There are more non-religious people in the world than there are Hindus. Today in the USA you will find atheists among the ranks of elite scientists (93% of them are atheists according to a 1996 study by Edward J. Larson & Larry Witham), the rich and famous, and in every walk of life. Yet there are great swathes of the world where admitting you are an atheist could lead to social ostracism, loss of your job and family, even to public flogging, a prison sentence or execution.
Proudly Atheist
This is why we now have an annual day to celebrate those who value reason above tradition and evidence above faith–Atheist Day. Every year on March 23rd is the day when we stand up and proudly announce our commitment to reason. This is a day we tell the world that atheism is an intellectually honorable position and demand freedom to be an atheist without persecution from theists.
Come Out as an Atheist
It is also a day for closeted atheists to come into the open. The single most important thing most atheists can do is to be open about their lack of God-belief. The more atheists people see, the harder it is to ignore them and the easier it will be for people to understand what atheism entails and why it makes sense to be an atheist.
Everyone must make this decision for themselves–you must think about your safety and security. But if you can safely come out as an atheist, join thousands of others, and do it.
Sign Our Petition
AAI has a campaign to change international law to explicitly recognize human rights for atheists. We call it The Right to be Secular. You can help by signing our petition. Please do it now, it will only take a minute. Find it here. Thank you!
Happy Atheist Day!
