak up. When we both show up and speak up,
we drive home the point that we are committed and involved.
And when the candidates see the work that we do, they respond
favorably because they not only need our votes, they also need
people like us to work on their campaigns. Many Atheist activist
groups are already good at organizing events and performing
outreach at the local level. Those skills are transferrable to
election campaigns.
We can extend our influence even farther by working directly
on behalf of candidates who are aligned with our values and will
represent us best. When we find candidates that we can support,
and we have the means to do so, we should work for them and
contribute our time and money, even when they arent Atheists
themselves. Limiting ourselves to openly Atheist candidates
would be counterproductive and short-sighted because a
candidates religion should not matter. Our founders wisely
included a clause in Article VI of the Constitution that says,
no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any
Office or public Trust under the United States.
Today, however, there is a de facto religious test for office that
stands as a barrier against real religious liberty. We must commit
to eradicating this barrier. Religion should be irrelevant in public
policy and law-making, and we should consider supporting any
candidate that is committed to that principle, no matter what
their personal religious beliefs may be.
4. Openly Atheist Candidates
Once we have done the work to make ourselves a visible
political force, it will be possible for more Atheist politicians to be
candid about their non-belief. I have met with closeted Atheists in
the Alabama Statehouse, and if I can find them there, we can find
Atheist officeholders everywhere. That they dont currently have

the political capital to be open is not their faultits ours. We can
fix that by taking the actions Ive mentioned above. And because
we, ourselves, can run for local office, many of us can also be the
openly Atheist candidate.
What about those closeted Atheists now in office? What can
we learn from their success as politicians? They ran on issues, not
their Atheism. Keep in mind that to be successful, candidates
must have a clear platform and message. We must commit to
making religion irrelevant, but running as the Atheist candidate
with no clear platform is counterproductive. We need to run as
candidates with solid platforms that happen to be Atheists.
Candidates must start using Article VI to defend their refusal
to include their church membership or faith in their campaign
messages. But they wont stop until we communicate to them
that it is unnecessary, unimportant, and un-American. We must
point out that their religion is irrelevantunless they intend to
use that religion to legislate. And if thats the case, then they are
not worthy of holding public office.
When an Atheist candidate is questioned about faith, their
answer should be, Yes, I am an Atheist. So what? Article VI of the
United States Constitution says that no religious test shall ever be
required as a qualification to any office. Now lets talk about the
real issues.
Atheists inclined to take office should consider the many
opportunities to reverse the undue influence of religion in public
life. Just for starters, thousands of seats on local and state school
boards become open every year.
Imagine a political environment where, instead of trying
to prove which of them is the most Christian of all, politicians
rationally discuss and debate important issues and make
decisions based on facts and well-informed opinions. I can see
the day when openly Atheist Democrats, Libertarians, Greens,
Independents, and Republicans debate issues and arrive at laws
and policies the way the founders of our pluralistic democratic
republic envisioned. With you on boardat any levelwe can
make that vision a reality.
Chuck Miller is American Atheists Regional Director for Alabama.
He can be reached at [email protected].
Endnotes
1. Voter Turnout in 2014 was the lowest since WWII, by
Jose A. DelReal, Nov. 10, 2014, WashingtonPost.com.
2. U.S. Voter Turnout Trails Most Developed Countries,
by Drew Desilver, May 6, 2015, PewResearch.org.
3. Voter Turnout in the United States
Presidential Elections, Wikipedia.org.
4. ElectProject.org/home/voter-turnout
5. Presidency.USCB.edu/data/turnout.php
6. How Religious is Your State? by Michael Lipka and
Benjamin Wormald, Feb. 29, 2016, PewResearch.org.
3RD QUARTER 2016
A provocative, unapologetic book that takes religion to task and will give
inspiration to non-believers and serve as the ultimate answer to apologists.
David Silverman
President of American Atheists
A sometimes funny, always informative look into the mind behind Americas
frontline of Atheism. Dave reminds us that religion is everyones enemy.
~ Taslima Nasrin, human rights activist and author of Shame and Revenge
Support American Atheists by purchasing an autographed copy of Fighting God for $50 ($25 is
tax-deductible where allowed by law) and receive a free one-year membership. Order online at
Atheists.org/FightingGod or send $50 to American Atheists, P.O. Box 158, Cranford, NJ, 07016.
3RD QUARTER 2016
The Real Story

from an
Ex-Mormon Missionary
Lesson 4: The Commandments, Part 4
by Greg Hawkins
Missionaries are taught to stick to their

limited script. This leaves them unprepared
for any challenging questions.
n the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, the missionary characters are dressed exactly like the
real ones: creased dress pants, white short-sleeve dress shirts, conservative ties, and black rectangle
name tags. A missionarys wardrobe is not the only thing the show portrays accurately. When the
main characters are assigned to a mission in war-torn, impoverished Uganda, they are not charged with
feeding the hungry or sheltering the homeless. Their only job is to evangelize.
In real life, Mormons dont go on missions to do charity work either. They only go on missions to recruit
new members. Once they are baptized, these new members are required, for the rest of their lives, to give
ten percent of their income to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (this is called tithing)
even if theyre living in abject poverty, raising a large family, shouldering a lot of debt, or dealing with any
other kind of financial hardship.
In Quezon City, Philippines, most people live in abject poverty. Yet thats where Greg Hawkins was sent
as a missionary in 2012 to baptize (translation: recruit) new members (translation: tithers). Even before
returning home in late 2013, Greg was having serious misgivings about this requirement and many other
tenets of the faith. His doubt only grew, and in 2014, he left the LDS Church and embraced Atheism.
This is the seventh installment in his series for American Atheist. In these articles, he describes what goes
on when missionaries (they always travel in pairs) knock on your door and you let them in. He includes
many parts of the Mormon doctrine that missionaries may leave outor may not even be aware of in the
first place, since their training lasts only six weeks.
The LDS Church does not allow its members to question the tenets of the faith, and missionaries are
taught to stick to their limited script. This leaves them unprepared for any challenging questions. But
when you come into contact with Mormon missionaries, you may be able to give them a real opportunity
to apply critical thinking to their religions harmful absurdities. These articles are designed to help you
present thoughtful questions in an amiable, non-confrontational way. Chances are good that it will be the
first time theyve ever heard them.
3RD QUARTER 2016
In the previous issue of American Atheist, I continued with

my explanation of Lesson Four: Keep the Commandments.
These are the Mormon Commandments, which are different
from the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. (But
one of the Mormon Commandments is, in fact, to follow
the Ten Commandments.) This all gets complicated pretty
quickly, so let me recap. A lesson is the information thats
shared with you if you decide to become an investigator,
which is the term used for someone who is interested in the
Mormon faith. When Mormon missionaries knock on your
door, and you let them in, they will attempt to get you to
commit to a series of lessons. If you agree, you are officially an
investigator. Through these lessons, the missionaries explain
the requirements of church membership. Some of the lessons
can be covered in one visit, and others, like Lesson Four, are
spread out over time.
So far, Ive written about six of these eleven Mormon
Commandments presented in Lesson Four. My last article
covered three of them: Follow the Prophet, Keep the Ten
Commandments, and Live the Law of Chastity. This article
covers the final three: Obey the Word of Wisdom, Keep the
Law of Tithing, and Observe the Law of the Fast. (The final
commandment is Obey and Honor the Law. This refers to
the laws of the government. Although the LDS Church has a
spotty history with this one, most Mormons are law-abiding
citizens, so Ive chosen not to go into this one.) Investigators
must learn these commandments and commit to all of them
before they can be baptized.
Greg Hawkins at Manila Bay, Phillipines, earlier

this year. In 2012 and 2013, he was a Mormon
missionary in Quezon City, Phillipines.
Obey the Word of Wisdom

The Word of Wisdom is known in the Mormon Church
as a sort of divine health code that bans certain substances
and behaviors. While Mormons officially claim that the main
reason they adhere to the Word of Wisdom is that it is a divine,
revelatory doctrine from the Churchs founder, Joseph Smith,
it is common to hear other explanations or apologetics for
some of the more outrageous tenets.
The Word of Wisdom is a mishmash of various rules which
forbid alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, illegal drugs, and generally
anything else that has the potential to be habit-forming. There
has been some disagreement among church members over
caffeinated soft drinks, but the Mormon Church has officially
allowed them: the Church revelation spelling out health
practices (Doctrine and Covenants 89) does not mention
the use of caffeine. The Churchs health guidelines prohibit
alcoholic drinks, smoking or chewing of tobacco, and hot
drinkstaught by Church leaders to refer specifically to tea
and coffee (Mormonism in the News: Getting it Right,
August 29, 2012, MormonNewsroom.org).
Many members still choose to refrain from caffeinated
beverages because in 1922, Prophet (President) Heber J.
Grant said, I am not going to give any command, but I will
ask it as a personal, individual favor to me, to let Coca-cola

alone. There are plenty of other things you can get at the soda
fountains without drinking that which is injurious. The Lord
does not want you to use any drug that creates an appetite for
itself (Ninety-Second Annual Conference of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 165).
These different commandments were phased in at
different times in the Churchs history, although the ban on
tobacco in 1833 marked the commencement of the Word of
Wisdom. According to the Prophet Brigham Young, When
they [church members] assembled together in this room after
breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes, and, while
smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom, and spit
all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their
mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often
when the Prophet [Joseph Smith] entered the room to give the
school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco
smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean
so filthy a f loor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and
he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders
in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of
Wisdom was the result of his inquiry (Journal of Discourses
Members not up to date with their tithing
are not allowed inside any Mormon temple.

3RD QUARTER 2016
Addicts going through withdrawal need professional
medical attention, not priesthood blessings.
by President Brigham Young, vol. XII, 1869).

The Mormon Doctrine and Covenants promise both
spiritual and physical benefits to obeying the Word of Wisdom:
And all saints who remember to keep and do these
sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments,
shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their
bones;
And shall find wisdom and great treasures of
knowledge, even hidden treasures;
And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and
not faint.
And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the
destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of
Israel, and not slay them. Amen (89:18-21).
Thats right, if you quit drinking coffee, you will find

hidden treasures of knowledge. Have a crippling disability?
Quit drinking tea, and with enough faith, you will almost
certainly walk and not faint. How amazing. And how great is
it to escape notice of the destroying angel?
But what if a missionary encounters a potential convert
with a real substance addiction? No problem! The official
Mormon missionary handbook, Preach My Gospel, has stepby-step instructions to help potential converts overcome their
addictions so that they can become worthy members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
You can best help those who are struggling to
overcome smoking, alcohol, and other habits by
following these principles. The suggestions below are
applied particularly to the Word of Wisdom but can be
adapted for other addictions as well.
1. Help the people set goals as to when and how they
will live the Word of Wisdom.
2. Pray for them in your personal prayers and when
you are with them.
3. Be positive and supportiveeven if they relapse.
4. Continue teaching them the gospel. Teach them
how to use prayer and faith as sources of strength.
5. Help them attend church regularly and develop
friendships with people who live the Word of
Wisdom and have overcome the same addiction.
6. As appropriate, offer to give them priesthood
blessings.
7. Encourage them to remove harmful substances
from their home.
This is where the Word of Wisdom transgresses the line

from silly and pseudoscientific to genuinely dangerous.
Addictions to heroin or a methamphetamine, for example,

come with withdrawal symptoms that can be fatal. Addicts
going through withdrawal need professional medical
attention, not priesthood blessings. During my mission,
I gave many priesthood blessings which never came to
fruition. I recall wondering if the reason they didnt work
out was weak faith on my part or on that of the potential
converts.
Keep the Law of Tithing
Members who regularly give ten percent of their income to
the church are known as full-tithe payers. According to Preach
My Gospel, To those who pay tithing, the Lord promises that
He will open the windows of heaven, and pour out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it
(Malachi 3:10). These blessings may be temporal or spiritual,
but they will come to those who obey this divine law.
Members who are not up to date with their tithing are not
allowed inside any Mormon temple, no matter how important
the occasion. For example, if youre behind in your tithing at
the time of your daughters wedding, youll be waiting outside
during the ceremony.
There has been a long-standing debate about whether
tithing should be based on gross income or net income.
But its irrelevant for some, because devout members of the
Church believe that everything they own really belongs
to god. So the law of tithing is actually evidence of Gods
kindness. The late Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley remarked
in 2010, There is no compulsion to pay tithing, other than
the commandment of the Lord, and that, of course, becomes
the best of all reasons (The Miracle of Tithing, LDS.org/
media-library).
According to the churchs official media outlet, tithing
funds are used for:

Providing buildings or places of worship for
members around the world. We have thousands
of such buildings and continue to open more,
sometimes several in a week.
Providing education programs, including support
for our universities and our seminary and institute
programs.
Supporting the Churchs worldwide missionary
program.
Building and operating nearly 140 temples around
the world and the administration of the worlds
largest family history program.
Supporting the Churchs welfare programs and
humanitarian aid, which serve people around the
world both members of the Church as well as
those who are not members (The Church and Its
3RD QUARTER 2016
We were volunteering, yet we paid the church
a monthly fee for the privilege to serve.
Financial Independence, MormonNewsRoom.org).
It is possible that tithing also helps to fund the many forprofit businesses owned by the LDS Church, like the $2 billion
City Creek Center Mall in Salt Lake City or Agreserves, the
largest U.S.-based producer of nuts. Its also possible that the
Church used funds received from tithing to support its legal
battles against gay marriage in the United States and Mexico.
I say possible because the Church has never released its
financial records to its members or the general public. We
know that the Church owns and manages many lucrative
enterprises in a wide variety of industries, but whether funds
f low from the religious sector to the for-profit sectors remains
unknown to all but a few.
Many members and non-members alike find this lack
of financial transparency disconcerting. Luckily for us,
the church penned the perfect response to such criticisms:
Those who attempt to define the Church as an institution
devoted to amassing monetary wealth miss the entire point:
the Churchs purpose is to bring people to Christ and to
follow His example by lifting the burdens of those who
are struggling. The key to understanding the Church is
to see it not as a worldwide corporation, but as millions of
faithful members in thousands of congregations across the
world following Christ and caring for each other and their
neighbors (The Church and Its Financial Independence,
MormonNewsRoom.org).
Indeed. Dont worry about the churchs financesjust
change the way you see it! It isnt a corporation, its just faithful
followers of Christ duly paying their tithes. These arent the
droids youre looking for
Observe the Law of the Fast
If the law of tithing hasnt depleted you of your extra
cash, dont worry. The Law of the Fast provides another
opportunity! In order to be a fully faithful Mormon, you must
also commit to fast for the first two meals of the first Sunday
of each month and donate the money you would have spent
on food. Lets take a look at what Preach My Gospel has to say
about the Law of the Fast:
Great blessings are available to those who obey Gods
commandment to fast. Fasting means going without food
and drink for a period of time. Usually the first Sunday of
each month is set aside as a special day to fast for two
consecutive meals, pray, and bear testimony. Fasting and
prayer go together. When we fast and pray with faith, we
are more receptive to receiving answers to our prayers
and blessings from the Lord. He promises us that He will
guide us continually. We should fast and pray for specific
purposes. Fasting is private and spiritual, and we should
3RD QUARTER 2016
not draw attention to the fact that we are fasting.
Paying fast offerings while I was a missionary always

confused me. We were volunteering full-time, yet we paid the
church a monthly fee for the privilege to serve. The money
collected was used to dish out our meager stipends. The
amount generally ranged from $75 to $115 twice a month,
depending on the current exchange rate and the occasional
arithmetic error. Then, after receiving our stipendswhich
were funding by us in the first placewe turned around
and gave some of it back again after we fasted on the first
Sunday of the following month. Unless our families sent us
money, this stipend was all we had for our food, rent, utilities,
transportation, etc.
With fast offerings, the sky really is the limit if you believe
your eternal salvation depends on them. Therefore, some
folks in my mission gave more than they could afford. The
explanation of the Law of the Fast on the official Mormon
website, LDS.org, features a video of Joseph Wirthlin, a
member of the Churchs Quorum of Twelve Apostles, who
says, How much should we pay in fast offerings? My brothers
and sisters, the measure of our offering to bless the poor is a
measure of our gratitude to our Heavenly Father. Will we, who
have been blessed so abundantly, turn our backs on those who
need our help? Paying a generous fast offering is a measure of
our willingness to consecrate ourselves to relieve the suffering
of others (The Law of the Fast, LDS.org).
The fast offerings donated by members in a congregation
are assumed to go towards other people living within
the boundaries of that congregation who may be in
need. (Where Do the Fast Offerings Go? LDS.org)
Unfortunately, the presence of these church-sanctioned
feed the hungry programs is not consistent. For example,
while a disadvantaged Mormon in Utah may be able to
receive vouchers to purchase food and clothing at a local
Bishops Storehouse (think Mormon-owned Sears), a
starving member living in a poverty-stricken developing
country may not receive anything. I was shocked to meet
several impoverished Filipino Mormons on my mission who
were faithful and devout but never received a single penny
in aid from the Church. Non-Mormons in the area were
similarly ignored. So much for loving your neighbor.
We have finally wrapped up Lesson Four. Fortunately, most
investigators lose interest by now. Those who are still around
will be committed to baptism at this point. But that wont
happen until they complete Lesson 5: Laws and Ordinances.
Well dig into that in the next issue.
Greg Hawkins is a graduate of the University of Utah and holds
a paralegal certificate from Weber State University. He has
been writing for American Atheist since 2014.
by J.T. Eberhard
JT Eberhardt
Photo by Steve Solomon
grew up in rural Arkansas and was converted to Christianity

by two of my high school teachersduring school hours.
Reading the Bible cover-to-cover a few years later made me
an Atheist. Ive since made a career out of my firebrand Atheism,
but my courage to defy the social consequences didnt come
exclusively from within. There were famous Atheists who guided
me. One of them was Penn Jillette, who, like me, performed at
Reason Rally 2016 at the Lincoln Memorial on June 4. Penn was
there because hes a luminary. I was there because I can sing a
high F# on an ee vowel in full voice. More about that in a bit.
On that day, thousands of Atheists, humanists, freethinkers,
and other secular-minded people baked under a hot sun to send a
message to our elected representatives: We are a voting bloc that
can no longer be ignored. We were there to hear from politicians,
artists, scientists, and educators. Many were also there for the
camaraderie they cant find in their own neighborhoods. For
some, it was the only day that they could be openly Atheist with
the people around them. And we were there for the people who
couldnt join us because theyre still in the closet about their
Atheism.
The day opened with the National Anthem, sung by me and
Lyz Liddell, the executive director of the Reason Rally. If there
were such a thing as superhuman, Lyz would be one. Every one
of us has Lyz to thank for that incredible day. Although she had
a very high-profile role, she eschewed the spotlight and worked
tirelessly for months to enable others to take center stage on that
historic day. Shes also one hell of a singer, and it was a joy to be
on stage with her.
Singing in front of that many people is terrifying, and Im
pretty sure my eyes were closed most of the time. When I sang
regularly in opera and musical theater, it was all about the fun
of performing. If I missed a note (and every singer does), no big
David Silverman
Julia Sweeney
Photo by Bruce F Press P
Sophia Kameron
Photo by Lindsey Ford
Lizz Winstead and Bill Nye
Photo by Rick Wingrove
A View from the Stage
June
3RD QUARTER 2016
4 at the Lincoln Memorial

Carolina Pea and Penn Gillette
Photography
Photo by Rebecca Cunningham
Photo by Bruce F Press Photography
3RD QUARTER 2016
deal! There was always another show the next day.

But I knew the impact that the Reason Rally would have on
peoples lives, and I wanted them to have great memories of the
people who graced the stage that day. And if any of them did
remember the National Anthem, I didnt want them to say, Oh
my Flying Spaghetti Monster, that one dude sure botched The
Star Spangled Banner. That added to my nerves beforehand and
to my sense of pride when it worked out.
After singing, I got to sit in the green room and chat with some
of the real celebrities. Musician and podcaster George Hrab and I
talked about the band Ninja Sex Party (which you should totally
look up). It was refreshing to be able to talk shop with another
musician about how music can be used to convey ideas (like the
flaws of religion) in a way that truly resonates with the listener.
I spent some time talking with Penn Jillette. I told him that I
had had the opportunity to attend a movie night at his house in
Las Vegas a few years back, but I passed because I was exhausted
after four months on the road. He questioned my stamina, and,
using slightly stronger language, said, Next time you should
come.
Weve all met wealthy people, so we all know that money can
make even the best people a little pretentious. But Todd Stiefel,
president and founder of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, is
as down-to-earth as they come. While backstage together, we
learned that we were equally quite nervous about speaking to the
Reason Rally crowd. Then we moved on to the real meat of the
conversation: activism. Right? No, no, no. Video gamesour
current favorites, to be specific. (His is Overwatch, and mine is
League of Legends.)
Shelley Segal could win a gold medal if kindness were an
Olympic event. I got to meet her parents, too, and its plain to see
where she gets it.
There were many others appearing that day, some of whom
Ive been lucky enough to know for years. It was great to be around
so many leaders in the movement, but the coolest people there
were the attendees. Sure, they were there for the bloc party, but
they also showed many closeted Atheists who couldnt be there
that not only is it possible to be out, it can also be a lot of fun.
J.T.s blog, What Would J.T. Do?, is at Patheos.com/blogs/WWJTD.
He previously worked for the Secular Student Alliance, where he
was their first high-school organizer. He is the co-founder of the
Skepticon conference and served as the events lead organizer for
its first three years.
SCENES FROM REASON RALL
Photo by Full Amp: Alt Media Pros
Photo by Josiah Mannion Biblename Photo
Photo by Ingrid Laas

Shelley Segal
Cara Santa Maria
Victor Harris
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Photo by
LindseyFordPhotography.com

3RD QUARTER 2016
LY 2016, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Hemant Mehta
James Randi
Photo by
Josiah Mannion Biblename Photo
Caption
Photo by
Kind words
from aKrauss
well-wisher
Lawrence

3RD QUARTER 2016
Photo byPhoto
Rebecca
Cunningham
by Rick
Wingrove
Photographers were part of

the Reason Rally Photography
Team (except Rick Wingrove
and Steve Solomon).
Too Bad! Youre an Atheist!
by David Silverman
n his Reason Rally speech, American Atheists President David Silverman challenged
the crowd to call themselves Atheists out loud. So when thousands of people shouted
the word togethernot once but six timesit was likely the first time in history that
such a large group did so. And with that, the stigma was erased some more.
Photo by Rebecca Cunningham/Reason Rally Photography Team
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and welcome to

Reason Rally Two! I am thrilled to be here today for the second
time, and I would like to send a special hello to those who
stood out in the rain with me at Reason Rally One! Its great to
see you all again!
My name is David Silverman, and the organization for which
Im honored to serve as president is American Atheists, which
was founded in 1963 by Madalyn Murray OHair. Im pleased to
begin my talk by announcing that our next American Atheists
National Convention will be in Charleston, South Carolina, in
August of 2017 during the total eclipse of the sun.
But for today, my message is about our message. So please,
everyone, think of how you all identify yourselves when asked
about your religionwhether it be Atheist, agnostic, secular
humanist, or whatever. All at once, I want you to shout it at the
top of your lungs! Ready? One, two, three!
How did that sound, ladies and gentlemen? Did it sound
unified or jumbled? Did it sound strong or weak? And how did
you feel? Did you feel like you were surrounded by people with
like minds, or did you feel like you were the only one saying
your words?
Ladies and gentlemen, when we use euphemisms instead
of calling ourselves Atheists, we sound to the outside world

like that jumbled noise you all just made. Lets try something
different. Just once, just for now, try it my way. An Atheist, ladies
and gentlemen, is a person without theism. A person without a
belief in a deity. If you dont have a belief in a deity, youre an
Atheist. Its not about whether youre absolutely sure there are
no gods, and its not about whether you know everything in the
universe.
Its about not having a belief in a god. If you dont have a
belief in a god, for whatever reason and whatever circumstances,
you are an Atheist. If you dont have a belief in a god, but you
dont know the entire universe, youre an Atheist. If you dont
have a belief in a god but you like some of the secular trappings
of the religion into which you were born, youre an Atheist. And
if you dont have a belief in a god and absolutely hate the word
Atheist, too bad! Youre still an Atheist!
We are all ready to take our

rightful seat at societys
table and kick religion to
the governments curb.
Now go with me on this folks, just for now! If you dont have
a belief in a god, let me hear you say Atheist! [Together, the
crowd all yelled Atheist!] Again! [The crowd did it again.]
Doesnt that sound good? Doesnt that sound unified and
powerful? And how did you feel? Were you alone, or were you in
damn good company?
Ladies and gentlemen, in my book, Fighting God, I quantify
and defend the assertion that America is about one quarter
Atheist today. That is, about one in four Americans are Atheists,
but according to polls, only 2.5 percent of the population calls
themselves Atheists, which means 90 percent of Americas
Atheists dont call themselves Atheists!
Look at the contrast. Just go out on any street and ask a
Methodist, a Baptist, and a Presbyterian what their religions
are, and youll get one word: Christian. Yet if you ask a bunch
of Atheists what they are, they will give you any of a number of
euphemisms, like secular or humanist or agnostic, all in
an effort not to call themselves what they really are: Atheists!
Some Atheists even call themselves by their old religions:
3RD QUARTER 2016
Stop doing religion the favor of dividing our

community. Use the word Atheist!
secular Jews, cultural Christians, lapsed Catholics. These
Atheists get lumped in with believers, benefitting the religion
they themselves know to be a lie and making the people with
whom they actually agreeuslook smaller.
Nationwide, we Atheists divide ourselves over literally
nothing, while Christians unite despite huge theological
differences. This makes the polls look like we are a nation of
believers, with a huge block of Christians and the Atheists
separated out into so many subgroups that we look insignificant.
We should be more than a quarter of that pie, but we look like
we barely exist at all, because we willingly and eagerly divide
ourselves.
When we go out of our

way not to call ourselves
Atheists, we help religion
and hurt our cause.
As a result, religion runs roughshod over our political
system. Presidents kowtow to preachers. Science is sacrificed in
the classroom, and politicians ignore us completely. Abortion,
LGBTQ rights, death with dignitythese issues are separation
of church and state issues, and ladies and gentlemen, they exist
because of our division. All these problems exist in America
because Atheists are only 2.5 percent of the population in the
polls.
Too often we refuse to tell the truth. Too often we refuse to
own who and what we are. Religion says Atheist is a bad word,
and too often we acquiesce, use less-understood euphemisms
instead, and divide ourselves into nothingness, perpetuating
the idea that Atheism is something of which we should be
ashamed. Again, ladies and gentlemen, when we Atheists go out
of our way not to call ourselves Atheists, we help religion and
hurt our causeand the entire worldby sheltering those who
stymie science and commit massive fraud.
And dont give me any of that crap about euphemisms being
more acceptable! Nearly ninety percent of Americans know
what an Atheist is, and, in contrast, nearly ninety percent dont
know what a humanist or freethinker is. No wonder these terms
are so much more acceptablenobody knows what they mean!
Ladies and gentlemen, many people chide me when I say
we should all use the word Atheist to identify our religious
position. They say, I have the right to call myself anything I
want, and indeed you do. But I have the right to call you on
your B.S. for one very important reason. How you self-identify
affects me. It affects me, my family, my friends, and everyone
else here.
Think about why. There is no way, for example, that George
W. Bush would have halted stem-cell research for eight years,
lowering the life expectancy of every human on Earth, if he
knew Atheists were a quarter of the country. When you avoid
calling yourself an Atheist you make us look smaller, and
religion look stronger. You divide the movement and stymie our
progressjust to please those who hate us.
But there is more. When you call yourself an Atheist, you
3RD QUARTER 2016
de-demonize us to the listener. In doing so, you make it easier

for the next Atheist by getting the listeners used to us. By using
a term that is understood nearly ninety percent of the time, you
attack bigotry ninety percent of the time, spreading knowledge
and defeating bigotry, little by little, for the next Atheist. Thats
what makes calling yourself an Atheist a form of activism in and
of itself.
Furthermore, many Atheists are not in a position to call
themselves Atheists openly, which makes it all the more
important for those of us who can call ourselves Atheists to do
so. We brave the bigotry to make it easier for those who cant yet
come out. Thats what makes calling yourself an Atheist an act
of humanism. In fact, its what makes calling yourself an Atheist
far more humanistic than calling yourself a humanist. When
we use terms like humanist and freethinker to hide from the
word Atheist,words that are misunderstood ninety percent
of the time, we arent communicating. We are just pretending to
communicate while protecting the bigotry that keeps so many
of us in hiding! Thats not considerate, thats not compassionate,
and its definitely not humanism. Its cowardice. Own it!
We need to understand that we have the social responsibility
to call ourselves Atheists. Because it not only affects me and
you, but every living person on the planet. When we hide
behind euphemisms, we help nobody but religion. We preserve
the bigotry so that we dont piss off the bigots. No more!
Once again, the bad news is that our division fosters the
theocracy we fight! The good news is we can fix it, starting
today! So lets do it again! If you dont have a belief in a god, let
me hear you say Atheist! [The crowd yelled, Atheist!]
We brave the bigotry to

make it easier for those
who cant yet come out.
If you want to be counted as a powerful voting bloc, say
Atheist! [The crowd shouted, Atheist!]
If you care to make it easier for other Atheists to come out of
the closet, say Atheist! [The crowd roared, Atheist!]
Finally, If youre an Atheist, scream Atheist! [The crowd
screamed, Atheist!]
Our problem is not that we are small, its that we are divided.
Our problem is not that we are weak, its that we dont know our
own strength because we are so divided. We are already huge!
We are already strong! And we are all ready to take our rightful
seat at societys table and kick religion to the governments curb.
This is not dogma. This is not falling in line. This is strategy!
Atheist is by far the most understood term, it is correct, and
using it benefits the world far more than any other term.
Hiding behind euphemisms is selfish, and it negatively
affects us all by making us look smaller. Its time for that to end.
So I ask all of you to stop doing religion the favor of dividing our
community! Use the word Atheist! For you, me, and everyone
else here, use the term that matters, the term that sends the clear
message that we are one community, indivisible, demanding
liberty, equality, and justice for all.
Thank you, Atheists!
Openly Atheist at a
Catholic High School
A graduating senior reflects on tolerance and intolerance from both students and teachers
by Mark Kolsen
or forty years, I have taught honors English, AP

American government, and AP psychology at St.
Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois. And
for every one of those years, Ive been an Atheist.
Ever since I began my teaching career in 1976, my worldview
has been continually reinforced by the ever-expanding evidence
discovered by scientific cosmologists and evolutionary
biologists. Its been exciting to watch the evidence mount.
In contrast, almost all of my colleagues are committed
Catholics. I have often marveled at how, when the subject
is broached (carefully, of course), these colleagues are more
interested in reiterating their beliefs than in hearing the
evidence-based arguments against theism. Their behavior
exemplifies the view of Jerry Coyne, the author of one of my
favorite books, Faith vs. Fact. Coyne says that confirmation bias
is at the foundation of most faith.
However, I have not found this to be the case among all
students. Over the decades, Ive noticed a distinct minority
who, during mandatory attendance at the Catholic masses, have
refused to participate in the rituals. Among them was Steve
Burns of the Class of 2016. Steves entire education has been at
Catholic schools. When he was in eighth grade, he heard about
Sam Harris and decided to read his work. Through Harris,
he learned about Christopher Hitchens. After reading some
Hitchens, he read Richard Dawkins The God Delusion and
entered high school as an Atheist. When, during his junior year,
Steve Burns, Class of 2016,

St. Francis High School
in Wheaton, Illinois
Burns announced his conversion to his parents, his mother cried
and declared herself a failure as a parent. Burns assured her
that she had not failed, and that Atheists are also good people.
His parents are now accepting of his Atheism.
To my knowledge, no other student spent all four years at St.
Francis as an open Atheist, so I asked him to reflect on his high
school experience.
An Atheist in a Catholic school can easily be ostracized. Yet you
clearly have friends, including fellow students, who share your Atheism.
In fact, you said you met more Atheists than you would have expected
in a Catholic high school. How did you find one another?
In religion classes, you can gauge how they feel when the
teacher says something. I remember last year when our religion
teacher said that moral relativism is a bad thing and that we must
Anything negative that comes from religion was just not

covered at all. Christianity and the Crusades? Skipped.
3RD QUARTER 2016
I find it strange to be dedicated to something

based on I feel like its true, so it must be true.
follow gods natural law as a moral compass. You could tell that
some people thought that didnt really make sense. You can also
tell by what questions they ask and make a really safe guess as to
who is more religious.
What about those believers? Have fellow students criticized you for
your Atheism?
Ive had some people not talk to me for a month and a half.
One of them said, How can you not believe theres a god? I
said, Because theres really no evidence for it. He said, Look
around you. Theres evidence everywhere. I told him, Thats
just anecdotal evidence, not empirical evidence. But I never got
physically hurt. Some people called me stupid. But being in a
religious school, I should have expected this.
In those religion classes, did teachers ever raise the question of
evidence for religious belief or, on the other hand, did they ever talk
about scientific cosmology or evolutionary biology?
No. They just sort of assume everyone thinks the same way,
unless someone says otherwise. Once I had a writing assignment
where I had to reflect on how god has impacted my life. I told my
teacher that I didnt think I could do that and asked if there is a
different way I could do the reflection. She said I should reflect
on god anyway, and just answer it like a scholar. In other words,
pretend. That didnt really help. Because [pretending] is what
Id been doing the whole time. Sometimes its hard. [A couple of
teachers] would say if you do this or believe that, then youre a bad
person. Some teachers would say that youre a bad person if you
do or believe certain things. Well, that automatically makes me
a bad person in their eyes. Thats probably the hardest thing.
Did science teachers ever talk about scientific cosmology or
evolutionary biology and their implications for religion?
It never felt as if topics were being held back for religious
reasons. But science teachers dont talk about the implications
of science for religion. I think a lot of teachers separate the
two things, even though they shouldnt be separated. They
look at everything analyticallyexcept for religion. They have
it walled off in their minds. Its the same in history classes.
Anything negative that comes from religion was just not covered
at all. Christianity and the Crusades? Skipped. At least be honest
about it. Dont just skip something.
Like other students, you were required to attend monthly masses.
You listened to sermons. Priests claim to be turning bread and wine
into the body and blood of Christ. As an Atheist, what are you thinking
and feeling?
I think, How can anyone think this way? I hear some of the
baseless claims that are made, and it baffles me a little bit that
in the entire room of people, everyone, save for a very small
number, completely buys into what is being said. Its a little
surreal. As for the clergy, Im sort of neutral. They believe in what
theyre doing, so I guess they feel theyre doing the right thing.
Its kind of like catering to your audience. Priests just assume
that everyone feels the same way they do. But I find it a little
strange to be completely dedicated to something based on I feel
like its true, so it must be true.
Do you agree with Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens that religion is
destructive on a larger scale?
Ive thought about that a lot. Ive gone back and forth a lot
between not caring about religion and being an anti-theist. At
this point, Im pretty solidly anti-theist. Yes, theres good
some charity work being done. But theres also a lot of bad. Most
wars are based on religious belief, especially those of the past.
The Catholic Church covers up the molestation of children all
the time. And thats consistent on a large scale. Theres extreme
Islamism and bigotry. And with religious reasons for denying
climate change and evolution, it seems like now religion is being
used as an excuse for everything. People cherry-pick [from the
Bible] and find reasons to deny whatever they want. I think
religion is causing more problems than solving them.
What positive experiences did you have at St. Francis, and would
you send your children there?
The teachers really cared and wanted me to learn. That was
important for my intellectual development. Generally, its a
healthy environment with smaller classes. Its more personable
here than at a large school. But as for my children, Id probably
go public unless the public schools are terrible. If I have the
finances to move to a good public school district, I would do that.
What are your plans after graduation?
Ill attend Purdue University to study engineering. Ive
already jointed the non-theist student organization and hope
to become its president some day. I want to spread awareness.
Atheist is such a trigger word. People equate it with terrible
person. I want people to know that it doesnt make you a bad
person. Equating one word with a persons character is not a
good way to go.
Ive had some people not talk to me for a month and

a half. Some people called me stupid. But being in a
religious school, I should have expected this.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Atheists are one of the largest religious demographics in our

nation. Politicians need to learn that we arent going anywhere.
Exercising your right to vote and holding politicians accountable is the only way for
us to change our government for the better.
Take the Atheist Voter Pledge!
Learn more at AtheistVoter.org:

State-by-state voter registration info and i.d. requirements
Candidates campaign stops near you
AtheistVoter blog and news updates
How to get involved
Atheist Voter .O rg
3RD QUARTER 2016
Atheist VOTER
Merchandise
Bumper stickers $5 each
Red crew-neck t-shirt with white letters. Womens and

mens sizes S to 3X, 50/50 cotton-poly blend $20
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Specify slogan, (okay to mix and match) $10
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Order online at AtheistVoter.org/Shop

3RD QUARTER 2016
Moses Helped Write the Constitution
Christian Dominionisms Fruitful Distortion of American History

by Eric Wojciechowski
lenn Becks latest book, It IS about Islam,

articulates the problems that Islam presents to
Western values by pointing out that the conflict
is not with the Muslim people. The conflict lies with Islamism,
which is the ideology that Sharia Law should be the law of the
land everywhere. Sharia Law is based on a fundamentalist
interpretation of the Koran, and those living under it must
comply with a theocratic government.
Beck demonstrates a rather good grasp of the history of
Islam, although he dwells a little too much on its blitzkrieg-like
spread out of Medina and into Europe. He points out that world
leaders are having a hard time calling Islamism what it truly is,
and he shows, quite convincingly, that a government run under
such terms would be the end of civilization.
I agree. But after this review of history and current events,
Beck concludes with a chapter on What Can Be Done where he
writes, Our Constitution is being eroded away and our culture
is becoming ever more secular. Many of us have forgotten who
we are as a people and a country. Weve forgotten God. (Italics
mine).
The implications are quite staggering because throughout
the book, Beck shows how bad a theocratic government is. Then,
with those three sentences, he seems to be advocating theocracy
after all, as long as its Christian and not Muslim. When he says
that we have forgotten who we are as a people and a country,
I can only guess that hes talking about a mythical time when
America was a Christian nation.
Beck isnt the only one sounding the alarm on Islamism. People
all over the political spectrum believe that Islam, the youngest of
the Abrahamic religions, needs its own enlightenment. While
Atheists and humanist organizations seem to be leading the
call to action, there is another group just as vocal about it: the
Religious Right, or, better labeled, Christian Dominionists.

But unlike secular movements aimed at denying all religions an
establishment by government, the Dominionists are in the fight
against Islamism because its intruding on their goal to establish a
Christian government in the U.S.
Christian Dominionism is the idea that the United States
was founded on Judeo-Christian values, that weve lost them,
and its time to get them back. Its ideology proclaims the Ten
Commandments and the laws of Moses to be the foundations of
our Constitution; that Christianity is the one true faith; and that
Christians in the U.S. are constantly offended, marginalized,
and persecuted by secular society. This point of view should
allow Dominionists no more credibility than that of someone
claiming to have been abducted by aliens. But thats not the
case. These beliefs are held by many individual lawmakers as
well as governing bodies.
For example, the Texas Education Code currently includes
these requirements for the history curriculum in public
schools: Identify major intellectual, philosophical, political,
and religious traditions that informed the American founding,
including Judeo-Christian (especially biblical law), English
common law and constitutionalism, Enlightenment, and
republicanism, as they address issues of liberty, rights, and
responsibilities of individuals [and] identify the individuals
whose principles of laws and government institutions informed
the American founding documents, including those of Moses,
William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu.
More examples of Christian Dominionism egregiously
infiltrating American government are littered throughout the
2016 Republican Party Platform. These points are all quoted
verbatim:
Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage
Dominionism proclaims the Ten Commandments and the

laws of Moses to be the foundations of our Constitution.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Theyre not at all interested in the freedom of

religion but only in privileges for Christianity.
between one man and one woman, is the foundation

for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted
with rearing children and instilling cultural values.
We also condemn the Supreme Courts lawless
ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges[F]ive unelected
lawyers robbed 320 million Americans of their
legitimate constitutional authority to define marriage
as the union of one man and one woman.
We support laws to confirm the longstanding American
tradition that religious individuals and institutions
can educate young people, receive government benefits,
and participate in public debates without having to
check their religious beliefs at the door (italics mine).
We support the pubic display of the Ten Commandments
as a reflection of our history and our countrys JudeoChristian heritage and further affirm the rights of
religious students to engage in voluntary prayer at pubic
school events and to have equal access to school facilities.
We will not fund or subsidize health care
that includes abortion coverage.
We support the appointment of judges who respect
traditional family values and the sanctity of human life.
We oppose embryonic stem cell research.
Strong families, depending upon God and one
another, advance the cause of liberty by lessening
the need for government in their daily lives.
We oppose policies and laws that create a financial
incentive for or encourage cohabitation.
We oppose government discrimination against
businesses or entities which decline to sell items or
services to individuals for activities that go against
their religious views about such activities.
We condemn the current Administrations
unconstitutional expansion into
school restroom policies.

This rhetoric demonstrates that theyre not at all interested
in the freedom of religion but only in privileges for Christianity.
It is true that North Americas first European settlers were
mostly Protestants, and that they were a favored class in the
colonies. But the Constitution changed all that. A Protestant
majority among settlers doesnt make America a nation
founded on Judeo-Christian principles. That logic, if applied
honestly, would dictate that our nation operate according to
the beliefs of Native American tribes because Christianity in

America was transplanted from Europe, just as Christianity in
Europe was transplanted from the Middle East. Theres not a
nation in the world that operates on the rules made by those
who lived there first.
We could debate all day about which Founding Fathers were
Christians. We could argue that most were Deists. We could
argue that some were Atheists. But their personal lives dont
matter. What matters is the government they created through
the Constitution, which makes no mention of Jesus, let alone
any type of god.
Religion itself is mentioned only twice. The first time
occurs in the third paragraph of Article Six: The Senators
and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of
the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial
Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall
be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution;
but no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any
Office or public Trust under the United States (italics mine).
The only other mention of religion is in the First Amendment,
subtitled Freedom of religion, speech, and the press, rights of
assembly and petition: Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances (italics mine).
And thats it. Nothing else about religion is in the
Constitution. Certainly nothing about the laws of Moses, also
known as Mosaic law. This means that in 2016, public school
students in Texas are deliberately being misledto put it
mildlywhen they are taught that the laws of Moses influenced
the Founding Fathers. Lets take a look at what Mosaic law
actually is.
Besides the Ten Commandments, Mosaic law encompasses
hundreds of laws found in the Torah (the first five books of the
Bible). Here are just three. Leviticus 2:27 orders that a man or
woman with a familiar spirit or who is a witch shall be put to
death. This law contradicts the First Amendment.
Leviticus 25:44-46 gives the Israelites permission to
conscript unbelievers into slavery. I use this example while
acknowledging that the original Constitution did allow
slavery, which is the only tenet of Mosaic law that did make
it into the Constitution. But, in keeping with the spirit of the
Constitution, slavery was eventually eradicated with passage of
Forgetting god is not the problem.
Its the solution.
3RD QUARTER 2016
Christian Dominionism is the idea that the United

States was founded on Judeo-Christian values, that
weve lost them, and its time to get them back.
the Thirteenth Amendment.
Leviticus 18:22 is a favorite of Christian Dominionists. Its
the verse that forbids homosexual relationsbut only between
men. It says nothing about homosexual relations between
women. The Constitution says nothing about homosexual
relations, or any other kind, at all. And let us note that
homosexuality was never addressed by Jesus.
Throughout the Torah there are reminders that the God of
Israel is a jealous god (Exodus 34:14), and failure to worship him
in the proper way will bring you death (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
These orders are in complete violation of the First Amendment.
Now lets turn to the Ten Commandments (listed
three different times: Exodus 20:1-17, Exodus 34:1-28, and
Deuteronomy 5:4-21). In the book Christianity is not Great,
Richard Carriers essay, entitled
Christianity and the Rise of
Democracy, does a superb job of laying
the myth of a biblical Constitution to
rest. The following paragraphs are my
summary of his argument.
The first four commandments
are in honor of the god of Israel, the
one true god. Yet nothing of this is
found in the Constitution. There is
no prohibition against making idols
or honoring the god who brought the
Hebrews out of Egypt or taking the
name of the Lord in vain. Nothing. In
fact, disallowing someone to commit
blasphemy goes completely against
the First Amendment.
The next commandment, to keep
the Sabbath (Saturday or Sunday,
depending on ones interpretation)
is also absent from the Constitution,
where there is nothing prohibiting
work on any specific day of the week.
Next up is in honoring ones father
and mother. Carrier notes that while
this also is not in the Constitution,
it goes completely against the progress of society. Is it not the
rebellious teenagers and young adults who overthrow bad
ideas with the good? Isnt it the youth who forged civil rights
and challenged the wisdom of the elders? A rebellious young
generation can be a good thing.
Carrier addresses the commandments against murder,
theft, and perjury together. These three crimes are addressed
indirectly in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth
Amendments of the Constitution, but such prohibitions exist
in all societies. Theres nothing special about them being part of
Mosaic law.
Regarding the commandment against adultery, I have already
observed that there is nothing in the Constitution regulating
the sex lives of U.S. citizens. The final commandment, which
prohibits coveting of your neighbors property, goes completely
against the values of the American free market. Coveting
gets no mention at all in the Constitution. In fact, the desire
to emulate, if not do better, than a predecessor is what drives
innovation and invention. Advances in all areas of life would
stagnate without this desire. The Declaration of Independence
actually encourages coveting by observing that everyone has
the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I highly recommend a complete reading of Carriers essay in
Christianity Is Not Great. Besides his detailed look at the nonrelationship between the Constitution
and the Ten Commandments, he
makes other important observations
which knock down the myth of the
Christian Nation.
Another excellent book is In
Freedom We Trust: An Atheist Guide
to Religious Liberty, co-authored by
former American Atheists president
Ed Buckner and his son, Michael.
The book includes a chapter on the
Treaty of Tripoli, a document that
should have long ago killed any claim
that the United States was founded on
Judeo-Christian principles. The treaty
was negotiated during Washingtons
presidency and was signed by President
John Adams after being unanimously
ratified by the Senate in 1797. The
treaty put into place an agreement of
peace between the United States and
Tripoli in order to cease the ongoing
piracy towards American merchant
vessels in the Mediterranean.
The most important part of that
treaty for our purposes lies in the
eleventh article, which begins, As the Government of the
United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on
the Christian religion Read that one more time before
continuing.
Christian Dominionists would do themselves less intellectual
dishonesty if they not only understood what has been discussed
so far, but actually consulted their own holy book for instructions
on how religion fits into government. The first chapter of
Romans 13 says, Let everyone be subject to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
3RD QUARTER 2016
Disallowing someone to commit blasphemy goes

completely against the First Amendment.
established. The authorities that exist have been established
by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is
rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so
will bring judgment on themselves. This directs Christians to
not get involved in government, for whatever is in place should
not be tampered with. In Mark 12:17, Jesus says, Give back to
Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods. A declaration
of separation of church and state if I ever heard one.
Christian Dominionsim is not the default of Christianity,
its the perversion. And this perverted version is just as bad as
Islamism. When Glenn Beck and others of his ilk complain that
Islamism wants to bring about the end of this world, they, too,
promote the same thing. According to the Book of Revelations,
the return of Christ will end this world. What an awful thing to
long for. How Beck can write an entire book on the dangers of a
society based on gods law and then in the next breath espouse
getting back to god is beyond me. For one only needs to read
the Bible to see it is just as damning to human decency as the
Koran. Biblical government is not a limited government with
free people. Biblical government is one with an overbearing
3RD QUARTER 2016
authority, threatening pain and suffering for any disobedience.

Id like to tell Beck that there are many of us who havent
forgotten god. We remember very well what has been done, not
as a perversion in his name, but in complete compliance with his
orders. When Dominionsim made its way out of the Middle East,
Judeo-Christian values had their chance at ruling the world.
The result was hundreds of years that we remember as the Dark
Ages. Around 1600 CE, the Age of Enlightenment finally shone
light on the darkness. Then the American Revolution brought
about an alternative to monarchies and theocracies. It was a
Western Spring which launched a new form of government, one
based on secular values.
The United States was and still is made up of people with
different belief systems. In order to maintain harmony among
everyone, we must commit to a secular approach. Forgetting
god is not the problem. Its the solution.
Eric Wojciechowski lives with his wife and two children in
Livonia, Michigan. He has written for Skeptic, Free Inquiry, and
the political blog Freedom Cocktail.
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AFFILIATES AND LOCAL PARTNERS
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State
Group Name
City
Site
LOCAL PARTNERS
FL
FLASH - Florida Atheists and Secular Humanists
(several locarions)
http://www.godlessflorida.com
GA
Atlanta Freethought Society
Atlanta
http://atlantafreethought.org
IA
Iowa Atheists & Freethinkers
Des Moines
http://www.meetup.com/Iowa-Atheists-and-Freethinkers
MN
Minnesota Atheists
Minneapolis
http://mnatheists.org
OK
Atheist Community of Tulsa
Tulsa
http://www.ACTOK.org
PA
PA Non-Believers
York
http://www.panonbelievers.org
TX
Metroplex Atheists
Arlington
http://www.metroplexatheists.org
AK
Alaskan Atheists
Anchorage
http://www.meetup.com/AlaskanAtheists/
AL
Auburn Atheists & Agnostics
Auburn
http://www.facebook.com/groups/auburnatheistsandagnostics/
AL
Birmingham Atheists Meetup
Birmingham
http://www.meetup.com/atheists-132
AL
Marshall County Atheists & Agnostics
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http://www.themcaa.org
AL
Montgomery Area Freethought Association
Montgomery
http://www.montgomeryfreethought.org
AL
North Alabama Freethought Association
Huntsville
http://www.meetup.com/thenafa
AL
UA Alabama Atheists and Agnostics
Tuscaloosa
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2234029305
AL
UAH Non-Theists
Huntsville
http://www.facebook.com/uahnontheists
AL
West Alabama Freethought Association
Tuscaloosa
http://www.meetup.com/westalabamafreethought
AR
Arkansas Society of Freethinkers
Little Rock
http://www.ARFreethinkers.org
AR
ArkLaTex Freethinkers, Atheists, Agnostics & Humanists
Texarkana
AR
Southwest Arkansas Atheist Community
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http://goo.gl/K2koj
AZ
Reason Riders
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http://goo.gl/K2koj
AZ
Tucson Atheists
Tucson
http://www.meetup.com/Tucson-Atheists/
CA-N
Atheist Advocates of San Francisco
San Francisco
http://atheistadvocatesofsanfrancisco.com/
CA-N
Atheists and Other Freethinkers
Sacramento
http://aofonline.org
CA-N
Central Valley Alliance of Atheists and Skeptics
Fresno
http://www.cvaas.org
CA-N
Contra Costa Atheists & Freethinkers
Pleasant Hill
http://www.meetup.com/Contra-Costa-Atheists-and-Freethinkers/
CA-N
East Bay Atheists
Oakland
http://www.eastbayatheists.org
CA-N
San Francisco Atheists
San Francisco
http://www.sfatheists.com
CA-N
San Jose Atheists
San Jose
http://goo.gl/K2koj
CA-N
Santa Cruz Atheists
Santa Cruz
http://santacruzatheists.org
CA-N
Rosmoor Atheists
Walnut Creek
http://goo.gl/K2koj
CA-S
Atheist Coalition of San Diego
San Diego
http://www.atheistcoalition.org
CA-S
Humanist Fellowship of San Diego
San Diego
http://goo.gl/K2koj
CA-S
Atheist Society of Kern
Bakersfield
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CA-S
Backyard Skeptics
Villa Park
http://www.backyardskeptics.com
CA-S
Humanist Society of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
http://www.santabarbarahumanists.org
CA-S
New Atheists of East County
Jamul
http://www.meetup.com/New-Atheists-of-East-County/
CA-S
Orange County Atheists
Orange
http://www.ocatheists.com
CA-S
Riverside Atheists and Free Thinkers
Riverside
http://riversideatheists.org
CO
Atheists and Freethinkers of Denver
Denver
http://athofden.tripod.com
CO
Boulder Atheists
Boulder
http://www.boulderatheists.org
AFFILIATES
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CO
Metro State Atheists
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CO
Pikes Peak Atheists
Colorado Springs
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CO
Western Colorado Atheists & Freethinkers
Grand Junction
http://westerncoloradoatheists.org
CT
Atheist Humanist Society of CT and RI
Norwich
http://atheisthumanist.org
CT
Connecticut Valley Atheists
South Windsor
http://www.cvatheists.org
DC
American University Rationalists and Atheists
Washington
DC
Washington Area Secular Humanists
Washington
http://www.wash.org
FL
Central Florida Secular Alliance
Dunnellon
http://cfsecularalliance.weebly.com
FL
Florida Atheists, Critical Thinkers & Skeptics
Longwood/
http://www.meetup.com/Critical
FL
Gator Freethought (UF)
Gainesville
http://www.gatorfreethought.com/
FL
North Florida Atheists
Starke
http://www.meetup.com/north-Florida-atheists
FL
Ocala Atheists
Ocala
http://www.meetup.com/Ocala-Atheists/
FL
Rebirth of Reason
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http://rebirthofreason.com/Florida
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Sarasota-Manatee Atheists & Secular Humanists (SMASH)
Nokomis
http://goo.gl/K2koj
FL
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http://ssaucf.com
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Humanist Community of the Space Coast
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http://goo.gl/K2koj
FL
St. Petersburg Atheists
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Tallahassee Atheists
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http://www.tallahasseeatheists.com/
FL
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http://goo.gl/K2koj
GA
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http://www.albanygeorgiaatheists.com/
GA
Atlanta Freethought Society
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GA
Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta
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http://www.blacknonbelievers.org
GA
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http://www.meetup.com/Fayette-Freethought-Society
GA
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GA
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http://www.facebook.com/ksusci
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http://www.meetup.com/georgiamash/
IA
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Iowa City
http://rationalamerica.com
IA
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Des Moines
http://www.meetup.com/Iowa-Atheists-and-Freethinkers
IL
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http://www.meetup.com/chicago-freethought/
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IL
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http://www.meetup.com/statelineatheists
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Bloomington
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http://www.secularsegment.com
KS
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Kansas City
http://goo.gl/K2koj
KS
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Lawrence
http://www.kusoma.org
KY
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Lexington
http://www.facebook.com/groups/kyhumanists/
KY
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Lexington
http://www.meetup.com/The-Lexington-Atheists-Meetup-Group
KY
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http://www.louisvilleatheists.com/
KY
Secular Student Alliance at Morehead State U.
Morehead
http://goo.gl/K2koj
KY
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Union
http://www.meetup.com/Tri-State-Freethinkers/
LA
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New Orleans
http://nosha.org
MA
Atheists of Greater Lowell
Lowell
http://www.meetup.com/lowellatheists
MA
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Boston
http://bostonatheists.org
MD
Freethinkers Union at McDaniel College
Westminster
<none>
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AFFILIATES AND LOCAL PARTNERS

MD
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Frostburg
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MD
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ME
Maine Atheists and Humanists
Waterville
http://goo.gl/K2koj
MI
Atheists @ Oakland University
Rochester
http://www.facebook.com/AtheistsAtOU
MI
Atheists, Skeptics, & Humanists Assn, N. Michigan U.
Marquette
http://goo.gl/K2koj
MI
Michigan Atheists
Detroit
http://michiganatheists.org
MI
Mid-Michigan Atheists & Humanists
Lansing
http://www.mmah.org
MN
Atheists for Human Rights
Minneapolis
http://atheistsforhumanrights.org
MN
Campus Atheists Skeptics & Humanists
Minneapolis
http://cashumn.org
MO
Black Freethinkers of Kansas City
Kansas City
http://www.meetup.com/Black-FreeThinkers-of-KC/
MO
Columbia Atheists
Columbia
http://www.meetup.com/The-Columbia-Atheists-Meetup-Group
MO
Joplin Freethinkers
Joplin
http://www.joplinfreethinkers.org
MO
Kansas City Atheist Coalition
Kansas City
http://www.kcatheists.org
MO
MU Skeptics, Atheists, Secular Humanists & Agnostics
Columbia
http://muSASHA.org
MO
OFallon Freethinkers
OFallon
http://www.meetup.com/OFallon-Freethinkers
MO
Rationalist Society of St. Louis
St. Louis
http://www.rssl.org
MO
Secular Student Alliance @ UCMO
Warrensburg
http://www.centralskeptics.org
MO
Springfield Freethinkers
Springfield
http://www.meetup.com/SpringfieldFreethinkers
MO
Springfield Skeptics
Springfield
http://goo.gl/K2koj
MO
St. Joseph Skeptics
St. Joseph
http://stjosephskeptics.org
MO
We Are Atheism
Grandview
http://goo.gl/K2koj
MS
Humanist Ethical Atheist Rational Thought Society
Biloxi
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/HeartsOfTheSouth
MS
Great Southern Humanist Society
Biloxi
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/southernatheist
MS
Mississippi Humanist Association
Jackson
http://goo.gl/K2koj
NC
A-News
Raleigh
http://www.apartmentJ.com
NC
Charlotte Atheists & Agnostics
Charlotte
http://www.charlotteatheists.com
NC
Hickory Humanist Alliance
Claremont
http://goo.gl/K2koj
NC
MASH Ft. Bragg
Fayetteville
http://www.mashfortbragg.org
NC
WNC Humanists
Fairview
http://www.wnchumanists.org
ND
Red River Freethinkers
Fargo
http://redriverfreethinkers.org
NE
Lincoln Atheists
Lincoln
http://www.lincolnatheists.org
NE
Omaha Atheists
Omaha
http://omahaatheists.org/
NJ
Camden County Humanists
Blackwood
http://goo.gl/K2koj
NJ
New Jersey Humanist Network
Somerville
http://njhn.org/
NJ
Secular Student Alliance @ Montclair State Univ.
Montclair
http://secularstudents.org/montclair
NJ
South Jersey Humanists
Oceanville
http://goo.gl/K2koj
NJ
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3RD QUARTER 2016
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PA
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Wilkes-Barre
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SC
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Greenville
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SC
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Charleston
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Boiling Springs
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Memphis Freethought Alliance
Memphis
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Nashville Secular Life
Nashville
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Rationalists of East Tennessee
Knoxville
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Atheist Community of Austin
Austin
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Corpus Christi Atheists
Corpus Christi
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Denton Atheists
Denton
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Freethinkers Association of Central Texas
San Antonio
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Beaumont
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merican Atheists, Inc. is a nonprofit, nonpolitical, educational organization dedicated to the complete and
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theism is the comprehensive world view of persons who are free from theism and have freed themselves of supernatural
beliefs altogether. It is predicated on ancient Greek Materialism.
theism involves the mental attitude that unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and aims at establishing a lifestyle and ethical outlook verifiable by experience and the scientific method, independent of all arbitrary assumptions of
authority and creeds.
aterialism declares that the cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purpose; that it is governed by its own inherent,
immutable, and impersonal laws; that there is no supernatural interference in human life; that humankind, finding
the resources within themselves, can and must create their own destiny. It teaches that we must prize our life on earth
and strive always to improve it. It holds that human beings are capable of creating a social system based on reason and
justice. Materialisms faith is in humankind and their ability to transform the world culture by their own efforts. This is
a commitment that is, in its very essence, life-asserting. It considers the struggle for progress as a moral obligation that is
impossible without noble ideas that inspire us to bold, creative works.
aterialism holds that our potential for good and more fulfilling cultural development is, for all practical purposes,
unlimited.
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Why I Am An Atheist
by Kathleen Johnson
uring the fall of 2007, I was preparing to return to

the United States after a yearlong deployment in
the Army to Iraq. My unit was going through an
endless round of compulsory Power Point safety
briefings held in the metal frame, prefabricated building that
was used as the church at Camp Victory in Baghdad. I wasnt
happy with the location or the religious trappings displayed
throughout, but it was really the only place large enough for
the briefings. Plus, the air conditioning and coffee encouraged
me to simply ignore the crosses and religious messages.
I think we had been in the building for a couple of hours
when Camp Victory was suddenly on the receiving end of a
rocket attack. Once we were under attack, things seemed to
happen in slow motion, and to this day, I recall being able to
hear a big rocket coming for what seemed like minutes but was
probably only a few seconds. We all got down on the floor and
waited breathlessly for the inevitable, which came with a giant,
loud KABOOM followed part of the chapels ceiling and other
debris falling all around us. As we got up and dusted ourselves
off, we determined that the rocket had hit a blast wall, as
evinced by a big crater just outside the chapel.
It was no secret that I was an Atheist, and during my tour, I
butted heads more than once with one of my supervisors, a major
who considered himself a true Christian and with whom I had
many lively discussions. After assessing the damage, he looked
at me and said, So Master Sergeant Johnson, do you believe in
God now? I said, No sir, I believe in blast walls, and I am never
setting foot in a church againthese places are dangerous.
And I havent.
I am an Atheist because it doesnt make sense to be
anything else. I tried to believeI really didbut after
making multiple attempts at age ten to get saved in Bible
camp because I didnt experience the connection with a god
that everyone else claimed they did, I began to get the idea
that god isnt real. By age 19, I had decided I was a deist,
then at 22 I called myself agnostic. Finally, at age 25, after
reading the Bible in its entirety for the very first timeand
being horrified at what I readI realized I was an Atheist.
Learning that biblical values include rape, animal sacrifice,
murder, maiming, rampant misogyny, and hatred for gays
and witches was an eye-opener, and I think the portion of
humanity calling themselves Christian should read it. Sadly,
Ive very aware that many Christians have not read the Bible
Photo by Anthony Harden
Kathleen Johnson,
Vice-President of American Atheists
and prefer to get their biblical knowledge delivered to them
by self-appointed clerical experts.
I am an Atheist because I believe in the scientific method
and in reason. I am an Atheist because I support equal rights
and opportunities for all of humanity, not just those whose
behavior or even existence meets a strictly defined criteria. I
am an Atheist because I am a feminist, and Im virulently
opposed to religions that encourage and even demand female
subjugation and mutilation. I am an Atheist because Atheism,
in conjunction with humanism and a scientific viewpoint
of the world, presents the best possible ethical position for
stewardship of the planet and human survival. I am an Atheist
because I know it is wrong to make war on ideological grounds.
I am an Atheist because looking at the world through a scientific
perspective produces a world of wonder and discovery. I am an
Atheist because I know there are no such things as gods or other
supernatural creatures.
Very simply, I am an Atheist.
Kathleen Johnson is the Vice-President of American Atheists. She
served for 22 years in the U.S. Army, which included deployment
to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Why are you an Atheist? We are soliciting submissions that answer this question in 600 to 800 words. Send them to
[email protected]. Essays may be subject to revision, and publication is at the sole discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
3RD QUARTER 2016
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American Atheist

A JOURNAL OF ATHEIST NEWS AND THOUGHT

Also in this issue:

Christian Dominionism in Government

ISSN 0516-9623 (Print)

3RD QUARTER 2016

My Vote Wont Make a Difference: A Bigger

God is Pro-Abortion the Bible Says So | Brian Bolton

Beyond the 2016 Election: Simple Ways to

The Real Story from an Ex-Mormon Missionary

Reason Rally 2016A View from the Stage | J.T. Eberhard

Why I Am An Atheist | Kathleen Johnson

A Patients Right to Know | Amanda Knief

Too Bad! Youre an Atheist! | David Silverman

www.atheists.org | AMERICAN ATHEIST | 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

My Vote Wont Make a Difference:

emocracy is a lot like Atheism. Both are

Not voting is the very

of an election isnt to provide us with a satisfying experience.

Every time we cast a

The realities of democracy are the same for everyone, but

3RD QUARTER 2016

3RD QUARTER 2016

www.atheists.org | AMERICAN ATHEIST | 5

long quite a few roadways in America

and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I

The Bible does not support todays fundamentalist

3RD QUARTER 2016

The Bible demonstrates conclusively

that god is pro-abortion.

Why does god murder untold millions of these persons

the murder of unborn children is acceptable when anti-abortion

There is clearly no biblical justification for the

3RD QUARTER 2016

Why do fundamentalists pursue a political agenda

mothers-to-be and their unborn children.

Anti-abortion dogmatists condemn what they call the

murderer of living people in human history.

It is obvious that god does not love the unborn,

www.atheists.org | AMERICAN ATHEIST | 9

A Patients Right to Know

nformed consent is a fundamental principle of modern

it also refuses to allow patients to be informed of their rights.

Support American Atheists every time you shop Amazon.com!

and Amazon will makea donation to:

Go to Atheists.org/Amazon and select American Atheists, Inc.,

3RD QUARTER 2016

www.atheists.org | AMERICAN ATHEIST | 11

Is the Most Prolific Atheist Youve Never Heard Of

: Over the past decade, the increase in literature about

distinction vitiates arguments about the theist god and

It was precisely because I read the Bible

that I became an ardent Atheist.

of consistency, inconsistency, and implication in the