When a community comes into existence, its members are not often required to justify it. The need for the community is obvious in its formation, and the only task remaining is to determine practical and conscionable actions. However, Atheists are prodded about this issue over and over again, not by religious critics, but by other Atheists. What could a group formed by mutual disbelief accomplish?

The answer that has been rumbling among the most visible Atheist organizations is acceptance. They file lawsuits to rout religious teaching from the public sphere, and write letters to the president begging him to acknowledge the patriotism of Atheist citizens. Recently, two esteemed Atheist scholars have spearheaded attempts to engrave acceptance into the vernacular.

Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins have thrown their support behind the “brights movement,” which seeks to redefine the word bright as a person whose worldview does not include supernatural or mystical elements. Dennett explains that the homosexual community has had great success in hijacking the word gay for the purpose of societal acceptance, and Atheists can do likewise. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science has recently launched the OUT Campaign, in which Atheists are encouraged to “come out of the closet” about their position on faith, and wear T-shirts emblazoned with a scarlet ‘A.’ Although I acknowledge that accepting irreligiosity is important both to the health of our society and the happiness of Atheists, I feel strongly that these actions are fundamentally flawed.

God does not exist, I do not have a soul, and there is no supernatural force guiding the actions of men. I positively believe that my life is the sole existence that I am entitled to, and therefore I am an Atheist. Because of this, I am not capable of congregating with my fellow believers in order to discuss the moral and social problems that I inevitably face. This is not imposed on me by the religious majority, but by the lack of understanding among Atheists that organized religion provides not only salvation for the soul, but strength and support in our worldly lives. By treating Atheist organizations as nothing more than anti-religious lobbyists and book clubs we do ourselves a disservice.

When Christians attend church they do not spend their time proving to one another that Jesus is their savior, or that their beliefs are legitimated by scripture; they discuss loving their enemies, providing for the needy and the meaning of their existence.

By committing themselves on a regular basis to coming together and affirming their beliefs, they become wiser and more ready to face the tribulations of a hectic life. These religions flaunt the power of religious practice to transform lives for the better. Because it is unequivocally true that these drastic personal revolutions occur, it should be evident to Atheists that a great power is at work, not in the hand of God, but in the helping hands of our fellow man. Thus I strongly believe that Atheist communities should emphasize living a fulfilling life without God.

The stumbling block for this kind of Atheist community is disagreement. Since we have strong and independent beliefs, we are uncomfortable with discussing them when they could be disparaged by others. This problem is solved by organized religions through acquiescence to scripture and liturgical authority. Since no such body exists for Atheists, our willingness to participate decreases according to the contentiousness of an issue. This problem will dissipate as Atheistic community organizations evolve more effective means for resolving disagreements, but it requires that we commit ourselves to respecting each other and believing firmly in the need for such a community to exist and thrive.

Without this cornerstone of agreement, we cannot hope to effectively change society’s perception of us. Although the analogy between homosexual acceptance and Atheism is adequate in describing our relationship with those unlike us, it fails to realize that Atheists are currently unable to foster relationships with one another.