The Church of Atheism

Atheist social groups are sprouting up more than ever across college campuses emphasizing tolerance and proselytizing like their religious brethren. “Twenty years ago a public meeting of atheists and their allies at a large public university — attended by a friendly Methodist pastor, no less — would have been almost unthinkable. Even five years ago it would have been highly unlikely. But emboldened, in part, by best-selling books such as ‘The God Delusion’ (2006) by Richard Dawkins and ‘God is Not Great’ (2007) by Christopher Hitchens, young atheists are stepping forward, bonding with their fellow skeptics and reaching out to the religious. There were at least 195 secular student groups on college campuses in late 2009, up from only 42 in 2003, according to the Secular Student Alliance, a non-profit based in Columbus, Ohio. There are local affiliated groups at NIU in DeKalb, Elmhurst College, the Illinois Institute of Technology, DePaul University and Northwestern University.'”