They're calling it, without flinching, the Godless Americans March on Washington.
They could have called it the Atheist Americans March but that doesn't have the same ring, says Ellen Johnson. Besides, she suggests, why shrink from a term that only the non-godless see as a damning insult.
Johnson is president of American Atheists Inc., the national organization founded by arch-atheist Madalyn O'Hair in 1963. Johnson is chairwoman of the march, and she will be in Salt Lake City Oct. 5-6 to speak up for atheist activism. She will also encourage silent atheists to come out of the closet and take a stand for freedom from religion.
Already, says Johnson, the godless are forming bus caravans around the country, in preparation for the Nov. 2 march. She estimates that several thousand people will attend. "Give or take a thousand," she said with a chuckle, knowing that the problem is that the godless aren't as well organized as the religious.
But this is just the beginning, Johnson says. "Our message to America is, 'We're organizing, we're serious.' "
Invitations have gone to every member of Congress to attend the march, she says. Not that she expects many, if any, members of Congress will show up.
"That's our fault," Johnson said. Politicians court big blocks of voters, and that's why atheists need to vocally stand up and be counted, she says. In 2001 there were 902,000 atheists, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. (To her way of thinking, Johnson says, all Americans are godless because there is no God.)
Anyone who is concerned that atheists' rights are not protected should let their elected officials know, she says. They should donate money to atheist candidates. They should run for office themselves.
"There's a lot of dissatisfaction in America with what's going on," she said, "whether it's about faith-based initiatives, harassment of atheists in the workplace, or our children under siege in the public schools.
"We're not afforded the same protections and rights, in some instances, as other Americans," she said. "The federal Civil Rights Act doesn't have any accommodation for atheists."
Johnson, who lives in New Jersey, points to two cases there involving atheist parents of children in public schools. In one case, a child was suspended from school for refusing to wear a uniform; in the other case a family wanted to opt out of required vaccinations. While other parents use religious grounds to refuse uniforms or vaccinations for their children, atheists don't have that same right, she says.
She gets e-mails constantly, she says, from people complaining about organized prayer in the workplace. "You can challenge it, but how long do you think you'll keep your job?" Johnson asked. "This is why we have to be organized. You have to walk softly and carry a big stick, but we don't have a big stick."
Johnson's Utah visit is sponsored by Salt Lake Valley Atheists. She will speak Sunday, Oct. 6, at 11:30 a.m. at Chuck-a-Rama, 2960 S. Highland Drive.
E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com