But over the years, I have changed my mind because such diffidence contributes to the false image of the atheist as someone whose convictions are removed from ordinary experience.
When giving talks on college campuses, I used to avoid personal discussions of my atheism. The secular community is fearful of seeming to proselytize. But the most powerful force holding us back is our own reluctance to speak, particularly at moments of high national drama and emotion, with the combination of reason and passion needed to erase the image of the atheist as a bloodless intellectual robot. One major problem is the dearth of secular community institutions. This widespread misapprehension that atheists believe in nothing positive is one of the main reasons secularly inclined Americans - roughly 20 percent of the population - do not wield public influence commensurate with their numbers. “It’s all about nonbelief and has nothing to offer when people are suffering.” “That only shows the limits of atheism,” my colleague replied. Atheists cannot find solace in the idea that dead children are now angels in heaven. Some of those grieving parents surely believe, as I do, that this is our one and only life. IN a recent conversation with a fellow journalist, I voiced my exasperation at the endless talk about faith in God as the only consolation for those devastated by the unfathomable murders in Newtown, Conn.
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