© Alternet
Days may be dark right now - after all, as the memes proclaim,
axial tilt is the reason for the season. But things are looking bright for those who would like to see humanity more grounded in science and reason. If you are a nonbeliever in the mood for a party, here are 10 reasons to celebrate.
1. Coming out atheist is up and coming. In May 2013, after a deadly tornado destroyed her home, young mother Rebecca Vitsmun gave an
unexpected answer when CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked whether she thanked the Lord for her decision to flee. Vitsmun tells the story in a sometimes-tearful
interview with Seth Andrews, host of the
Thinking Atheist. "I had this moment in which I realized you either lie or tell the truth, and I'm not a liar." In that moment, Vitsmun outed herself not only to a national media audience but also to her Christian parents and friends.
Vitsmun's situation was extraordinary, but candor about nonbelief is becoming more and more commonplace. From Hollywood celebs like Cameron Diaz and Angelina Jolie to high school students, skeptics are opening up about their beliefs and values - or simply declining to lie when asked. (A quick-read book,
Mom, Dad, I'm an Atheist, offers tips for those who are contemplating when, where and how best to come out.)
2. The cutting edge of freethought is less cutting and edgy. In generations past, coming out as an atheist required a devil-may-care attitude. The social and even financial costs were so high that most admitted atheists were also unflinching social activists, people who had a high degree of zeal and high tolerance for conflict. Most were also white males who were comparatively safe taking on the religious establishment. Until recently, then, atheism was virtually synonymous with anti-theism, and even today people complain that pioneers of the New Atheist movement like
Dawkins,
Harris, Dennett, and the late great Hitchens are unnecessarily antagonistic.