Atheist PR: Does it Matter to Them?
Labels: Atheist Movement CommentsSince the earthquake in Haiti, the secular community has been rallying behind a number of valuable relief efforts. Many have donated to the International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders directly. Others have routed their contributions through secular charities in the hopes of elevating the profile of charitable giving by atheists. After all, desperate Christians trying to defend an indefensible worldview are fond of clinging to their relatively higher rate of charitable giving. While I support efforts to increase awareness of atheist philanthropy, I am realistic about the efficacy of such efforts.

An atheist is simply someone who does not believe in gods. Why would it be necessary for religious believers to demonize such a person? What would possibly motivate some religious individuals to threaten, intimidate, or even assault someone simply because of his or her lack of religious beliefs? Every one of us comes across people with very different beliefs and values frequently without lashing out at them. What makes atheists so different?
"Do we have a right to tell people they are wrong?" This was the question recently posed by Richard Collins (
When Pat Robertson made the recent statement about the Haitian earthquake being a 

























