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American Atheists

Questioninggeller

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May 11, 2002
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Anyone familiar with the American Atheists, a non-profit group ( www.atheists.org/ )? Are they one of the bigger critical thinking/atheist groups in the US? How is the material (journals/newsletters) they publish?
 
A professed member used to run a show on my local public access station in Columbus, Ohio, when I was growing up. That'd be the mid- to late-80s.
 
I used to be a member of American Atheists (about 4 years ago), and here's what I can remember about it:

-I think it's the largest purely atheist group in America.

-They publish a newsletter four times a year [EDIT: or maybe ten times a year?]. It's printed on a decent stock of paper for a nonprofit org, highlights protests in the recent past and near future, and has articles about various court cases. It lists the chapters of the org and any openings for directors of said chapters. The last issue I received had atheist personals on the back cover.

-They haven't updated their website's layout in YEARS.

-It's a large atheist organization, and it organizes marches and rallies, but I don't know how much change occurs as a result of its actions. I don't recall hearing much at all about AA in the news. I don't know, sometimes it seems like AA is fighting rather insignificant battles, like, "Some irrelevant TV personality said 'No atheists in foxholes', we demand an apology." The organization is a very good source for information on the atheists' legal battles and the like, but I sometimes think it focuses too strongly on petty battles.

-The membership card is way too big for my wallet.

Again, it's been a long while since I was a member of American Atheists, so I could be out of date on their recent happenings.
 
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Telepathy, you would probably have to ask them that. ;)
 
American Atheists was most famous for being run by Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the most hated woman in America. After she was murdered a few years ago, the organization has probably lost some focus. She was obnoxious, belligerent, profane, and abrasive. I don't think she has been a good thing for atheists, because although she helped make legal progress, her actions galvanized religious people's mistrust/hatred of atheists. That poll that came out recently about how atheists were the most mistrusted segment of the population in the US, behind any ethnic groups and even Muslims and homosexuals, remember that? I think that Madalyn and AA were responsible for a big part of it.

Even right there in Austin (where I think AA is based), there is another, more respected atheist organization - www.atheist-community.org .
 
By the way - the disapperance/murder of the O'Hairs (Madalyn, Robin, and John) was a fascinating real-life mystery. They disappeared, several hundred thousand dollars were missing, there was much speculation that they did what they had always talked about, packed up and moved to another country. A few years went by, then an investigator made a connection between a headless, handless corpse found near the river South of Dallas, to a missing person report from Florida, and the web started unweaving from there. It would make a great movie if the victims were more sympathetic characters.
 
CurtC said:
By the way - the disapperance/murder of the O'Hairs (Madalyn, Robin, and John) was a fascinating real-life mystery. They disappeared, several hundred thousand dollars were missing, there was much speculation that they did what they had always talked about, packed up and moved to another country. A few years went by, then an investigator made a connection between a headless, handless corpse found near the river South of Dallas, to a missing person report from Florida, and the web started unweaving from there. It would make a great movie if the victims were more sympathetic characters.
Click to expand...

A and E did a documentary on the case that they show occassionaly. Definately worth watching if it happens to be on.
 
Besides some talk about O'Hair et all causing atheists to have a bad image in the public eye, also her own son ended up being very religious and speaking out against it.

It is a very interesting story indeed.
 
T'ai Chi said:
Besides some talk about O'Hair et all causing atheists to have a bad image in the public eye, also her own son ended up being very religious and speaking out against it.

It is a very interesting story indeed.
Click to expand...
Why?

You expressed an interest, so, according to yourself, you are obliged to explain why.
 
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