Image by Morydd via Flickr

This is the first post in what I expect will become a new series here at Atheist Revolution, one honoring atheist heroes. At this point, I have no plans to make it a weekly series. Instead, I will use it simply to express appreciation to those making a difference in the atheist movement.

Christopher Kelly, a reader of this blog and resident of Mokena, IL, wrote a great letter to the editor of The Mokena Messenger in which he called out a local pastor for spreading idiocy in the paper. One of the things that makes this act noteworthy is that Christopher took the risk of putting himself out there as an atheist in his community.

Here is an excerpt from his letter:

In regards to the Sept. 24 pastor column by Rev. Robert Meyer. I would like to see the human race continue to advance, discover and understand the world we live in. It saddens me to know that you cannot take pleasure in the idea of human potential. Even worse, you influence people in our community, preaching a faith built on fear, teaching that a quest for learning and understanding is forbidden and punishable.

Efforts like this go a long way toward provoking thought and helping those of us in the reality-based community feel a bit less alone.

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