Atheism and Society

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Atheists live in many different societies, but those societies share in common the fact that most citizens believe in god(s) and are religious. How do atheists cope with theism among family, friends, and neighbors? How do atheists handle intrusions upon their religious liberty? Should atheists be politically active or should they keep quiet?

There are no easy answers to such questions, but the resources below should provide information on how various atheists have approached such topics and how you yourself might deal with similar situations in your own life.

Atheism & Holidays
Should atheists who have abandoned religion continue to participate in or in any way celebrate religious holidays? Should atheists have anything to do with religious rituals of any sort? Should atheists create their own non-religious holidays?

Highlights:
•  Revealing Atheism On Holidays
•  Atheism & Saying Grace
•  Atheism & Celebrating Holidays

Atheists, Freethinkers and Religious Liberty
United States court decisions which have involved atheists, skeptics, humanists, and/or other freethinkers who challenged society in order to broaden religious liberty for everyone.

Highlights:
•  Murray v. Curlett
•  Ganulin v. United States
•  Newdow v. U.S. Congress

Advice for Atheists
People have a lot of questions about atheism and atheists, but such questions don't just come from theists. Atheists themselves have a lot of questions - not only about the nature of atheism and what other atheists think, but about how they should deal with theists, how to deal with telling others about their atheism, etc.

Highlights:
•  Atheism & Families
•  Atheism & Marriage
•  Atheism & Children

Godless Americans March on Washington
Most atheists are probably aware of last year's Godless Americans March on Washington and many attended. But there were problems with this march which should cause people to reconsider whether it was a good thing.

Should Atheists Vote for the Republican Party?
Should atheists vote for Republican candidates? There's nothing inherently incompatible with being an atheist who is Republican or who votes Republican, so this question may seem rather strange. However, I think that there are practical issues which should make any atheist think twice before helping any Republicans - even moderates - take public office.

How I Got Religion, And Then Lost It
What's it like to become part of a fundamentalist religion and then leave it again? Many atheists have had such experiences. The story of Doug, an atheist who experienced quite a lot as a fundamentalist and Pentecostal. Doug explains how he got involved with that Christian denomination, what it was like, and how he eventually got back out again.