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By Robert Thivierge, via Wikimedia Commons |
Believe it or not, some white nationalist groups are showing signs of opening their doors to atheist members. Given that these groups are often regarded as an arm of the right-wing Christian extremist movement, I was surprised to discover discussions of atheism on one prominent white supremacist website. I'm even more shocked to think that nonbelievers might consider joining such groups.
The Stormfront White Nationalist group first came to my attention when I received an e-mail from a former atheist blogger in North Mississippi (she's still an atheist but is no longer blogging). She told me that there had been a Klan rally in her community and that she had visited the website listed on their literature to learn what she could about these extremists. This brought her to the Stormfront White Nationalist Community, where she discovered an atheism/agnosticism sub-forum in the theology forum. Could such hate groups actually have nonbelievers for members?
The Ku Klux Klan was historically tied to Protestant Christianity and is known to have refused to accept Catholic members until relatively recently. They continue to identify themselves as a Christian organization and are clear in their opposition to atheism. Thus, it is no surprise that many of their rituals (e.g., the crosses they burn, the Christian themes in their oaths, their cross-like salutes, etc.) reflect their Christian beliefs.