Atheists in America / edited by Melanie E. Brewster ; cover designer, Catherine Casalino.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Brewster, Melanie E., editor.

Casalino, Catherine, cover designer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Atheists--United States--Biography.

Atheists.

Atheism--United States.

Atheism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (271 p.)

Edition:

Pilot project,eBook available to selected US libraries only

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This collection features more than two dozen narratives by atheists from different backgrounds across the United States. Ranging in age, race, sexual orientation, and religious upbringing, these individuals address deconversion, community building, parenting, and romantic relationships, providing a nuanced look at living without a god in a predominantly Christian nation. These narratives illuminate the complexities and consequences for nonbelievers in the United States. Stepping away from religious belief can have serious social and existential ramifications, forcing atheists to discover new ways to live meaningfully without a religious community. Yet shedding the constraints of a formal belief system can also be a freeing experience. Ultimately, this volume shows that claiming an atheist identity is anything but an act isolated from the other dimensions of the self. Upending common social, political, and psychological assumptions about atheists, this collection helps carve out a more accepted space for this minority within American society.

Contents:

Front matter

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION. The Other Closet: An Introduction to Atheism and Coming Out Processes

PART 1. LEAVING FAITH

Arriving at Atheist Identity from Religious Backgrounds

1. HOW I GOT TO NONE OF THE ABOVE / Burstein, Alvin

2. RELIGION AND THE F-WORD (FEMINISM) / Lynnette

3. CLAP OUR HANDS LIKE TREES / Matallana, Chris

4. EX-MORMON / Judd, Cora

PART 2. CULTURAL CONTEXTS IN COMING OUT AS ATHEIST

Introduction

5. AN UNEXAMINED LIFE / Cabelle, Naima

6. USER ERROR: COMING OUT AS ATHEIST IN UTAH / Mouritsen, James

7. THE NAMES WE CALL HOME / Mirza, Shawn

8. A LIFE OF CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS / Hoelscher, David

PART 3. TWO CLOSETS? Identifying as Both LGBTQ and Atheist

9. A TALE OF TWO CLOSETS / Mills, Stephen S.

10. THE PERMANENT PRODIGAL DAUGHTER / Connelly, Sherilyn

11. FAR FROM HOME / Norris, David Philip

PART 4. AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

Navigating Romantic Relationships as an Atheist

12. AN ATHEIST'S SIMPLE REVELATION ABOUT LOVE: IT'S COMPLICATED / Sahker, Ethan

13. SWEPT UNDER THE RUG / Rurouni, Kristen

14. ON LOVE AND CREDULITY / Hart, Matt

PART 5. FAMILY LIFE AND ATHEIST PARENTING

15. DINNER WITH GRANDMA / Adams, Ronnelle

16. PARENTING AUTHENTICALLY IN AN INTERFAITH MARRIAGE / Zimmerman, Kevin J.

17. HAVING A BABY MADE ME AN ATHEIST / Watkins, Amy

18. BORN SECULAR / Fagan, Adrienne Filardo

PART 6. THE SEARCH FOR CONNECTION

Coming Out to Friends and Questing for Community

19. SLOW GROWTH / Humphrey, Justus

20. AN ATHEIST IN THE BIBLE BELT / Friedel, Brittany

21. COMING OUT AND FINDING HOME / Zerba, Pam

PART 7. ATHEISM AT WORK

Tales of Coming Out to Coworkers and Colleagues

22. IS THIS THE WAY TO AMARILLO? / Needleman, Samuel W.

23. CRACKING OPEN THE CLOSET DOOR / Ortiz, Camilo

24. MY FAVORITE ATHEIST / Douma, John

PART 8. ATHEISM AND AGING

The Challenges of Entering Older Adulthood as a Nonbeliever

25. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED / Raabe, Ursula

26. A CONTRARIAN LIFE STORY / Clemens, Elizabeth Malm

27. DARK MATTER AND MISSING SOCKS / Bennett, Margaret M.

Concluding Thoughts: The Open Door

Notes

Bibliography

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780231537001

023153700X

OCLC:

879610848