World News Korner

Interview with Richard Dawkins about his campaign to coax Atheists out of the closet.

Here is what it says over at the OUT Campaign website:

Atheists have always been at the forefront of rational thinking and beacons of enlightenment, and now you can share your idealism by being part of the OUTCampaign.

Come Out
Atheists are far more numerous than most people realize. COME OUT of the closet! You'll feel liberated, and your example will encourage others to COME OUT too. (Don't "out" anybody else, wait for them to OUT themselves when they are ready to do so).

Reach Out
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.

Speak Out
As more and more people join the OUT Campaign, fewer and fewer people will feel intimidated by religion. We can help others understand that atheists come in all shapes, sizes, colours and personalities. We are laborers and professionals. We are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and grandparents. We are human (we are primates) and we are good friends and good citizens. We are good people who have no need to cling to the supernatural.

Keep Out
It is time to let our voices be heard regarding the intrusion of religion in our schools and politics. Atheists along with millions of others are tired of being bullied by those who would force their own religious agenda down the throats of our children and our respective governments. We need to KEEP OUT the supernatural from our moral principles and public policies.

Stand Out
We have many exciting activities and plans for the OUT Campaign, so be sure to watch for the latest developments. Help RDFRS expand the OUT Campaign and continue to help thousands of people to find strength in numbers and a voice that must be heard.

I cannot tell you how much I love this.

All I want is for people without a religion to feel that they can be as open about their lack of belief, as Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Jewish people are about their adherence to theirs.

That may seem like a small thing, but tell that to the gay community who is just now beginning to feel real acceptance for who they are.

Like Dawkins I too believe that there are millions of us who are too timid to reveal that we exist, and in fact that we may outnumber our religious brothers and sisters. But until we remove the stigma we will never know.

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