About a week after my rather uneventful seventeenth birthday, I tumbled into my apartment. Having just come home from a strenuous day at school, I was exhausted. The fact that I had not slept well the night before and had not had a genuine positive interaction with anyone my age certainly did not make me feel good, but the issue weighing heaviest on my mind was the grave feeling of isolation due to my godless worldview.
On paper and in the real world, it is clear that secularization is advancing. This makes me joyful, but it is accompanied by the age-old rule that you can’t critique what is time-honored and “sacred.” This silliness is only exacerbated by the growing social sensitivity. Now, many creeds are under the umbrella of ideological protection. Despite the growing secular youth, as a young and proud atheist, I fear that modern social norms about tolerance—even when what you are tolerating does not tolerate you—will quell rational progress. This can feel really overwhelming.
I had been peeking around the internet looking for different atheist groups in my area. The vast majority seemed to be inactive, and the active ones seemed to be above my head in their level of stature. I was aware of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the work they have been doing tirelessly since their founding in 1976 by Dan Barker, Anne Nicol Gaylor, and Annie Laurie Gaylor. I had seen a clip of the awesome mother and daughter duo on the Oprah Show back in 1984. I found their resilience and communicative ability to be aspirational.
In a moment of frustration, I called FFRF, hoping to find local groups of like-minded people. I had a long and emotional conversation with a kind man working at the organization in Madison, Wisconsin, where they are based. Ultimately, not much came of the phone call, but I did come away with a renewed appreciation for this organization, and I’ve continued to follow them closely ever since.
In the larger picture, FFRF is so important. When you visit the FFRF website, at the top it says, “Report a Violation.” This is in regard to church/state violations. In America, people are way too comfortable undermining the right that all people have, that is to engage in their beliefs and, more commonly in the case of FFRF, to not be compelled to engage in the dominant Christian ideology.
With the growing conservative sympathies that breed “Judeo-Christian” tenderness, combined with the growing Islamic frenzy and cultural sensitivities, being a passionate advocate of our 1st Amendment rights can feel daunting. My daily dose of positivity regarding this matter is keeping up with the seemingly small but vitally important work that FFRF does. Following their Instagram page, I saw that not too long ago, FFRF was responsible for removing a cross in a post office.
Strides like these are vital to protecting our society and respecting our founding principles. For anyone feeling similarly isolated or overwhelmed, keep up with secular communities and be sure to engage in challenging conversations. We deserve it, our nation deserves it, and our future deserves it!
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Emma Muniz is the Editorial Assistant at Atheists for Liberty and a high school student based in New York City.