Atheists have always been at the forefront of rational thinking and beacons of enlightenment, and now you can share your idealism by being part of the OUTCampaign.
Come Out
Atheists are far more numerous than most people realize. COME OUT of the closet! You'll feel liberated, and your example will encourage others to COME OUT too. (Don't "out" anybody else, wait for them to OUT themselves when they are ready to do so).
Reach Out
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.
Speak Out
As more and more people join the OUT Campaign, fewer and fewer people will feel intimidated by religion. We can help others understand that atheists come in all shapes, sizes, colours and personalities. We are laborers and professionals. We are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and grandparents. We are human (we are primates) and we are good friends and good citizens. We are good people who have no need to cling to the supernatural.
Keep Out
It is time to let our voices be heard regarding the intrusion of religion in our schools and politics. Atheists along with millions of others are tired of being bullied by those who would force their own religious agenda down the throats of our children and our respective governments. We need to KEEP OUT the supernatural from our moral principles and public policies.
Stand Out
We have many exciting activities and plans for the OUT Campaign, so be sure to watch for the latest developments. Help RDFRS expand the OUT Campaign and continue to help thousands of people to find strength in numbers and a voice that must be heard.
I cannot tell you how much I love this.
All I want is for people without a religion to feel that they can be as open about their lack of belief, as Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Jewish people are about their adherence to theirs.
That may seem like a small thing, but tell that to the gay community who is just now beginning to feel real acceptance for who they are.
Like Dawkins I too believe that there are millions of us who are too timid to reveal that we exist, and in fact that we may outnumber our religious brothers and sisters. But until we remove the stigma we will never know.
OUT!!!!
ReplyDeleteRJ in Brownbackistan
A cartoon is worth a thousand words. I also agree that we atheists are more spiritual and embrace our differences more than the "religious" masses. The golden rule is the only guide you need and it doesn't require visiting a building, paying dues or conforming your life to a book filled with fear.
ReplyDeleteSharon, good points all. Have you encountered the Platinum Rule? Essentially, it's "Treat others as they wish to be treated" It's a compelling upgrade to The Golden Rule, yes?
DeleteThank God for athiests like Richard Dawkins! (and me)
A book that has been revised so many times, it does not even resemble the original legend.
DeleteI adore the cartoon above! I had a situation almost exactly like that with a woman at work.
ReplyDeleteShe was almost yelling and screaming at me for my lack of belief in anything and that atheists were cruel and dangerous and went on and on.
Staying quite calm (and my supervisor, who knew me quite well, was standing and just waiting for it...), I waited until she had wound down and become very surprised that I hadn't tried to cut her off and I let her say her piece.
I then began to do precisely the same thing to her, albeit CONSIDERABLY more quite and nicely, as she did to me and she got almost exactly the reaction as the "minister" in the above. I smiled and said, "You don't like having the same thing thrown at you as you threw at me, now do you?"
Realizing she was grossly in the wrong (without admitting anything, of course) she stomped off muttering it wasn't the same thing - until my supervisor (a recovering RC!) said to her back: "It's exactly the same thing."
Religious people really HATE having their own insults and arrogant behavior smashed into their faces.
Unfortunately, most of those who have this same attitude are incapable of recognizing their own sickening behavior.
ReplyDeleteGryphen----OUT!!!! in Colorado!
Oh I'm out, I'm so far out of the closet I that tore it off the hinges and threw it at the pulpit floor.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gryphen. I'm learning a lot from reading your wise posts. I love the internet!! I'm not quite OUT yet but I am much closer than I would be without all of your news stories.
ReplyDelete@ 8:57
DeleteIf I may, take your time.
When you are ready, it will happen - and possibly before you even recognize it is happening.
I can say, though, that once it happens, you will feel considerably more comfortable than you did years ago or even now when you are still ...reluctant to admit it to anyone besides yourself.
Don't feel coerced. Don't feel anything else except your own need.
When it is right, it will happen.
LUCFT
I am a deconverted RC. I have to be very careful of what I say around a number of my friends. Although my wife considers herself an agnostic, she doesn't like it when I call myself an atheist. I'd love to be more outspoken about it - but ya gotta keep the peace. To me Religion was developed by political leaders to keep the low information people..low information. Look how its succeeded in this country.
ReplyDeleteOut in South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteHave to keep reminding the xtains that they don't have a monopoly on ethics, love and care of the planet, fellow man and the animals.
Me, too, 12:52. I've been "out" for twenty years here and some of my old friends admit they knew how I felt in HIGH SCHOOL! (I'm 65.)
DeleteSurprising? Yeah, except we grew up in a town that had lots of people brought in from all over the country so it wasn't your typical southern town.
You are all just making ypurself feel bettet about yourself.
ReplyDeleteEvery one ends up in the same place, no one is left out, if you have a soul which even the dark side has , will all go back. From where we came. To the one who owns all souls. And there is nothing any one can do about it. Ypu ask who this is..........the god of us all and even old lucifer has to obay.
So get over it , and stop thinking you need a.
To be how you are. Love & honor
I've been green since before Kermit was a tadpole, and I've been "out" for well over 35 of my 53 years. Richard Dawkin's "OUT" campaign makes a lot of sense, and I agree, one should come to the decision on their own and not be "Outed" by someone else.
ReplyDelete"Be Good for Goodness Sake" trumps being good for fear of some horrible eternal pain.
Atheists don't have an equivalent to the "Evangelical" tactics, and I doubt they'd take to it if one existed.
"Hey, lets have a little respect here" that cartoon should go viral.
I was forced to come out 12 years ago to save my life. That's when I got involved in AA, where you are told that you can't recover unless you have a higher power who most everyone calls God. I spent two years squirming in my seat when people sang god's praises and was held back from doing the necessary steps. When I finally got honest about my lack of belief, I was still accepted. I felt great relief and was able to move forward and find a way to do the 12 steps within the framework of my own belief system. One older lady told me to just add an O whenever I saw the work god. It can be that simple. I was still reticent about sharing my atheism with others but I'm gradually getting more comfortable with it thanks, in part, to reading the posts here. Seeing how the fundies and dominionists are trying to dictate public policy has really convinced me that we need to a more vocal minority.
ReplyDeleteSo tonight I went to my first Center for Inquiry get together, met some really intelligent and thoughtful people, and had a great time. And eat your heart out, Gryph...Neil DeGrasse Tyson is going to be lecturing near my town next month and I'm going.