Atheist movement and major donors

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

In 2017, the atheist activist Lee Moore declared:

“ If you look at the major atheist groups right now, like the national groups, the ones that are doing the real activist work... They are not bringing in the kind of donations they used to. Most of them are starved for cash. They're downsizing left and right. Because people aren't just giving like they used to. And I talked to a lot of the major donors out there and they said, "Well, we're kind of tired of seeing the atheist community just fight amongst itself and not really get anything done. We'd rather not give money if we don't think it's going to go somewhere."[1] ”

See also: Atheist factions and Atheism and social skills

Todd Stiefel

CNN declared in 2013:

“ Todd Stiefel is far from a household name, and the odds he gets recognized on a street corner, even in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, are small.

For Stiefel, a slim, scruffy ex-Catholic, his public persona is his wallet and activism. Through the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, the 38-year-old has made an indelible impact on... nonbelievers. Most of the highest-profile atheists campaigns –- flashy billboards in high-traffic areas, news-making efforts to get atheists to come out of the closet, and boisterous rallies - are funded by his fortune.

Stiefel isn’t shy about his far-reaching goals.

“What I am trying to accomplish is multifold, he told CNN. “I consider myself working on the next civil equality movement, just like women’s rights, LGBT rights and African-American Civil Rights. We are still in the early stages of eliminating discrimination against atheists and humanists. That is something I really want to accomplish.”[2]

”

See also:

Todd Stiefel's ineffectiveness in substantially changing American views on atheists via his donations

A 2016 press release of a University of Minnesota study on atheists reported:

“ Survey data collected in 2014 shows that, compared to data collected in 2003, Americans have sharpened their negative views of atheists...

The findings of this most recent survey support the argument that atheists are persistent cultural outsiders in the United States because they are perceived to have rejected cultural values and practices understood as essential to private morality, civic virtue, and national identity. Moreover, any refusal to embrace a religious identity of any type is troubling for a large portion of Americans.[3]

”

The atheist Dan Arel reported:

“ In 2014, Pew Research found that atheists ranked down at the bottom of the list, only 1 point above Muslims as the least trusted religious demographic in the United States...

Now, according to a new study released by University of Minnesota sociologists shows that today, atheists are the most disliked.

The study compared a previous 2003 study with the new study, originally conducted in 2014, and found that Americans have only sharpened their dislike for atheists and religious nones.[4]

”

According the American atheist author Kevin Davis, atheism has an "unshakeable stigma".[5]

David Gorski on a donation to the Center for Inquiry from a major donor

David Gorski at Scienceblogs wrote about atheist/skeptic organizations and financial mismanagement:

“ In any case, this makes me wonder: What is it about rationalist/skeptic groups that make them seemingly have such a hard time running their organizations well from a financial standpoint? After all, just a couple of months ago the Center for Inquiry (CFI) sent out letters desperately begging for more contributions. The reason was that CFI had one large benefactor whose yearly contribution funded approximately 20-25% of the yearly CFI budget. As clueless as I may be about finances, even I know that you don’t use such donations to run the operating expenses of an organization, because you can’t count on them from year to year and it’s too big a chunk. You use this money for special short-term projects and a rainy day fund. Not surprisingly, when this mysterious donor stopped donating earlier this year, suddently CFI was in deep doo-doo from a financial standpoint, prompting the desperate plea for donations and deep budget cuts. I realize that the down economy has played havoc with many nonprofit and charitable organizations, but these issues with skeptical organizations seem to go beyond just that.[6] ”

Richard Dawkins is also the former holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University.


See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Moore and Steve Shives Talk About the Future of the Atheist Movement, video quote comes 21 minutes and 13 seconds into the video
  2. ↑ [The money man behind atheism’s activism], CNN, 2013
  3. ↑ Atheists Remain Most Disliked Religious Minority in the US
  4. ↑ Study: Atheists remain the most disliked religious minority in the U.S.
  5. ↑ An Atheist Walks into a Christian Meeting about Atheism by Kevin Davis
  6. ↑ Richard Dawkins sues Josh Timonen, Posted by David Gorski on October 24, 2010
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