Religion News Service
WASHINGTON, March 2012 (RNS): Atheists and nonbelievers gathered on the National Mall Saturday (March 24) in a bid to show politicians, voters and even themselves that they have grown into a force to be recognized and reckoned with.
“We are here to deliver a message to America,” David Silverman, president of American Atheists, one of the rally’s sponsors, told the crowd. “We are here and we will never be silent again.”
Jesse Galef, a spokesman for the Reason Rally, said diversity is a major goal of its 20 nontheistic sponsoring organizations. “We can’t succeed if we are only coming from one demographic,” he said.
The rally’s speakers touched on many issues that unite nontheists — separation of church and state, science education, equality, rights for women and the influence of religion on politics, among them. Politics was a common theme, as many nontheists are concerned about the fundamentalist beliefs of some Republican presidential candidates.