A lot of us who are non-religious really embrace our labels.
It doesn't matter what we call ourselves -- atheists, Humanists, Pastafarians --
it's all part of our identity.
If some stranger asked me, "What should I know about you?"
I'd say being an atheist is probably at or near the top of that list. It's a huge part of who I am.
Part of the reason for that is that atheists are in the minority.
I know our numbers are rising, but just about anywhere in America, if you say you don't believe in God,
you are vastly outnumbered by people who do.
That's why it's so important, I think, to identify as an atheist to whatever label you want to use.
You know, when I meet someone else and I find out they're an atheist,
I feel like I know something about them, even if that person is a total stranger. We've had some common experiences.
This applies to just about any minority group out there. I mean, the same thing happens when I see another Indian person.
we look at each other, we give each other that nod, like...
"I get it. I know where you're coming from."
That's also the reason a lot of groups form around those identities.
It's why you might see a vegetarian meetup group,
but not necessarily one for people who also eat meat.
It's the reason you might find an African-American group on a college campus,
but not necessarily one for white people.
Young Republicans doesn't count.
But it also raises some interesting questions:
What happens if, one day, being an atheist is no longer a big deal?
What happens if, when you tell someone you don't believe in God,
they don't even raise an eyebrow, because it's gone so mainstream?
What happens when we no longer have to talk about coming out as an atheist,
because it was never something you had to be in the closet about in the first place?
Are we ready to no longer consider ourselves special?
My friend Greta Christina makes this point when talking about the LGBT movement,
because there are obviously a lot of parallels there.
She says that a lot of the PR campaign for LGBT issues
has been centered around this idea that
gays and lesbians are just like everybody else.
And you might have noticed that in a lot of atheist billboards as well. This idea that
we're all good without God, we are part of the broader community.
At some point,
I hope pretty much everyone who sees those billboards, sees those bus ads,
will realize that.
But if and when that happens,
it means that being an atheist,
or being gay or lesbian,
won't matter as much anymore.
What happens when no one really questions whether or not atheists are American
or trustworthy, or kind
or worth voting for?
As much as I'm fighting for that to happen,
there's a lot I would lose if people no longer cared that I don't believe in God.
I don't know what I'd talk about in these videos anymore. That's for sure.
I also don't know what I'd write about on my website.
More than anything, I think I'd missed this sort of rebellious culture that we've created.
I saw Andrew Sullivan talking about this on his website The Daily Dish a while back.
He was referring to homosexuality, but I think it applies to us, too.
He said he would feel some regret about the loss of this close-knit marginalized solidarity
he feels as a group.
But not at the expense of getting respected by everybody else.
And not at the expense of being considered part of this broader community of Americans.
Sure, atheists can always pursue other passions or fight other battles,
but religion has consumed so much of my thinking for so much of my life,
that it's hard to imagine a country where my godlessness doesn't matter anymore.
I think a lot of atheists I hear from feel the same way.
We like the label, we embrace the label in large part,
because it's not an easy one to adopt.
It's not easy to say "I'm an atheist."
Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts about this.
How would your life change
if it no longer mattered to anybody that you were an atheist?
What would be different about your life?
My name is Hemant Mehta and I write at FriendlyAtheist.com
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