Having met with a the very small Corpus Christi Atheists group brought up a lot of interesting conversation not just with the group but with other friends also:

“I mean, what would you guys even talk about?”

Aside from providing worship, the most important role of religious congregations is to provide support and a sense of community. Mostly at our meetings we talk about two things, how to change public opinion, and coping with coming out as an atheist. Atheists continue to be the MOST distrusted and hated minority in American opinion polls. In all the groups I’ve attended, a majority of members are there because they have left a religious community and needed to vent about their experiences with furious in-laws, parental abandonment, or religion based child abuse (examples, but all of which I’ve heard firsthand). I am lucky not to have a troubling story to tell, my experiences stem mostly from interaction with the conservative and religious bubble of the military.

In their line of duty, service members do give up a high number and degree of rights and freedoms. Things like personal privacy, free speech, and home stability are often put aside for the mission.  I am extremely grateful for the public support for soldiers regardless of public political opinion. Many of my peers in each of the branches (even those who have done their desert tours) feel like we haven’t yet earned our thank-you’s at the airport. We are given incredible opportunities and because of this, I have not, nor will I ever, complain.

“There are no atheists in foxholes!”

This attitude, however, is something that shouldn’t sit well with you. I’ve heard it plenty of times and plenty of different ways. In short, it illustrates how a large percentage of good Christians are unaccepting of or ignorant to the presence of atheists in the military. Even the former Commander-In-Chief, President George H. W. Bush was quoted as saying:

“No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”

I hope you can imagine a small sense of frustration that nonreligious servicemen might feel when knowing that the leader who could call on them to sacrifice their life for this country firmly believes they will burn in hell afterwards. I have met many ‘heathens’ that serve, and they are all patriots, even if the bigoted people they are protecting still refuse the right of an atheist to take office. From chaplains to squadron commanders to generals,  ‘god’ and ‘Jesus’ continue to be included in countless mandatory events. These statements have an effect on the respect and trust of those whose lives they are responsible for.

Personally, coming out and seeing ATHEIST stamped on my dog tags was a very proud moment for me, and they are a constant reminder for me to stand taller and set a better example.

Thanks to organizations like the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers I constantly receive messages from other atheists in foxholes, cockpits, and ships. Next time you hear somebody state that an atheist is incapable of handling the danger of combat, politely tell them that they’re wrong. Instead of sending prayers, do something useful and send a care package. But please don’t waste space with religious material (direct requests from some deployed troops). That stuff gets thrown out right away, there are enough bibles already issued.

Dear Santa,

Pleas give the homles extra
toys this year. Oh and I
realy want tecno zoids

from
Kyle (age eight)

I thought I was so funny as a kid, or maybe I was just humoring my little sister (who would have been 5). Do you remember the whole “Do YOU believe in Santa?” debate of childhood? “Well MY daddy says he’s real!” I remember. As a kid, I was skeptical of the whole Santa theory from the start. Flying Reindeer? They didn’t even have wings. Now if his sleigh was pulled by eight pegasus, his case might hold water. I had demanded the truth from my parents at five.

I set a trap for Santa at age three, and caught my dad setting up the train around midnight. Of course he sent me to bed, saying Santa was coming soon. Do you remember Teddy Ruxpin?

He was a bear that talked, the Furby of his day. I got one when I was 2. The first thing I did was turn him upside down to figure out how he worked. I wasn’t to be fooled by all the grown-ups.

“I mean come on Grandma, I wipe my own ass, how dumb do you think I am?”*

Question for the readers: How and how old were you when you found out there was no Santa Clause?

*Not an actual quote from Kyle, age 2.

In reality, providing a sense of community and support is the primary function of religious institutions to society. Coming out as an atheist (or non-christian) is difficult for many because of the immediate ostracization from these comminuties of family and friends.

The uninformed assume that us ‘unchurched’ are on our own. “Let them go read their science fiction books.” I’ve heard, or “Well there certainly aren’t any atheist churches!” (Except of course for the UU) In high school and college I felt so outnumbered that I would only describe myself as ‘nonreligious’ if I could not escape questioning entirely. Then was saved by His Holy Sauciness.

Yes, I found the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

While brilliantly satirical, it also opened the door to legitimate secular organizations and support networks that were forming to rally behind science education. Even more, they are allowing secular Americans who work for charity to stand up and be counted. (I mean really, we’ve all been pretty bored since Firefly was canceled.)

I volunteered at the Food Bank not too long ago with the Oklahoma City Atheists who do so as a group every other weekend. When another volunteer asked who we came with, the answer left her clicking her tongue and asking arms akimbo:

“Ugh, why are YOU here?”

“Uh, the same reason you’re here?”

Atheist, Agnostic and Freethinker organizations, foundations, and communities are rapidly growing online (and also a thanks to websites like meetup.com) and are allowing atheists to take ownership for their contributions to society.

While watching episodes of Always Sunny on Hulu.com, I saw ads for Kiva - ‘Loans That Change Lives’. It’s a website that provides peer-funded microloans to give struggling entrepreneurs in third world countries a leg up. I joined, and with the good repayment record it allows you to provide loan funding several times over with a single donation.

I was also surprised when I looked at the communities page to see who was contributing and found the institution responsible for leading the way:

Take a quick look around if you feel uncomfortable sitting through services condemning dinosaur toys for Christmas. There is probably a much more intellectuality fulfilling conversation around the corner. Or if you don’t want to work through charities that use funds to proselytize, there are thousands of other groups out there.

It turns out kids can still be good without believing in Santa Clause.