This past weekend was both the Reason Rally and the American Atheists Convention. SPL spends a lot of time advocating for secularism in the pro-life movement; last weekend was a great opportunity to advocate for pro-life positions in the secular movement. SPL arranged to have a table at the convention in the hopes of reaching other “in the closet” pro-life atheists and engaging in thoughtful debate with the opposition. I was delighted to hear that both of these goals were accomplished.
But of course, not all parties were pleased. Apparently SPL’s presence bothered some people. Like…really bothered some people. It bothered some people so much, in fact, that, rather than try to hear our arguments and engage in rational debate, they’ve not only run madly to the “you all hate women!” blinders, they’ve also added on a “and you’re all secretly Christian!” bonus.*
I have to say, that second part caught me by surprise. I didn’t realize that acknowledging some of the most basic facts of human development meant that I believe in an all-knowing all-loving all-powerful Being. Weird, right?
If anything, this knee-jerk reaction to any pro-life perspective further emphasizes the need for groups like Secular Pro-life. It seems religious affiliations have become so intertwined with the pro-life movement that some people refuse to believe pro-life secularists exist at all!
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A rare photograph of the Pro-life Atheist. |
*To be fair, the linked blog post didn't specifically claim we are Christians. It just said we “weren’t entirely atheist or secular” and “lied about being atheist,” and was followed by an extended conversation about excluding “religious organizations” such as Secular Pro-life from secular events. I suppose they could be implying that we are a bunch of closet pro-life Hindus or something.