Millennials — Young nonbelievers build their own communities
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Young nonbelievers are coming out of the closet. Instead of hiding their views, they’re meeting to share ideas in campus groups like the Secular Students Alliance and online communities like Friendly Atheist.
- One in four Americans under age 30 are atheists or agnostics according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, while the Secular Students Alliance now boasts 150 chapters nationwide (Shift 8.17.09).
While most out atheists have traditionally been white males, that’s starting to shift. As more outlets emerge for young adults to identify as nonbelievers, freethinking women and minorities are joining their ranks as well.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- It’s not easy being an atheist in “one nation under God,” especially at a time when religious extremists are on the rise. Finding others who feel like they do frees nonbelievers to speak their minds.
Atheists are people, too. One sign that the country’s starting to move toward acceptance was President Obama’s shoutout to “nonbelievers” in his inaugural address.
Lorena Manolica
Really nice posts. I will be checking back here regularly.