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![The Young Atheist's Survival Guide: Helping Secular Students Thrive by [Hemant Mehta]](http://web.archive.org./web/20211211215102im_/https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rBB5j5BlL._SY346_.jpg)
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The Young Atheist's Survival Guide: Helping Secular Students Thrive Kindle Edition
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You’ll hear some of their stories in this book, whether they’re protesting their school’s public prayers at football games and graduations or sitting out the “under God” portion of the Pledge of Allegiance. These atheist students know their rights and have fought for them, sometimes at tremendous personal cost. Their examples serve as inspiration for all the young atheists out there who live in communities where school often feels no different from church and teachers are no different from preachers.
This handbook is a resource for parents, teachers, friends, and young atheists themselves. Hemant Mehta, “The Friendly Atheist” blogger at patheos.com, discusses how to deal with teachers and administrators who promote faith in public schools, handle the peer pressure and ostracism that may come with being an outspoken atheist, and create successful student groups that encourage conversation over conversion.
What people are saying about this book:
“A paean to young atheist heroes, sung and unsung, combined with a common-sense guide to organizing in your local area, The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide is the perfect handbook for an atheist teenager looking for direction, resilience, and pride.”
-- Zach Weinersmith, creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
“The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide will inform and inspire the secular and the religious alike. As young people today are increasingly identifying openly as nonbelievers and challenging longstanding societal assumptions about religion and secularity, Hemant Mehta provides valuable insight into this important phenomenon.”
-- David Niose, author of Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans
“Is bigotry toward atheists the last socially acceptable form of religious prejudice? In his stimulating exploration of youth and atheism, Mehta documents numerous instances of hostility and institutional bias high school-aged students have encountered when they embraced conscience over conformity. The conclusion is clear: When freethinkers seek to express their beliefs or exercise their “rights” in the same way as members of religious majorities, they are often stymied, if not by law, then by prejudice and social convention. Mehta offers a persuasive call to action, and his book should be of interest to all those who want to keep the public sphere open to all forms of belief and nonbelief.”
-- Katherine Stewart, author of The Good News Club
“A quiet revolution has begun in America’s high schools: godless students are coming out of the closet and standing up for their rights. Since 2010, the number of Secular Student Alliance groups at high schools has grown fivefold. Mr. Mehta brings you their stories and helps you understand the unassuming courage and patriotism of these extraordinary students, teachers, and administrators.”
-- August E. Brunsman IV, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance
“The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide is a true-to-life picture of what it’s like to be a young atheist in our society, and a call to action—not just for students, but for parents, teachers, administrators, and freethinkers at large. We’re standing on the edge of an unprecedented opportunity for secularism in this country, and Hemant points the way to get out there and make it happen.”
-- Lyz Liddell, Director of Campus Organizing, Secular Student Alliance
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 20, 2012
- File size550 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B00AB0XK2Y
- Publisher : Patheos Press (November 20, 2012)
- Publication date : November 20, 2012
- Language : English
- File size : 550 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 151 pages
- Lending : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,809 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #659 in Atheism (Kindle Store)
- #1,502 in Atheism (Books)
- #15,419 in Religion & Spirituality (Kindle Store)
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About the author
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20211211215102im_/https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81odYTXM5jL._SY600_.jpg)
Hemant Mehta is the editor of Friendly Atheist, appears on the Atheist Voice channel on YouTube, and co-hosts the uniquely-named Friendly Atheist Podcast. He is a former National Board Certified high school math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago, where he taught for for seven years. He continues to coach their Speech/forensics team.
Hemant has appeared on CNN and FOX News Channel, served on the boards for Foundation Beyond Belief (a charity organization targeting non-theistic donors) and the Secular Student Alliance (which creates and supports college atheist groups nationwide).
His blog can be read at FriendlyAtheist.com.
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He points out, “Survey after survey show a rise in the number of both non-religious and religiously-unaffiliated Americans. Atheists know this. Religious groups know this. Researchers know this. Even if they’re not happy with the results, there’s no disputing the trends.” (Pg. 18)
He argues, “There is no reason that an atheist group can’t exist at just about every public high school in this country. But we need brave students who are willing to take the lead. The law is on their side and good administrators know that. Unfortunately, administrators are only one of the obstacles to beginning atheist groups… forcing many students to restrain their religious identities because they don’t feel comfortable coming clean about their doubts.” (Pg. 34)
He points out, “There’s a very good reason younger generations tend to support same-sex marriage at a rate far higher than the general public: When you know people who are gay, you’re less likely to think there’s something ‘wrong’ with them. Similarly, if young atheists can make themselves known to their classmates, there’s a good chance atheism will become more acceptable… as they all grow older.” (Pg. 42)
He asserts, “If you’re an atheist, the most important thing you can possibly do is come out of the closet and let people know you don’t believe in god… Obviously, if your parents are forcing you to go to church each week or you risk losing your entire social network, I’m not suggesting you need to come out. But for the many young atheists out there who have the ability to do so, it is vital that you let people know you’re an atheist when opportunities present themselves.” (Pg. 81-82)
He suggests, “Journalists love stories… Can’t get a group started?... Let members of your local media know! … I’ve found it to be very accurate (if only anecdotally): when atheists do just about ANYTHING, reporters pay attention. They WANT to write about young atheists. And if there’s an actual conflict at play, it makes for an even better story. Furthermore, the media often has the ability to make things right when everyone else seems powerless against the authorities.” (Pg. 85)
He clarifies, “everything I’m suggesting here is completely legal. I’m not saying teachers should spend class time talking about why God doesn’t exist. I’m also not telling teachers to encourage students to begin an atheist group. (Even if those things were legal, I believe they would be bad ideas.) This is simply about teachers not shielding who that are from their students if they inquire about it. Some of the adults I’ve mentioned in this book… crossed the line between teaching and preaching. Atheist teachers shouldn’t stoop to their level.” (Pg. 109-110)
While young atheists may enjoy this book, it is probably even more of interest to adults with an interest in public schools.
In a fast moving and well written manner the book discusses the problems, and solutions to these problems, encountered by young American atheists in the public school system. These problems centre around discrimination by their religious school mates, and school officials. One telling example from the book was a pastor who asked his students to draw a picture of both a christian and an atheist. The students drew the christian as a happy and good man, while the atheist was depicted as a drinker, a smoker, and a bad person.
In response to this, and more generally, to meet like minded people and to discuss issues, atheist students are now forming atheist clubs across the USA. It would be warming to be able to say that school teachers and administrators unreservedly performed their job and duty and helped and encouraged these students to do so, but this is not the case. Atheist students were confronted with opposition and outright vilification by their teachers and their school bureaucracy. More so, from their fellow students and parents, some students received physical threats. No sign of "love thy neighbour". In response many students successfully called upon the USA constitution, which separates church from state, in a bid for equal recognition and acceptance.
In the USA, it is illegal for public schools to promote religion, and schools must deal equally with students of all and no faiths. More so, atheist clubs are legal entities, and must be granted the same rights and privileges as other student groups. Interestingly, students can legally chose to remain seated and not recite the oath of allegiance, as it refers to god.
The book concentrates on examples from the lives of the students concerned. Interwoven with this is the wider world, parents (there's and others), the media, lawyers, the school, the community, priests and pastors, and how these affected the struggle by the student's to form their own groups and participate in their school life. It is very sad to say that some parents disowned their children when their atheism was revealed. Happily, the book does conclude with a realistic and optimistic view of the future.
The book is both a summary of the situation to date, and a primer on how to form and foster an atheist group at school. It contains examples, contact details, and text that will help any student interested in pursuing this worthy goal.
If you are a student, the parent of a student, either in or not in the USA, or you work or have dealings with a school or students, or if you have an interest in human rights, then read this book.