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/* Evangelical atheists and exaggerated claims */
The atheist Georgetown professor [[Jacques Berlinerblau]] declared:
{{cquote|American atheist movements, though fancying themselves a lion, are more like the gimpy little zebra crossing the river full of crocs. In terms of both political gains and popular appeal, nonbelievers in the United States have little to show. They are encircled by cunning, swarming [religious] Revivalist adversaries who know how to play the atheist card. The gimpy zebra remark was a little goofing on this over-the-top chest-thumping that emerges from Movement Atheists. They [[Nones#Atheists attempting to falsely inflate their numbers via the nones|wildly overestimate]] their numbers. They tend to overestimate the efficacy of their activism. They underestimate how disciplined and organized their adversaries in the religious right are, too. They fail to recognize that mocking religious people in public is entirely inimical to the goals they wish to achieve."<ref>[http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-09/professor-jacques-berlinerblau-tells-atheists-stop-whining Professor Jacques Berlinerblau tells atheists: Stop whining!], Christian Century, Sep 14, 2012 by Kimberly Winston</ref>}}
==== American atheist activists exaggerating the number of atheists in the United States ====
''See also:'' [[Atheist movement]]
In 2012, the organization PolitiFact Rhode Island accused American Atheists president [[David Silverman]] of wildly exaggerating the number of atheists in America by attempting to included the Unaffiliated (also called [[Nones]]) who made up about 15% of the United States population at the time (despite the fact that only 15 percent of "nones" identify as atheists) and by also attempting to lump agnostics with the [[Atheist Population|atheist population]].<ref>[http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2012/feb/26/david-silverman/american-atheists-president-david-silverman-says-t/ American Atheists President David Silverman says there are twice as many atheists in U.S. as Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists combined] By C. Eugene Emery Jr. on Sunday, February 26th, 2012 at 12:01 a.m.</ref><ref>[http://www.pressdemocrat.com/csp/mediapool/sites/PressDemocrat/News/story.csp?cid=2501462&sid=555&fid=181 Meet the 'Nones:' Spiritual but not religious]</ref>
According to PolitiFact Rhode Island:
{{cquote|When the American Religious survey asked people what they thought of the existence of God, 2.3 percent said 'There is no such thing.'...When Pew asked a broader question -- "Do you believe in God or a universal spirit?" -- 5 percent said "No."<ref>[http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2012/feb/26/david-silverman/american-atheists-president-david-silverman-says-t/ American Atheists President David Silverman says there are twice as many atheists in U.S. as Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists combined] By C. Eugene Emery Jr. on Sunday, February 26th, 2012 at 12:01 a.m.</ref>}}
The 2008 [[American Religious Identification Survey]] (ARIS) found that only 0.7% of U.S. adults identified as atheist, but at the same time 2.3% said there is no such thing as a god.<ref>Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, [http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf], March 2009, American Religious Identification Survey [ARIS 2008], Trinity College</ref> The reluctance of Americans to self-identify as atheists is likely due to the American public's low opinion of atheists (See: [[Views on atheists|Americans have a low opinion of atheists]]).
{{See also|David Silverman#Silverman intentionally exaggerating the number of atheists in the USA|l1=David Silverman intentionally exaggerating the number of atheists in the USA}}
==== David Silverman's inaccurate reporting on the effectiveness of firebrand atheism ====
