near one in five Americans now name themselvesas being scrupulously unaffiliated — a figure that ’s been on the ascent for the preceding two decade . But as atheist and non - religious folk increasingly step out of the closet , many still feel marginalise — and even a bit threatened — by a larger religious society wary of their growing bearing . The required next step , says Todd Stiefel , is to make atheism a civic right hand issue . And he ’s putting his money where his mouthpiece is .
To date , Stiefel , a 38 - twelvemonth - old former Catholic from Raleigh , North Carolina , has poured $ 3.5 million of his own dollar into various atheist organizations , including American Atheists , the American Humanist Association , the Secular Coalition for America , and many others . If you ’ve seen those tacky atheistical billboard , or news clips encouraging atheists to tread up , then you ’ve belike seen his money at workplace .
Dan Merica from CNNrecently address to Stiefel , at which time he made his goal very clean .
“ What I am trying to carry through is multifold , ” he tell Merica . “ I consider myself working on the next civil par movement , just like womanhood ’s rights , LGBT right hand and African - American Civil Rights . We are still in the other stages of reject discrimination against atheist and humanists . That is something I really want to accomplish . ”
To that last , he found theStiefel Freethought Foundation , an institute that funds atheist rally ( like the Reason Rally ) and helps clergy members who are in dubiety leave the church ( via the Clergy Project ) .
Stiefel , who made his one thousand thousand after the family byplay was sell to GlaxoSmithKline , decided to use his money to advocate for atheism , what he run across as the “ most rich way to help humanity . ”
Merica indite :
One of Stiefel ’s major conjunctive contributions in the last three year was the Reason Rally , an issue carry on the National Mall in Washington , which was billed as a watershed moment in the atheism movement . The end of the event was to show to spiritual Americans that godlessness was a hefty nonage in American life .
The rally drew a number of high - visibility speakers , admit Richard Dawkins , the writer of “ The God Delusion , ” and thousands of attendant , despite rainy conditions .
In his speech to the crowd , Stiefel peach about what he go out as the most authoritative problem face godlessness : “ secernment comes from ignorance , and in this case it is ignorance about our impression , ” he said . “ We are secern freethinkers believe in nothing , but that ’s a misunderstanding . We trust in a quite a little of thing ; we do n’t all trust the same thing . ”
To his credit , Stiefel has helped atheist group raise money for other suit , including two huge donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society last year . And interestingly , he ’s work to bridge the disruption between atheist and spiritual communities in the name of Jacob’s ladder .
“ We welcomed Christians , as well , ” he said . “ Some of our big fundraiser were Christians . ”
Read Dan Merica’sentire articleat CNN .
Here ’s the speech that Stiefel gave at the Reason Rally last twelvemonth :
Image courtesy Bruce Press Photography via CNN .
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