South Carolina Needs Stronger Secular Communities to Accommodate Growing Population of Non-Believers
- Robert Perrell
- Jan 20, 2020
- 11 min read
Updated: Feb 21, 2020
Columbia, SC. Leaving religion is a powerful decision for many people, often times forcing individuals to leave their families and communities behind. As the population of non-believers continue to rise in this country, the lingering question involves how to build communities designed for this emerging group. In Columbia, SC, there is a growing number of people seeking to answer that question by creating a Secular Community that can act as a beacon for non-believers in this overwhelmingly devout part of the country.
These communities are growing nationwide as well, the Atheist Community of Austin’s weekly call-in show has over 300 thousand subscribers on YouTube. However, other areas without the same resources and support continue to struggle. Improvements are welcome, and it is important to take note of what a community should provide non-believers. This becomes crucial when developing a distinctive identity of what all Secular Communities should resemble in the future.
Secular Communities Bring Non-Believers Together
Bringing together a Secular Community is rarely easy, best-selling author and evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, famously compares organizing atheists to “herding cats” because of the individualistic and independent nature of non-believers. Atheism, agnosticism and non-belief are not political affiliations and do not carry a certain set of standards or moral guidelines.
“At the end of the day, what I am saying when I say that I am an atheist, is that I am not convinced that a God exists,” said Matt Dillahunty, the president of the Atheist Community of Austin, during a video on his YouTube Channel titled Atheist Debates.
This summation of the term really defines what it means to be an atheist and nothing more. New non-believers entering the fray are often left with a sense of isolationism and an overwhelming identity crisis as they begin to “come out”.
Strong Secular Communities help these individuals find safe spaces and provide them the necessities to continue their journey toward a life without religion. In Columbia, there are several organizations working towards this goal, but finding a commonality among members can be difficult. Despite this, there are a few basic tenants which exist in the Secular Community that most members can agree.
As Dillahunty points out in his video, the basic idea of atheism is merely the answer to the ultimate question about a deity, however, many atheists, agnostics and non-believers subscribe to Secular Humanism, which has become a moral compass for many in the community.
The American Humanist Association (AHA), an organization which fights for non-believer rights, describe humanism as a set of morals that derive from an understanding that we all share a common humanity. An excerpt from Steven Schafersman’s definition, can be found on the AHA website and best sums up the idea of Humanism.
“Humanists stand for the building of a more humane, just, compassionate, and democratic society using a pragmatic ethics based on human reason, experience, and reliable knowledge. An ethics that judges the consequences of human actions by the well-being of all life on Earth." -Steven Schafersman.
The term “freethought” also has been used often in religious communities, including ones found in Columbia. Freethought incorporates philosophical ideals such as logical, reason and skepticism, and is unbound by the constraints of religion. This is why the term is often used in describing local Secular Communities, and according to Annie Gaylor, the co-president of Freedom from Religion Foundation, honors labels from the past.
“The term freethought goes back to the 19th century, and while atheism has been turned into a pejorative in recent times, freethought is still ours, something that we can use without judgement or preconception,” said Gaylor.
Whether a person identifies as an Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist or Freethinker, one thing is clear, the population of non-religious are increasing in the United States. A recent Pew Research Study found the number of non-religious to be 26%, representing a larger portion of the population than Catholics, Mormons, and Jewish combined.
This growing population of non-believers is young, as well as socially and politically motivated. In a strong Secular Community, they can find peers and socialize with people who think as they do, which can help them better understand their own motivations. This gives non-believers a better sense of identity and helps them discover their place within this new secular worldview.
Rebecca Keilty, a new member of the Secular Community, is attempting to determine which labels she should inherit, something that many non-believers are faced with.
y“I’m not really into labels, I don’t like putting myself in that box but at the same time I can definitely see how these can be important in understanding the differences in community members,” said Keilty.
The Secular Community is not comprised of a homogenous group of people and represents all kinds of backgrounds, education levels and motivations. Recent studies have attempted to break down non-believers even more, labeling several categories of the Secular Community in an effort to better understand the characteristics of each group. One study performed by researchers from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, conducted extensive interviews with non-believers, determining that there are six different types.
1. Intellectual Atheist/Agnostic (IAA). This group is the most common among the interviews conducted during the study and include individuals who have a desire to educate themselves about various components of truth and non-belief. These individuals often are well versed in Secular authors, books, videos, podcasts and other forms of media about theism and non-theism.
2. Activists (AAA). This type is socially active, often equating their non-belief with proactive and vocal issues as they relate to the current socio-political environment. It is common for this group to collaborate with other organizations or movements in an attempt to support social awareness.
3. Seeker-Agnostic (SA). This group often affirms the difficulties of making personal decisions about beliefs and spirituality. They are often open minded in debates and understand the personal aspect of belief and recognize the limitations of science.
4. Anti-Theist. This type is attributed to the “New Atheist” movement and can often be assertive in their non-belief and involve themselves in religious and non-religious pursuits. This group adamantly believes that the failures of religion should be “aggressively addressed” whenever able.
5. Non-Theist. This type represents the smallest group interviewed and has an inherent apathy toward the question of religion. They do not believe in a deity, and this belief has no impact on their worldview.
6. Ritualistic Atheist/Agnostic (RAA). This group lacks belief in a God or deity, but still takes part in the ritualistic aspects of religion. Their religious identity is often tied to their culture, much like many Jewish or Catholic communities.
While identifying with these labels are not a priority for many non-believers, understanding these differences are fundamental in creating a strong Secular Community. Despite a person’s type or whether they adhere to free thought, humanism, or something else, most still desire a safe space, social belonging and identity. An effective Secular Community can provide that and give a better sense self-awareness about who they are as a non-believer.
Secular Communities Support Non-Believers
Before Secular Communities can take hold, work must be done to help those with the emotional scars from religion. Many of these individuals leave a variety of religious backgrounds, including various forms of Christianity such as Evangelicals, Catholics, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. These different religious sects can each employ their own levels of trauma and suffering on an individual.
This is why psychologist, Dr. Darrell Ray founded Recovering from Religion, a non-profit organization devoted to helping people with religious trauma. Recovering from Religion helps numerous people confront their emotions about religion, whether they are already non-religious or just beginning to question their religion.
“Every human has their own journey, including religious indoctrination as well as emotional and psychological difficulties…our goal is to help them heal from the emotional consequences of religion,” said Ray.
Recovering from Religion also helps fill the void that many local atheist organizations leave behind. They act as a pathway for new non-believers to address their concerns and find support in transitioning away from religion, something that according to Ray, local groups were struggling with.
“In the beginning we found that many people desperately needed a support structure to deal with the religious baggage, and I realized that local secular groups were doing a horrible job of meeting those needs,” said Ray.
He understood what was happening on the local level was natural. As people move away from religion and begin feeling comfortable as a non-believer, they spend less time focusing on the struggles of new members of the community.
“The people that contact our organization often need help recovering from the emotional consequences of religion, local secular groups are rarely set up to handle those kinds of demands,” said Ray.
Recovering from Religion trains their volunteers to meet these needs and their system is built so that no matter the denomination or type of trauma, the person answering the phone can help. According to Ray, his organization answers calls from over 75 different countries every year, representing many religions, including Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and of course, Christians, and have different protocols on how to handle each call.
The rigorous training follows a fairly strict vetting process, as potential volunteers are interviewed and put through a series of questionnaires about their intentions. Once approved, training begins on how to handle specific situations as well as instruction on how to avoid trying to “convert” callers.
“These volunteers don’t try to achieve expertise in any one area, instead, they are more like swiss army knives, capable of listening to a variety of people and getting them help they need,” said Ray.
Organizations like Recovering from Religion are an extremely useful resource for Secular Communities, but Ray says that more could be done on the local level to support those new to the community who are seeking a place to belong.
He specifically mentioned Oasis, a weekly gathering of non-religious individuals in the Houston area where he lives. Oasis is part of the Sunday Assembly movement, which found its roots in the United Kingdom, and is very similar to weekly church services, except for the lack of religion and faith involved. Attendees listen to TED talk style lectures and are able to socialize with like-minded individuals, and according to Ray, that can have a huge impact on growing strong Secular Communities and establishing a support structure.
“By meeting every Sunday, it is much easier to build a community, people can interact and become familiar with one another, and the key is childcare. You can’t get families to show up without childcare, even families need support in the non-believer community,” said Ray.
Secular Communities Advocate for Non-Believers
As non-believers learn to become more comfortable with their beliefs and motivations, the Secular Community must then advocate for their rights. These advocates have a huge impact on both local and national levels as they try to change and protect policies that impact the community.
Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) represents one of these advocates and continually works to preserve the constitutional statute of church and state separation.
“Our simple purpose is to defend and uphold the constitution, and a secular constitution requires there to be a separation of church and state,” said co-president Gaylor.
Gaylor’s mother helped found FFRF in the 1970’s and, due to its non-profit status, derives its funding through membership dues and donations. According to Gaylor, FFRF sends out over a thousand letters each year in response to complaints filed by members of the organization.
These complaints generally include public violations on the local level in small towns and governments. These violations are critical to preserving the idea of religious freedom, which include theists, something that Gaylor says many people get wrong.
“People have to understand that you cannot truly be free with religion in government. The constitution protects everyone from that, both the religious and non-religious,” said Gaylor.
FFRF has grown so much over the years that they can now hire full time attorneys that tackle even bigger issues. Some include religious intrusion into schools and other public arenas, which Gaylor says used to be black and white.
“The law used to always be on our side in schools, but now with the recent Supreme Court appointments, everything is in danger,” said Gaylor.
FFRF is working closely with the American Humanist Association (AHA), an organization which defends non-believers in court when their rights are in jeopardy. Their most recent case heard by the Supreme Court and its newest appointees highlighted the challenge non-believers will face in the future.
The case involved a 40-foot cross which was displayed on public property in Maryland. The AHA lawyers took the case all the way to the Supreme Court which, in a landmark decision, ruled that the cross did not convey religious meaning because of its age. Sarah Henry, who is the communications associate for the AHA, talked about the impact of that case.
“The justices were forced to make comparisons that were simply not good comparisons, some of the justices don’t even feel that the establishment clause should apply to individual states, these kinds of rulings hurt everyone,” said Henry.
The establishment clause is a section of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution and prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress, restricting it from making any law that favor one religion over another. This is incredibly important in maintaining the freedoms of everyone. According to Henry, fighting these injustices does not mean AHA and similar organizations are against religion.
“That is one of the biggest misconceptions that we come across from people, that being non-religious means that someone is anti-religious,” said Henry.
Whether it is Supreme Court cases or just a local policy, it is clear that non-believers need organizations like FFRF and AHA protecting their rights. According to Gaylor, strong Secular Communities should work to create more local advocacy and become vigilant about policies that could violate their rights.
“Keep up to date on local bills and more obvious impacts of church and state issues, get out there and be an activist,” said Gaylor.
Secular Communities Motivate Non-Believers
As the Secular Community grows in Columbia and around the country, many individuals are finding time to give back through various forms of altruism, volunteering and outreach.
Steve Weston, who is the founder of the local branch of Atheist Alliance Helping the Homeless, works tirelessly to provide resources for the local homeless community. Weston’s organization provides items such as shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and other toiletries once a month at Finley Park in downtown Columbia.
Weston’s actions not only help the homeless community but also the local perception of non-believers in Columbia.
“No matter what you call yourself, Atheist, Agonistic, Secular Humanist, I just think there are a lot of people like that in Columbia, and part of what we are doing is reaching out to them and changing how Atheists are viewed,” said Weston.
Chad Aldamuy hosts several events each month for Freethought Society of the Midlands, a local non-religious group in Columbia. Aldamuy volunteers his time setting up and planning these events. Recently, he worked with the Interfaith Partners of South Carolina (IPSC) on a trivia night for both religious and non-religious communities.
“I have gone through a lot of material that I think can contribute to a healthy discussion, and if I can do it, not doing it would seem like a dereliction of duty,” said Aldamuy.
The idea behind these events are to bring the community together and bond, much in the way of other events like Oasis and Sunday Assembly. While those brands have not made their way to Columbia yet, people like Aldamuy are working hard and volunteering their time to make the community as close as possible. And working with groups like the IPSC helps change how that community is viewed in Columbia.
“Sometimes the best way to have a stable society is when people know each other, particularly people that don’t necessarily agree or understand each other. And the easiest way to do that is to educate yourself and sometimes just simple emersion, simply dealing with the very people that are just a label in our minds, but you forget they are living, breathing human beings,” said Aldamuy.
Reaching out to more non-believers is also a priority for the Secular Community, and that is where local podcaster, Christopher Maness shines. His YouTube channel, Palmetto Atheus, attempts to educate people on misconceptions about non-believers and help them understand the flaws in religion.
“I hope to educate other people on atheism and why many of us no longer believe in a deity, and again have good reasons, I believe we should always have good reasons in why we believe what we believe,” said Maness.
Strong Secular Communities provide many resources for non-believers; ideal places for them to find strength and support. The current communities in South Carolina are doing many things right but there is room to improve. As the population of non-believers continue to flourish here and throughout the United States, these communities will need to grow and develop with them, creating safe spaces for non-believers to thrive.
For more news and information about the local Secular Community here in Columbia, visit The Secular Shepherd or follow us on Twitter @SecularShepherd.
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