1. How would you describe your faith life?
I am a person of faith with an active religious life,
which includes daily prayer and monthly worship.
2. What is your personal opinion of atheists?
My view of American atheists in general is that they have
renounced religion because they have been exposed to too much rather than too
little of it. I furthermore believe that many have confused the concepts of
"religion" and "God" and that if they understood they could
renounce the one while still embracing the other that many might be persons of
faith.
3. What is your personal opinion of the atheists you have known?
On par, most atheists I know are more intelligent and
better educated than religious people I know. Most appear to have made an
intellectual decision to choose atheism and many of them have become atheists
after being driven away from religion by extremist family members or negative
experiences in fundamentalist congregations. They run the gamut in terms of
morality, many being genuinely good people and others being completely amoral.
4. Have you done anything to support your faith or belief system?
Yes. I make myself available talk to people about faith,
God, and religion when they want to discuss them or have questions. I do not proselytize in any way because I think it is
counterproductive and that other people can make legitimate religious decisions
that are completely different than my own.
5. Why do you think atheists become activists against things
like creationism being taught in schools?
Under the best of conditions, I believe they are doing so
to keep America from becoming a dumbed-down, medievalized, fundamentalist state
(i.e., in the way that Iran is often criticized for being). Often, however, I
get the impression that they are also being driven by a personal contempt for
religion.
6. What impact do you see if any has atheist activism had on our
country?
Overall, I believe anything that could be explicitly
identified as "atheist activism" has had a negative effect on
America, in large part because it has led fundamentalists to believe they are
being attacked and to respond accordingly. "Secular humanist
activism" or somesuch would come off as much less antagonistic, and not
necessarily be incompatible with peoples' religious views. The promise of
America is, in any event, that people should be able to have any sorts of
beliefs they want and still be able to peacefully and productively coexist with
people who have differing or even opposed points of view.
7. What effect do you think creationism is having as it is
taught in schools?
Mythology, taught as such, has great value in
understanding the universe and our place in it. I believe that teaching myths
as if they represent a literal truth diminishes the value of those stories,
does not give them the respect they deserve, and has the effect of making
people narrow minded and intellectually backward.
8. If atheist activists win their cause how do you think it will
affect you personally?
Not sure if anyone will "win" if compromise,
mutual respect, and coexistence are not the results. In a sense, atheists and
religious people alike both already "won" more than 230 years ago,
when America was founded as a secular state that guaranteed freedom of
religion. Understanding the collective value of this is what will allow
everyone to "win."
9. If atheist activists win their cause how do you think it will
affect the nation?
If their goal to is to keep America a nation where
religion does not dictate policy but where people can worship as they see fit
while respecting the rights of others then it will affect the nation
positively. If their goal is to curtail peoples' rights to worship privately or
to antagonize religious people then I believe it will have a negative,
fragmenting effect on the nation.
10. What do you think will happen if atheist activists lose
their battle against creationism being taught in schools?
If creationism is taught in schools
then it will severely damage efforts to effectively educate American students.
Football and overemphasis on athletic activities that benefit only a few,
standardized testing, cutting of arts and humanities programs, etc., have
already harmed the true mission of education — to provide students with facts
and to teach them how, not what, to think.
Percentage of atheists and agnostics by region.
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