Did you know that today is Openly Secular Day? (Or even that it was a thing?)
The mission of Openly Secular is to eliminate discrimination and increase acceptance by getting secular people (i.e., atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, humanists and nonreligious people) to be open about their beliefs.
The idea behind Openly Secular Day is to encourage every secular person to “come out” and tell at least one person that they are secular and to encourage an open dialog about it. But, if you know me–or even just e-know me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, or Tumblr–you probably already know I’m openly secular. So instead, I’d like to encourage you to read Amanda Marcotte’s thoughtful Salon/Alternet article:
10 egregious myths the religious perpetuate about atheists, debunked
To quote from the article, “Debunking these myths about atheists in print can only do so much to quell believer fears about the supposed atheist menace. Even better would be for believers to find themselves an atheist, and instead of simply attacking them with these myths in an effort to frustrate them into submission, instead get to know them better.”
So please, feel free to start a discussion below on any of the 10 points raised in the article–or on some other aspect of being secular. I’ll be happy to share my views.
And for more about Openly Secular Day, check out this short video.
Enjoy!