Atheist organizations

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Below is a list of atheist/nontheist organizations.

  • The Brights' Net is a nonprofit educational organization associated with the Brights Movement.

Atheist leaders and misogyny

See also: Atheism and leadership and Atheism and sexism

James Randi

James Randi is a leader within the atheist community. Brian Thompson, former James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) Outreach Coordinator, wrote:

“ But I no longer identify with this community of benevolent know-it-alls, because not all of them are the best folks in the world. In fact, a good percentage of the top ten worst humans I’ve ever met are prominent members of the skeptics’ club. They’re dishonest, mean-spirited, narcissistic, misogynistic. Pick a personality flaw, and I can probably point you to someone who epitomizes it. And that person has probably had a speaking slot at a major skeptical conference.

I grew particularly disgusted with the boys’ club attitude I saw among skeptical leaders and luminaries. The kind of attitude that’s dismissive of women, sexually predatory, and downright gross. When I first started going to skeptical conferences as a fresh-faced know-it-all, I started hearing things about people I once admired. Then I started seeing things myself. Then I got a job with the JREF, and the pattern continued.[1]

”

Token efforts to extend racial minorities leadership positions in atheist organizations

See also: Western atheism and race and Atheism and leadership

On October 9, 2014, the atheist Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson declared:

“ Despite frequent tokenistic calls for “diversity” within the “movement,” there are virtually no people of color in executive management positions in any of the major secular, atheist, or Humanist organizations —notable exceptions being Debbie Goddard of Center for Inquiry and Maggie Ardiente of American Humanist Association. People of color are constantly bombarded with claims of separatism, reverse discrimination, and “self-segregation” when they point to the absence of social justice, anti-racist community organizing, coalition-building, and visibility among secular organizations. After the Washington Post article, the vitriol and denialism among the “We are All Africans” white atheists was off the chain. This illustrates yet again that sticking a few of us on conference panels or secular boards is nothing but cheap appeasement.[2] ”

Sikivu Hutchinson's criticism of RDF and Center for Inquiry merger

Sikivu Hutchinson speaking ath the Center for Inquiry.

See also: Center for Inquiry

Atheist Sikivu Hutchinson wrote:

“ The recent merger of the secular organization Center for Inquiry (CFI) and the Richard Dawkins Foundation (RDF) has been dubbed atheism's supergroup moment. Acknowledging the two organizations' outsized presence in the atheist world, Religion News Service acidly declared it a "royal wedding". The partnership, which gives Richard Dawkins a seat on the CFI board, smacks of a vindication of Dawkins' toxic, reactionary brand of damn-all-them-culturally-backward-Western-values-hating- Muslims New Atheism. As one of the most prominent global secular organizations, CFI's all-white board looks right at home with RDF's lily white board and staff.[3] ”

The secular humanist document Human Manifesto II, which was written in 1973 by Paul Kurtz and Edwin H. Wilson, decried racism and it declared:

“ The beginnings of police states, even in democratic societies, widespread government espionage, and other abuses of power by military, political, and industrial elites, and the continuance of unyielding racism, all present a different and difficult social outlook. In various societies, the demands of women and minority groups for equal rights effectively challenge our generation.[4] ”

Atheist leaders and arrogance

See also: Atheism and arrogance and Atheist movement

PZ Myers

The atheist PZ Myers wrote: "But see, this is why the atheist movement can’t have leaders. The ones we’ve got, informally, all seem to think they’re like gods and popes, infallible and unquestionable, and that normal, healthy, productive criticism within the movement is all a conspiracy to dethrone them."[5]

John W. Loftus, one of the more prominent atheists in the atheist community, cites John Draper (a Canadian atheist blogger), saying about prominent atheist PZ Myers: "According to PZ you either agree with him or you are the scum of the earth. If anyone is giving atheists a bad reputation it's PZ - he shows no tolerance or respect for anyone other than himself."[6]

Atheist organizations: Church-state/creationism issues - poor largely ignored

See also: Atheism and uncharitableness and Atheism, social justice and hypocrisy

A child in Thailand where the nontheistic form of Buddhism called the Theravada school of Buddhism is prevalent.

A comprehensive study by Harvard University professor Robert Putnam found that religious people are more charitable than their irreligious counterparts.[7]

In the United States, per capita atheists and agnostics in America give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists. See: Atheism and uncharitableness

In June of 2014, Sikivu Hutchinson wrote in the Washington Post that atheist organizations generally focus on church/state separation and creationism issues and not the concerns the less affluent African-American population faces.[8] Hutchinson also mentioned that church organizations do offer significant help to poor African-Americans.[9]

Also, according to a video posted at Freethoughtblogs storefront churches provide assistance to local residents including women, and this partly explains the dearth of Hispanic and African-American women atheists in America (Atheists give less to charity than Christians. See: Atheism and uncharitableness).[10]

In 2014, the atheist Chris Hall wrote in an article which was published by Salon magazine and Alternet:

“ Direct challenges to racism and sexism haven’t traditionally been the domain of the large organizations like American Atheists or the Secular Coalition for America. It’s been far more typical to fight incursions against separation of church and state or educate against pseudoscience like homeopathy.[11] ”

Lack of significant global outreach by atheist organizations

See also: Global atheism and Global Christianity and Christian evangelism and Atheism and apathy

The Christian relief organization Feed My Starving Children has a distribution partner in Malawi, Africa. In recent years, Christianity has seen a rapid growth in Africa.[12]

In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western World Christians as there were Western World Christians.[13]

Western World atheists and East Asian atheists have not engaged in a significant amount of global outreach.

The former Soviet Union had a worldwide expansionist policy as far as spreading atheistic communism.[14] The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to a spike in religious affiliation, both in Russia and in Eastern Europe.[15]

The current atheist population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia primarily among whites.[16] See: Global atheism and Western atheism and race

The atheists in the Western World and East Asia have not had significant outreaches to spread atheism throughout the world. Historically, Christians have made great evangelism efforts to reach every people group across the earth. In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western World Christians as there were Western World Christians.[17] Doing overseas evangelism/outreaches, often requires significant hardships/persecution and Western atheists and East Asian atheists have been unwilling to endure such hardships in order to spread atheistic ideology (see: Atheism and hedonism).

In the United States, atheists are in the minority (See: Atheist Population). And in the United States and Canada, the general population looks very unfavorably on atheists (see: Views on atheists). In the United States/Canada, atheists are generally white.

Atheist movement

See also: Atheist movement

Dr. J. Gordon Melton said about the atheist movement (organized atheism) that atheism is not a movement which tends to create community, but in the last few years there has been some growth of organized atheism.[18] See also: Atheist factions and Atheist movement

Blair Scott about atheist infighting with the atheist movement

See also: Atheist movement and Atheist factions and Atheism and sociability

David Silverman is the president of the American Atheists organization.

Blair Scott served on the American Atheists board of directors. Mr. Scott formerly served as a State Director for the American Atheists organization in the state of Alabama. On December 1, 2012 he quit his post as a director of outreach for the American Atheist due to infighting within the American atheist movement.[19]

Mr. Blair wrote:

“ I have spent the last week mulling over what I want to do at this point in the movement. I’m tired of the in-fighting: at every level. I am especially tired of allowing myself to get sucked into it and engaging in the very behavior that is irritating..me.[20] ”

Atheist organizations and fundraising

See also: Atheist fundraising vs. religious fundraising

Religious organizations are far outpacing atheist organizations when it comes to fundraising (see: Atheist fundraising vs. religious fundraising and Atheism and charity),

Atheist nonprofit scandals

See: Atheist nonprofit scandals

Sunday Assembly atheist church movement

See also: American atheists and church attendance

The Sunday Assembly atheist church movement was founded in 2013 by the secular humanists and comedians Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones.[21] In 2014, it was reported that there was a schism in the movement as far as whether or not they should use the word "atheist" in their movement and/or whether they should just cater to atheists..[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Myers, P. Z. (March 31, 2014). "When will this situation improve?". Freethoughtblogs.com/Pharyngula.
  2. ↑ Atheism and social justice: Sikivu Hutchinson on the first People of Color Beyond Faith conference, Chris Stedman, Religious Service News, Oct 9, 2014
  3. ↑ #AtheismSoWhite: Atheists of Color Rock Social Justice by Sikivu Hutchinson
  4. ↑ Humanist Manifesto II
  5. ↑ The delicate ego of Mr Michael Shermer by PZ Myers, 16 January 2013
  6. ↑ Can PZ Myers Change His Ways? Should He? By John W. Loftus at 7/30/2012
  7. ↑ Multiple references:
  8. ↑ Atheism has a big race problem that no one’s talking about by Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, Washington Post June 16, 2014
  9. ↑ Atheism has a big race problem that no one’s talking about by Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, Washington Post June 16, 2014
  10. ↑ Sikivu, Ophelia, and Rebecca — who says atheism lacks women stars?
  11. ↑ Forget Christopher Hitchens: Atheism in America is undergoing a radical change by Chris Hall, Salon magazine, Thursday, Jun 5, 2014 12:25 PM UTC (originally published in Alternet)
  12. ↑ The African apostles: How Christianity exploded in 20th-century Africa
  13. ↑ Is Christianity taking over the planet?
  14. ↑ America Coming to Terms: The Vietnam Legacy By Nguyen Anh Tuan, page 82
  15. ↑ [Global Study: Atheists in Decline, Only 1.8% of World Population by 2020] by Michael W. Chapman, CNS News, July 24, 2013 - 2:18 PM
  16. ↑ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live, By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post, May 23, 2013
  17. ↑ Is Christianity taking over the planet?
  18. ↑ Baylor ISR- J. Gordon Melton - End of Religion? (May 5, 2015)
  19. ↑ An Open Letter from Blair Scott
  20. ↑ An Open Letter from Blair Scott
  21. ↑ Atheist Church Split: Sunday Assembly And Godless Revival's 'Denominational Chasm', Huffington Post, 2014
  22. ↑ Atheist Church Split: Sunday Assembly And Godless Revival's 'Denominational Chasm', Huffington Post, 2014
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