Sound The Trumpet : Atheists on the March in America

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“Atheists on the March in America”
by Turkish Press.com
September 25th, 2009

When South Florida atheists held their first meeting, they were just five friends, having a beer at a bar.

Four years later, they've moved to a bigger place -- still a bar -- to hold their weekly meet-and-greets. Membership is up to almost 500, Darwin Day is in the planning stages and bumper stickers are on sale.

"There is no God, but ice-cream is great," reads one. "What schools need is a moment of science," reads another.

Atheist groups are growing all over the United States, challenging stereotypes and confronting what they consider a big backslide in the separation of church and state.

They are chatting online, picking up trash along "adopted" highways, and advertising on buses and billboards. In South Florida, they recently picketed a prayer meeting in a public safety building paid for with tax dollars.

"We're growing by leaps and bounds," said Bob Senatore, a retired teacher and one of the early members of the Florida Atheists and Secular Humanists, or FLASH. "The attitude is, 'If we don't do something about it now, we'll be living under a theocracy.'"

Polls show non-believers are on the rise in the United States, even in places like Florida, where, as Senatore sees it, "There's a church on every corner and a fish on every car."

The fish is one of the most common symbols of Christianity.

The American Religious Identification Survey recently found the number of people who claimed "no religion" had nearly doubled nationally over the last 18 years, to 15 percent. They were the only demographic that increased in all 50 states.

Some attribute the surge to outrage over former president George W. Bush and his courting of the religious right. Others mention a slew of best-selling books about atheism that have recently fueled debate.

But there's no doubt the Internet is playing a role too. It offers atheist dating services, and helps nonbelievers meet up -- people who might otherwise remain "loners."

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13