The young atheist's survival guide : helping secular students thrive

124 Pages·2012·0.77 MB·English

by  Mehta

The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide
Helping Secular Students Thrive
Hemant Mehta
The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide:
Helping Secular Students Thrive
© 2012 Hemant Mehta
Cover design by Jenny Ashford www.jennyashford.com
ISBN 978-1-939221-06-3 (ebook)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher, Patheos Press.
This book is also available in a paperback version from Amazon.com, BN.com, and other retailers.
This book is dedicated to Courtney.
Contents
Acknowledgments
1: The Outcasts: The Backlash against Young Atheists
2: Taking Attendance: How Many Young Atheists Are There?
3: The Principal’s Office: When Administrators Attack
4: Peer Pressure: Dealing with Friends and Family Members
5: The Morning Bell: How Religion is Pushed into Public Schools
6: Homework: What Atheists Can Do to Make a Difference
7: Curriculum: Ways to Spread Friendly Atheism
8: The PTA: How Parents, Teachers, and Administrators Can Help
Young Atheists
9: Graduation: Where We Go from Here
Epilogue
Appendix: “Thoughts For Atheists at Graduation”
Resources
Copyright
Notes
Acknowledgments
Over a decade ago, I saw August Brunsman give a talk about the Secular Student
Alliance at a conference in Florida. I knew from that moment that I had to be a
part of this movement. A friend once described August as someone who turned a
“part-time hobby into a full-time career” and it’s that sort of dedication to this
cause that has inspired so many of us fortunate enough to work with him over
the years. I also want to thank his team at the Secular Student Alliance, including
Lyz Liddell, Jesse Galef, and Ashley Paramore for all they do to support young
atheists.
This is not a book that many publishers would take a chance on, but the great
staff at Patheos has championed both this book and the Friendly Atheist website
and I can't express my gratitude enough. Many thanks to Leo and Cathie
Brunnick, Dan Welch, Patton Dodd, and Kathleen Mulhern. Jana Riess took this
book past the finish line and her questions helped clarify and strengthen several
of my arguments.
As I mention in this book, many atheist teachers have a tough time at work, not
because they express their religious views at school, but because they’re atheists,
period. I’m fortunate that it’s not a problem I have to deal with thanks to an
administration that cares about what I teach my students, not about what I write
in my spare time. My colleagues, too, never let our religious differences get in
the way of our friendships. Thanks to Vanessa Liveris and Jose Zaragoza for
their constant support.
Andrew Seidel, Debbie Goddard, JT Eberhard, David Niose, Jamie Bernstein,
John Mueller, Charlotte Abney, Todd Unger, Casey Smirniotopoulos, Richard
Wade, and Michelle La Scola all offered incredibly helpful insights throughout
this process.
My family has supported the work I do even when it’s not easy for them to do
so; many atheists are not that lucky.
Finally, I extend a tremendous debt of gratitude to all the students who were
willing to speak to me on and off the record for this book. They have fought the
status quo when it comes to religion and many have paid a price for it. Still, the
fact that they challenge their friends, classmates, family members, teachers,
administrators, and communities is inspirational. If they can do it, so can the rest
of us.
1: The Outcasts
The Backlash against Young Atheists
When Nicole Smalkowski’s family moved to an eighty-acre ranch in Hardesty,
Oklahoma, a small town with a triple-digit population, making friends should
have been the least of her concerns. She was an athlete, after all, and when
you’re thirteen, playing on a sports team is supposed to be a guaranteed way to
meet new people. In the fall, Nicole made the football team at Hardesty High
School—she was the only female on the roster—and she said the boys accepted
her as one of their own.1 A few months later, her spirits high from that
experience, she tried out for and made the girls’ basketball team.
On Friday, November 19, 2004, when the final buzzer sounded on the basketball
team’s first game, instead of shaking hands with opposing team members and
saying “good game,” all the players on both teams came together and joined
hands in a circle at center court. They, along with the referees, the coaches, and
the spectators, all bowed their heads and began to recite the Lord’s Prayer. It was
a tradition that caught Nicole off-guard.
As an atheist, Nicole had no intention of reciting the prayer. It wasn’t just
because of her personal disagreement with it, but also out of respect to the other
students:
"I wouldn’t do it because it’s disrespectful to me. I think it’s disrespectful to
them [too]. Why would they want an atheist in their circle saying the Lord's
Prayer? I mean, if I was a Jew or Muslim or Hindu, I would have a problem
with that prayer.”2
Coach Ernest Cook urged Nicole to join the circle, but Nicole told him that she
didn’t believe in God. Exasperated, he told her, “Go to the locker room then.”3
The incident should have ended there, but Coach Cook felt like this “situation”
warranted further discussion. So the next day he got together with district
Superintendent David Davidson and Principal Lloyd Buckley. It was apparent to
them that Nicole needed to be punished for her disobedience. So the decision
was made: she would be kicked off the team.4 Making matters worse, none of
the adults even had the decency to tell Nicole to her face that she could no longer
play. She would have to figure that out on her own.