Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[Wall Street Journal]

Late next month, atheists, humanists, freethinkers, secularists — in short, nonbelievers of every description — will gather in dozens of cities to mark the holiday they call HumanLight.

Whether by singing from a Humanist Hymnal, decorating a winter wreath or lighting candles dedicated to personal heroes, they’ll celebrate what has been an exhilarating ride for the faithless — a surge in recognition that has many convinced they’re on the brink of making a mark on mainstream America.

During the past three years, membership has grown in local and national associations of nonbelievers. Books attacking faith as a delusion shot up best-seller lists. For the first time, the faithless even raised enough funds to hire a congressional lobbyist.

Building on that momentum, nonbelievers have begun a very public campaign to win broad acceptance. On billboards and bus ads, radio commercials and the Internet, atheists are coming forward to declare, quite simply: We’re here. And we’re just like you.

“We’ve had an undercurrent of emotional and academic support, but we’ve been waiting to make a movement happen,” said Joe Zamecki, an Austin landscaper who recently organized Texas’ first statewide convention of nonbelievers. “It’s a very new age.”

Not so fast, religious leaders respond. They point out that the vast majority of Americans believe in God. A poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life earlier this year found 71% of American adults are absolutely certain God — or some sort of universal spirit — exists, and a further 17% said they were fairly certain. Only 5% said flatly that they don’t believe.

Atheists “are talking to a very small slice of the population,” said Mathew Staver, a leading Christian conservative and law-school dean. “In some ways, they’re really just talking to themselves.”

Read more here.

[From me]

I still don’t understand the need to have a holiday for every group. Pretty soon we will have a holiday every day of the year. If Atheists don’t believe in God then they sure are obsessed with convincing everyone else He doesn’t exist.  Now why have a holiday for Atheists? An Atheist Hymnal?  I love that one.  What would be some of the Hymns?

• Have “Mine” own way “Me,” Have “Mine” own way. (Have Thine Own Way Lord)
• I love me (Jesus loves me)
• Just a closer walk with me (Just a closer walk with Thee)
• Not so Amazing Grace (Amazing Grace)
• I love me, me (I love you Lord)
• I exalt me (I exalt Thee)
• This is my own world (This is my Father’s World)

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