The Unbearable Whiteness of Secular Studies

[AtheistCrusader]

1. Cultural difference.

This is religion.


This is atheism.


One has more baggage to study*. Atheism is an intensely personal decision and doesn't carry a lot along with it. There's humanism and various other larger piles of things to study, and if you are interested in atheists throughout history, there's some delving to do there, but it's not deep and most of them get covered in mainstream history anyway. Bayard Rustin, W. E. B. DuBois, Gwendolyn Brooks, Frederick Douglas, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes. All people of color who happened to be atheists, but their intertwining with history and culture is much deeper and more broad than the simple fact they didn't believe in god(s).

One can simply stand there and think 'do I believe in god?' and answer 'nope' and move on with their life. It's that simple. Not so simple for someone who chooses catholicism. There's some baggage, some rituals, some dogma and doctrine to digest, confirmation, etc.

You know everything you need to be an atheist, the moment you decide you don't believe in god(s). There's nothing more to it.

*There are some religions with LESS baggage than others, UU's, deists, agnostic theists of all stripes, etc.