Hosted by: St. James United Church of Christ
10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville, VA 20180
Phone: 540.869.6517

Presentation by Rick Wingrove and Stephanie Ragusky: Understanding the morality of atheism

“An atheist accepts that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth – for all men together to enjoy.” - Murray v. Curlett, 1959

The misrepresentation of atheism as a worldview lacking compassion and morality is often used to challenge the constitutional separation of religion from government, as we have seen in the annual courthouse “holiday display” dispute. Local members of Beltway Atheists have regularly addressed this false assumption, only to be further targeted with defamation and hostility. In fact, the moral imperative to create beloved community, as many of our faith traditions might put it, is central to atheism and a value we share in common. In the recent words of author Susan Jacoby: “Atheists do not want to deny religious believers the comfort of their faith. We do want our fellow citizens to respect our deeply held conviction that the absence of an afterlife lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth.” Small group discussion will follow presentation.