It can be a real challenge to find feel-good news these days. Our newsfeeds and television screens provide a steady stream of distressing headlines: a global climate catastrophe, devastating wars and humanitarian crises raging abroad, gun violence and a white Christian nationalist culture war at home. In the midst of all that strife, this week’s…
My name is Melina Cohen, and I am honored to join American Atheists as the organization’s new Communications Director. I first learned about American Atheists as a teenager in rural Iowa, where I was bullied for my secular views by a local youth pastor who worked at my public school. Those awful and alienating experiences…
You’ve heard me talk a lot about white Christian nationalism and the threat it poses to our democracy. And you’d be forgiven for sometimes thinking that it’s hyperbole to say that extremists are at the helm of many of our civic institutions. But this week showed that our worries were justified. With the election of…
This week, we read some fascinating news about changing religious demographics — and the decline of religious observance. First, a new report from the Pew Research Center found that the number of Asian Americans who are religiously unaffiliated is up from 26% in 2012 to 32% in 2023. While these numbers are in line with…
Next week, October 1-7, is Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating literature and the free and open access to information. It feels especially pertinent this year, as so many of us are witnessing a concerted effort to censor books and curricula in classrooms and libraries by authoritarian “parents’ rights” groups like Moms for Liberty….
This week, I, along with other members of the American Atheists team, had the opportunity to attend an event at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The center has a direct view of Independence Hall. Surrounded by our nation’s rich history, we participated in the National First Amendment Summit and heard from speakers like Salman…
I have a favor to ask of you. No, it’s not money (although you are more than welcome to donate here or mail a check to our address below). Today, I want to encourage you to be a part of our strategic planning process. We are very deliberate about this effort, and it will probably…
Last month, I had the honor of representing you, the members of American Atheists, at the World Humanist Congress in Copenhagen, in front of hundreds of international attendees. I spoke about the terrifying rise of white Christian nationalism in the United States, how it affects policy and culture, and how these movements spread their tentacles…
This is going to be an exciting weekend for our friends at Metroplex Atheists down in Fort Worth, TX. Today, they will be holding their long-anticipated (and apparently to some people, highly controversial) event titled “Keep God out of our Public Schools.” You may recall that we had to sue the City of Fort Worth…
Right now, we are suing the City of Fort Worth for discriminating against the local atheist group, Metroplex Atheists. The city has permitted downtown banners for Christian organizations, including Kenneth Copeland Ministries and Texas Christian University—but denied Metroplex Atheists the same request. “You may not agree with our message, but we still have a right…