Out Campaign#Openly Secular
{{Short description|Public awareness initiative for freethought and atheism}}
The Out Campaign is a public awareness initiative for freethought and atheism in the US. It was initiated by Robin Elisabeth Cornwell, and is endorsed by Richard Dawkins, a prominent atheist.{{Cite web|url=http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/component/content/article/37-static/887-the-amazing-meeting-8-2010-speakers-and-performers.html|title = James Randi Educational Foundation}} The campaign aims to create more openness about being an atheist by providing a means by which atheists can identify themselves to others by displaying the movement's scarlet letter A, a scarlet colored capital "A" in the Zapfino typeface, and an allusion to the scarlet letter A worn by Hester Prynne, the protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, after she is convicted of adultery .[http://www.christianity.com/11555977/ Religion Must Be Destroyed, Atheist Alliance Declares by Matt Purple] It encourages those who wish to be part of the campaign to come out and re-appropriate, in a humorous way, the social stigma that in some places persists against atheism, by branding themselves with a scarlet letter.
Campaign
{{cquote|... there is a big closet population of atheists who need to come out.|20|20|Richard Dawkins|2007{{cite web
|url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2180660,00.html
|title=Atheists arise: Dawkins spreads the A-word among America's unbelievers
|author=MacAskill, Ewen
|date=2007-10-01
|access-date=2007-12-30
|publisher=The Guardian
|work=Guardian Unlimited
}}}}
File:Reason Rally DC 2012 (7017939409).jpg
Cornwell has stated that the gay rights movement was a source of inspiration for the campaign.{{cite web
|title=Dawkins to preach atheism to US
|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3087486.ece
|work=The Sunday Times
|author=Chittenden, Maurice
|author2=Waite, Roger
|publisher=Times Newspapers Ltd.
|date=2007-12-23
|access-date=2007-12-30
}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The campaign, however, encourages one to "out" only oneself; it invites atheists to:
- Reach out and talk to others about atheism and help spread a positive view of atheism
- Speak out about their own beliefs and values without feeling intimidated, thus helping people realize that atheists don't fit stereotypes and are a very diverse group
- Keep out, meaning to promote the idea that religion should be kept out of public schools and government, and that nobody's religious agenda should be allowed to intimidate
- Stand out and become visible in their communities and become involved. An offshoot of Stand out is the Non-Believers Giving Aid campaign, which has raised money to help out in the aftermath of disaster. The A+ symbol used in the campaign refers to Atheists Standing out for their activism in social and humanitarian efforts.
The campaign produces discreet attire that is centered on the scarlet "A", and the term "OUT" which is usually typographically isolated from the rest of the containing phrase. There is no overt mention of atheism other than the use of the symbols. The "A" is one of the most popular symbols for atheism in current usage.{{cite web
|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Symbols_of_atheism| title=Symbols of atheism |access-date=2011-09-03}} Nonetheless, American Christian organizations have begun to respond: the campaign has even been called "a wake-up call" for Christians.{{cite web
|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/dawkin-s-call-to-atheists-in-the-closet-is-a-christian-wake-up-call-28864/
|title=Dawkins' Call to Atheists 'in the Closet' is a Christian Wake-Up Call
|date=2007-08-11
|access-date=2018-05-18
|work=The Christian Post
}}
The campaign produced T-shirts, hoodies, bumper stickers, stickers, and lapel pins sold through Richard Dawkins's online store, with the proceeds going to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.{{cite web
|url=http://richarddawkins.net/article,1467,OUT-Campaign-Launched-Scarlet-Letter-Shirts-Now-Available,RichardDawkinsnet
|title=OUT Campaign Launched, 'Scarlet Letter' Shirts Now Available!
|work=RichardDawkins.net
|date=2007-07-28
|access-date=2007-12-30
|archive-date=2008-07-09
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709001039/http://richarddawkins.net/article,1467,OUT-Campaign-Launched-Scarlet-Letter-Shirts-Now-Available,RichardDawkinsnet
|url-status=dead
}}
Openly Secular
In 2014, reflecting an approach similar to the "coming out" strategy of the gay rights movement, a group called Openly Secular was formed to encourage nonreligious and non-theistic Americans to be open about their personal secularity. The group states its mission "is to eliminate discrimination and increase acceptance by getting secular people – including atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, humanists and nonreligious people – to be open about their beliefs."{{cite web|url=http://www.openlysecular.org/about|title=Openly Secular|work=openlysecular.org}} In one video produced for the group, comedian and television personality Bill Maher urges atheists to be open about their religious skepticism, dismissing the Bible as a book "based on ancient myths."{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/bill-maher-urges-atheists-to-speak-up-knocks-the-bible-as-book-based-on-ancient-myths-in-new-ad-for-openly-secular-132831/|title=Bill Maher Urges Atheists to Speak Up; Knocks the Bible as Book Based on 'Ancient Myths' in New Ad for Openly Secular|work=Christian Post|date=20 January 2015 }}
See also
{{Portal|Religion}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150516170535/http://www.outcampaign.org/ Official website], archived 16 May 2015
- [http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org/ Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science]
- {{cite podcast|url=http://dogmafreeamerica.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=246127 |title=#36 - Interview Josh Timonen |website=LibSyn |publisher=Dogma Free America |date=Aug 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527030626/http://dogmafreeamerica.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=246127 |archive-date=May 27, 2008 }}
- [https://openlysecular.org/ Openly Secular Home]
{{New Atheism}}
{{Richard Dawkins}}