Blog Posts

Today is Blasphemy Day, one of my favorite days of the year. Blasphemy Day matters because it seeks to educate people about the importance of freedom of expression, even when these expressions are contrary to others’ religious beliefs or offensive to religious people. In the words of Justin Trottier: “We’re not seeking…...

It’s September 11. This is a very difficult day for all of us here today at American Atheists headquarters, and for our affiliate group, New York City Atheists, as well as atheists all around the country. To be frank, I have been avoiding writing this post all morning because I just don’t…...

We received a letter from a woman with these 10 questions. Her husband is an atheist and she wanted more information than he was able to provide to her, so they thought they’d consult us. Here are her questions and my responses: 1) If we are only a bunch of…...

The United States of America in the 1960s was a time of change. In his run for president against Richard Nixon, Senator John F. Kennedy gave a campaign speech on September 12, 1960 to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association about the role of religion in government. In the United States’…...

Today is June 6th, Atheist Pride Day! I’ve been out about 4 years now, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I feel so free and so happy. This is a feeling I want for all people who are oppressed by religion—anyone tortured by the threat of hell, anyone…...

Alton Lemon, after whom the “Lemon Test” is named, was an extremely important figure in secular activism in United States history. We are very sad to hear the news of his death, and we will be celebrating his life and work at American Atheists headquarters today. He was 84. If…...

American Atheists is proud to support the Council of Ex-Muslims in Morocco, the first public atheist organization in a country with Islam as the state religion. Things have been very difficult for the Council’s 22-year-old founder, Imad Iddine Habib. Morocco’s High Council of Ulemas, the highest government religious institution headed…...

Even though humanist chaplain Greg Epstein and his staff played a key role in the outreach efforts following the Boston Marathon bombing and several members of their community were among those seriously injured as as I reported at Religion Dispatches and The Washington Post’s “On Faith” column, non-theists were not permitted to be seated…...