This post is dedicated to the blank piece of paper sitting in front of me. I stared at the paper and pondered the future of the organization I support, the movement I love and the country I miss. And I realized something: Our goals are attainable.The purpose of a for-profit corporation is money, but the purpose of a non-profit org is quite literally to go out of business because there is no need for the organization anymore. Non-profits are suicidal — They want to die. I hope I live to see the day when we close the American Atheists Center because the separation of church and state is safe, and Atheists are accepted in the population at large. We’ll have a hell of a party.I think we can do it, and I think we can do it in our lifetime. In fact, I think we can do it in 15 years. I think the momentum is so heavily on our favor right now it’s like accelerating a car down a hill with the wind at your back. We don’t even need much gas.It’s easy to say we should all cooperate, and I have some pretty good ideas on exactly how this should happen, but I think the big next step should be to get more congresspeople to come out as Atheists. It should be loud, prominent, and before the November election — we need to make it an issue. If we can get 5 congresspeople to make a statement, we could pin McBush into a heck of a corner and raise awareness at the same time.
“Our goals”???
The problem with the “organization” and the “movement” are that there are no clear goals and that American Atheists has habitually resorted to making fun of christianity and islam while occasionally threatening legal action against establishment clause violations that are brought to light.
Atheists have done alot in being more vocal in hearing themselves talk and slapping each other on the back, but we haven’t taken any steps forward in gaining a foothold in society while pushing religion to the side.
A couple popular books by Harris and Dawkins along with some conventions is no victory. Writings of Thomas Paine and Robert G Ingersoll didn’t change American society to a state of rationalism and we shouldn’t sit back and hope it happens this time because some contemporary freethinkers spoke out and got published.
Want change? Identify and set goals, make a temporary plan, start the plan, organize, adjust the plan(s) to changing circumstances, adopt successful tactics and strategies of other movements, keep focused on goals, put egos aside, organize, educate and outreach some more, set monthly, quarterly and yearly goals that support the major goals, set up a timeline of progress to work by, never give up or give in.