Atheism For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)) (99 page)

Inherit the Wind:
A fictionalized treatment of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial.” Not to be missed.

Jesus Camp:
A 2006 documentary about a Christian evangelical summer camp near Devil’s Lake, North Dakota where children learn to “take back America for Christ.”

Contact:
Written by scientist Carl Sagan (agnostic) and starring Jodie Foster (atheist), this 1997 film depicts the first contact with alien life and the philosophical and religious implications for those involved.

Dogma:
Two angels kicked out of heaven find a loophole to get back in, but walking through that loophole just may end the universe. Adult language (and just about everything else).

The Invention of Lying:
Directed by British atheist Ricky Gervais, this movie imagines a world in which no one ever lies. When one man learns how to lie, he bends it to his advantage, including the fib that death isn’t the end.

Life of Brian:
One of the best religious satires of all time. It sends up not Jesus but the Messiah fever that was rampant in first century Judea, and the fallible humans who simply can’t help mucking up the message.

Talk to an Atheist

The best way to find out more about atheism is to talk to an atheist. Nothing cuts through the misunderstandings and assumptions like a face-to-face chat.

Many religious people who know they have atheists in their families aren’t sure if they should bring it up in conversation. Sometimes they just don’t want to make the person uncomfortable. But trust me — whenever a religious friend or relative asks me about my point of view, I’m delighted. It almost always ends up being a wonderful, door-opening conversation. Just prepare to see your own beliefs from an entirely new perspective.

Join the Club

If you’re an atheist, agnostic, humanist, skeptic, freethinker, what have you — you may consider joining the club!

A number of national and international organizations exist with different missions, flavors, and emphases. Some examples from countries around the world are as follows:

British Humanist Association (
www.humanism.org.uk
):
“Working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity.”

National Secular Society (
www.secularism.org.uk
):
Charles Bradlaugh (see
Chapter 7
) founded this organization in 1866. It campaigns for the separation of religion and state in the United Kingdom and “promote[s] secularism as the best means to create a society in which people of all religions or none can live together fairly and cohesively.”

American Atheists (
www.atheists.org
):
Madalyn Murray O’Hair (see
Chapter 8
) founded this US organization, which is “dedicated to defending the civil liberties of atheists while advocating for the complete separation of church and state.”

American Humanist Association (
www.americanhumanist.org
):
This association serves as “a voice for Humanism in the United States; to increase public awareness and acceptance of Humanism; to establish, protect, and promote the position of humanists in our society; and to develop and advance humanist thought and action.”