The Atheist Movement Has One Job

“This is the atheist movement’s one job: to help people navigate the world and find meaning, purpose, and community in a society that has long depended on a god-belief for these ends.”

Thomas Sheedy, founder of Atheists for Liberty, recently joined me for a discussion about the future of the atheist movement. It makes for an interesting topic, given that atheism is defined by a lack of a belief in something rather than an affirmative set of beliefs. But I get it: Atheists tend to view religious beliefs as harmful to individuals and society, so they advocate against people following such beliefs.

At one level, the atheist movement is thriving as more and more people are abandoning traditional religion. But it is difficult to say that this is happening due to the efforts of a “movement” rather than the general process of society secularizing. Decades ago, prominent atheist authors such as Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins took atheism mainstream, where it remains. That boulder only needed to be lifted once. So what is the point of the atheist movement now?

The typical justification for an ongoing atheist movement is that a concerted effort is required to safeguard the separation between church and state in the United States. This is, indeed, front and center in Atheists for Liberty’s mission statement. The organization also seeks to normalize atheism, preserve free thought, safeguard secularism, and advance individual liberty. These are all important projects. But, again, there is a case to be made that these values will advance irrespective of a formal movement of proud atheists.