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Atheists gather for ungodly bit of fun
By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer
TAMPA -- For the believers, this week means Passover seders and Easter services, matzo balls and meatless Fridays. For the skeptics, it means the 9th annual Atheist Alliance International convention at the Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore. There they stood Friday evening, about 200 atheists, led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Michael Newdow, who last year successfully challenged the pledge in California on grounds that the words "under God" were unconstitutional. They spoke in unison: "... One nation ... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." They laughed and cheered. A fiery orator named "Pastor Deacon Fred" took the podium and mocked Jesus and Baptists and Republicans. And the weekend kicked into full swing. Ed Golly, president of Atheists of Florida, said that for all their jokes, most atheists don't hold anything against true believers. "People have a negative connotation about the whole word atheist. They think we're against religion," Golly said. "What it really means is that we live without religion. We are not against it." Much more important than bickering with religious folks is trying to ensure that government stays away from God, he said. "The Constitution guarantees us separation of church and state," said Golly, a commercial illustrator from Tampa. "When we see politicians saying, 'One nation under God,' then government is really crossing the line, trying to imply we should all subscribe (to religion). "That should be a universal human right, that every government should be secular." So what do hundreds of atheists do when they get together? They take field trips, like the one Friday afternoon to the famous Virgin Mary apparition on the side of a Clearwater building. "We almost never kneel," joked Bobbie Kirkhart, president of AAI. "It's interesting how some people take a little coincidence and make a religious experience out of it." They talk about their local public access show, Atheist Forum, and their national magazine, Skeptic. They discuss starting "free thought" charter schools using government vouchers. They hand out a scholarship named after Mark Twain, who often questioned Christianity. They play board games and go to nightclubs and listen to speakers such as Richard Dawkins, a famous evolutionist, and James "The Amazing" Randi, who has a long-standing $1-million offer to anyone who can prove paranormal activity. They say anyone is welcome. There are no typical atheists. "Demographically, we're all over the map," Kirkhart said. "We probably have more men than women. And very serious scientists tend to be atheists. If you go to a meeting, you'll probably meet at least one physicist. But you don't have to be smart to be an atheist. We're not a bunch of intellectuals." And, of course, it's not by accident that the atheists plan their convention around one of the biggest religious weekends of the year. They have the perfect reason. "The hotel rates are wonderful," Kirkhart said.
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