Is Organized Atheism Even a Valid Approach?
PAM takes this question as far as any of our readers do: We ask whether there’s anything about atheism itself to make it conducive to forming an alliance. Religion naturally lends itself to organization, particularly groups who install authoritarian figures, conform to a creed, or invoke a confession of faith designed to distinguish members from the rest of the world. We question whether atheism plays an important enough role in anyone’s life to warrant associating with like-minded individuals. Can atheists justify organizing around our mutual absence or lack of belief (compared to religious people who organize around a set of concrete beliefs which members hold in common)? Said plainly, should we organize around how we differ from the norm? Although many will say yes, we feel we must at least raise the question. I’d been the local atheist group’s newsletter editor for over three years when we had a falling out. At that point I created Positive Atheism and continued where I left off, m
