Richard Dawkins to Atheist Rally: ‘Show Contempt’ for Faith
About 20,000 atheists gathered within shouting distance of the Washington Monument on Saturday for a Reason Rally hell-bent on damning religion and mocking beliefs — and believers, too.
A full pantheon of demigods of unbelief — British scientists and full-time atheism rabblerouser Richard Dawkins was the headliner — kept a crowd of all ages on their feet for more than six hours (and counting — I left before the band Bad Religion was set to play).
Dawkins didn’t appear until five hours in to the event but few seemed discouraged by the near-constant rain or drizzle. They whistled and cheered for his familiar lines such as:
I don’t despise religious people. I despise what they stand for…
Evolution is not just true, it’s beautiful…
But when Dawkins got to the part where he calls on the crowd not only to challenge religious people but to “ridicule and show contempt” for their doctrines and sacraments, including the Eucharist which Catholics believe becomes the body of Christ during the Mass.
That was a step further than Craig Lowery, of Washington D.C., a Dawkins fan, said he’s willing to go. Lowery applauded but admitted he’s not a confrontational atheist, saying:
I might make fun of them in my head but I wouldn’t say it. Most people, religious or otherwise, are good people.
Outrage was the parlance of the day, however, for many speakers, including Reason Rally organizer and president of the American Atheists David Silverman.
He reveled in their reputation as the Marines of atheism, as the people who storm the faith barricades and bring “unpopular but necessary” lawsuits.
Silverman may have gone a bit further in his rhetoric than he perhaps intended. In a thundering call for “zero tolerance” for anyone who disagrees with or insults atheism, Silverman proclaimed, “stand your ground!”
Unfortunately, of course, the phrase “stand your ground,” is in the news this week as the legal cover for the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., last week. Under Florida’s so-called Stand Your Ground law, George Zimmerman could claim he feared Martin, a teen armed with ice tea and Skittles, would harm him.
Silverman meant a verbal, not a literal, call to arms here. Still, the line didn’t draw applause as his other take-no-insults charges did.
Several of the featured names were famous folks who sent in videos: Penn Jillette, Bill Maher, and U.S. Rep. Pete Stark sent videos. Others, popular in the Internet niche of skeptics, free-thinkers, and atheists came to the microphone to address the soggy crowds in person. A sampling:
