Atheist

Atheists don't exits! We just imagine we exist, at least in the United States. 
#If atheists existed they would never carry bank notes in their pockets saying, "In god we trust".
#Anyone who carries bank notes with "In god we trust" inevitably must trust God. We don’t exist?
PZ believes we should be more open about being atheists. PZ Myers: We need to call ourselves atheists Those of in more tolerant communities certainly should. If you live in an intolerant part of the Bible Belt be careful.
==Shameless atheist high school kids==
Despite atheists not existing there are some atheists at high school. 
===Damon Fowler===
His parents did their best to raise Damon as a goodly Christian, they taught the boy to go to church and agree with everything their pastor told them. They taught the boy to believe in Jesus and avoid questioning. Young Damon understood all religions that aren’t about Jesus are plain wrong and not worth discussing. Despite all this as an early teen Damon succeeded in thinking for himself and stopped believing Christianity. 
#His parents did their uttermost to bring Damon back to goodly Christianity. 
#They told him he was wrong to think for himself and made him feel guilty. 
#At times they removed the Internet so Damon would learn only the goodly Christian stuff they wanted him to know. 
#They forced him to go to a 3 day virtually non-stop religious service with someone called Damon Thompson (the same first name but totally different personality) haranguing them about stuff like gays possessed by demons. Thompson harangued them about atheism being bad, Proxima Centauri hasn’t found a video of Thompson doing that but it was probably similar to the video we've found. Anyway Damon Fowler resisted this brainwashing Damon Fowler – Adventures with Indoctrination but there's a big risk other atheists are converted that way. 
Fast forward to Damon Fowler’s school graduation. The school insisted on including prayer which contravenes the United States Constitution. Atheist Damon had enough of having prayers forced onto him and involved the ACLU. After that the whole community showered Damon with Christian love. Damon got death threats, his mother tried to stop him communicating with his own brother. A group of people who disliked Damon assembled at a local church and Damon soon came to feel virtually everyone in the town where he grew up hated him. 
Threatened to contact ACLU for prayer at graduation: they seemingly backed down... His parents first held him in the house and stopped him communicating with anyone else, his sister contacted an older brother who took Damon away. Then Damon's parents cut off financial support and his mother threw out Damon’s belongings onto the front porch. Damon Fowler and the Abuse of Church/State Plaintiffs And of course what Damon is doing is all the work of Satan . High School Student Stands Up Against Prayer at Public School and Is Ostracized, Demeaned and Threatened
PZ took up the case. Why Damon Fowler is an atheist The atheist online community set up a scholarship fund so Damon can go to college and get the qualifications he needs. Damon Fowler was set to start college in Texas in the fall of 2012. Damon Fowler’s Legacy: No Prayer at His Former High School’s Graduation This Time Around
External links
*High School Student Stands Up Against Prayer at Public School and Is Ostracized, Demeaned and Threatened The first page of a very long detailed account of what happened.
*An Interview with Damon Fowler and his Brother Jerrett
==Atheist clergy==
Despite atheists not existing there are even some atheist preachers in pulpits and atheist clergy face harder problems than most. People don’t decide from one moment to the next to change long established beliefs. There’s a long period of doubting and questioning before a person recognises that he/she is an atheist and doubts can't easily be shared with the congregation. Then for atheist clergy who want to live honestly there’s how to find alternative work and pay the bills. So the chances are atheist clergy when they finally come out face accusations of leading double lives. 
===Teresa MacBain=== 
Teresa MacBain was a Methodist minister, in Tallahassee, Florida on the edge of the Bible Belt. Teresa MacBain announced dramatically at an American Atheist conference that she no longer believes in God. After that she lost her job, well that was expected. Local news media ran the story and her mailbox became filled with hate mail. Her former congregation prayed for her but it took 2 months before they let her even get her belongings back from the church. Major Threat to Religion? Clergy People Coming Out as Atheists 
From Minister To Atheist: A Story Of Losing Faith Teresa MacBain now works for American Atheists where her talents will be put to good use. PZ reported the case. Congratulations to Teresa MacBain
Still there are other atheist clergy who want to get out and funds are needed to tide them over after they've resigned, help them travel to job interviews and the like.
===Pastors of color===
Pastors who are African American, Latino or belong to other ethnic minorities have even more trouble getting out because white atheists are less inclined to help them. Some people are prejudiced and realize that, others are prejudiced without realizing it. See Black Skeptics for more.
==See also==
*Atheists should shut up because .... 
*Atheist movements
==References==
==External links==
*It’s always ten Some Christian came up with 10 questions which he (probably not she) thinks atheists can't answer. PZ answers them easily.
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Category:Atheism