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The gospel according to Ed

He rails like a preacher against injecting God into government. Who'd guess that Ed Golly dates a Christian and spares household bugs?

PALMA CEIA - Strangers call for his extermination. Big Brothers rejected his application after learning he was an atheist. And more than once, his beliefs have cost him job offers.

But sing no sad songs for Ed Golly.

As arguably the best known atheist in Florida, he welcomes the challenges. As he sees it, religion is an intellectual plague on the world.

For more than a decade, Golly, 51, has been at the center of nearly every major religious debate involving atheism in Florida. He's the guy council member John Dingfelder invited to give the invocation at a Tampa City Council meeting last month. (Golly deferred to Michael Harvey because he wants the public to know that there is more than one atheist in town.)

Although battle-hardened, Golly said the council's reaction took him by surprise.

"I suppose I didn't realize that religion still generates the degree of hostility and divisiveness that it does," said Golly, referencing the three council members who walked out during the invocation. "And that, coming from people in government, is just unfathomable to me. This is supposed to be an upscale city."

To call Golly passionate about atheism is an understatement. Get him talking about prayer in schools or the influence of religion on government and he takes on the tone of an enthusiastic preacher. When he tells Bible stories - only in an effort to disprove them - he raises his voice and flails his arms to illustrate his points.

Perhaps that is the byproduct of decades of holding his tongue. A Tampa native, Golly grew up in a family of quiet atheists. His father, a band leader who played high-society events, kept mum about atheism for fear of losing jobs.

The family did not openly object when Golly had to learn the Beatitudes in fourth grade. If asked, he should say he was Presbyterian, his parents told him.

When he was 30, Golly found inspiration in Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whose Supreme Court case led to removal of organized prayer in public schools. If she could share her atheist beliefs without fear, so would he.

Golly joined O'Hair's American Atheists organization and soon became active on the national board of directors. When local chapters began to fizzle in 1992, Tampa Bay atheists decided to continue meeting with Golly. Their group became part of the Atheists of Florida. Golly serves as chairman and treasurer.

These days, Golly's father exudes pride when asked about his son's activist work. But he wishes Ed would quit trying to convince everyone that church and state issues should remain completely separate.

"It's like killing all the flags in St. Pete," said Jack Golly, 82, in an off-the-cuff remark about the Herculean nature of his son's mission. "You'll never conquer it."

Although Ed Golly's work on behalf of atheism is time consuming - he writes a newsletter and produces a weekly public access television show - he is not a professional atheist. Golly earns a living as an illustrator and painter of architectural renderings.

Plenty of people who cross Golly's path find him offensive, particularly when he rails against Christianity.

But ask Golly's friends to describe him, and words like caring, generous and sensitive spill out, along with examples: He picks up the tab when dining out with a group. Instead of killing roaches, he takes them outside and sets them free. And since his ex-girlfriend, Michelle Bearden, was away during the advance of Hurricane Charley, Golly and his current love spent about six hours securing Bearden's South Tampa home.

"I didn't even have to call him," said Bearden, a religion reporter for the Tampa Tribune and WFLA-TV Ch. 8. (Yes, a religion reporter. Imagine the discussions.)

Golly also has a soft spot for animals. He and Bearden share custody of Foxy, Bearden's mutt. When Golly flies his Cessna, Foxxy (Golly believes passionately in the existence of a second "x") sits at his side, wearing a tailor-made first officer's pilot shirt. Golly says the dog, not God, is his co-pilot.

The unexpected, it seems, is quintessential Golly. He enjoys Christmas parties and listens to conservative talk radio shows. And his current girlfriend is a Christian.

"The fact that he doesn't believe in God doesn't disturb me," said Stephanie Ferrell, 56, an architect who has dated Golly for six years.

His atheism has helped her to better understand her own beliefs, and she considers that a gift, she says.

Golly, meanwhile, celebrates small victories. Pleased that the City Council fracas brought attention to atheism, he hopes that one day even the most devout believers will respect rather than ridicule atheists.

"I hope that we're helping that trend to happen," Golly said. "We don't need to be afraid. We don't need to hide in the closet. We shouldn't."

- Sherri Day can be reached at 813 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com

AGE: 51

CLAIM TO FAME: Chairman and treasurer, Atheists of Florida.

PASSIONS: Protecting the environment.

ENJOYS: Watching Laurel & Hardy movies. He's a member of the local fan club.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Cooking omelets for friends at an annual Christmas Party.

COLLECTS: Oldies albums. Has more than 400 LPs.

IN HIS WILL: A donation to the Tampa Theatre.

HIDDEN TALENTS: Juggles, rides a unicycle and makes homemade greeting cards.

CAN'T MISS: Cocktail hour, every day at 5 p.m. Golly takes a Manhattan. His cat, Rooney, gets cheese and cold cuts.