​https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/evangelicals-unintentional-atheist-allies_us_5a43d905e4b0d86c803c7462
I recently met some young atheists who told me that atheists did not convert them to atheism. Christians did. Not what Christian Evangelicals intended, but a welcome example of the law of unintended consequences. As a freshman at Temple University in October 1960, I was in the audience when Catholic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy campaigned there. I appreciated the religious diversity he had advocated the previous month when he assured Protestant ministers in Houston that he believed in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. And true to his word, as the first Catholic president, JFK gave evidence-based secular arguments for his decisions. Since then, Catholic candidates have rarely been asked if they would take orders from the Pope. However, we don’t necessarily have a change for the better. When Catholic Rick Santorum was asked during his 2012 run for president what he thought of President Kennedy’s separation of church and state speech, Santorum said that after reading it he almost threw up. 

​https://thehumanist.com/commentary/learned-11-humanist-groups-11-days
I recently drove with my wife Sharon from our home in Charleston, South Carolina, to eleven locations in Florida in eleven days, covering over 2,000 miles. We were not on a vacation or sightseeing trip. Eleven humanist groups had invited me to talk about my recent book, An Atheist Stranger in a Strange Religious Land, and my earlier book, Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt.
 

​https://thehumanist.com/commentary/defense-trumps-tweets-not
Both supporters and opponents of President Donald Trump often say his frequent tweets are not “presidential,” a poorly defined word. I don’t think presidents must always follow presidential tradition. For example, I’m pleased that Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use a Bible when taking the oath in 1901. I’m fine with President Barack Obama not always wearing a coat and tie in the Oval Office. I also liked that Obama didn’t mention God in a Thanksgiving address; instead he expressed gratitude to US troops serving abroad and thanked volunteers at soup kitchens and shelters. Unfortunately, after much criticism from religious conservatives, he went back to ending speeches with the politically correct “God bless you and God bless America.”

​The Charleston Post and Courier asked readers to share how their faith can foster racial reconciliation (in 100 words or less).
http://www.postandcourier.com/features/guiding-light-readers-share-how-faith-can-foster-racial-reconciliation/article_cbd009f2-bb22-11e7-99f6-9f78b6c19407.html
 
Here’s what I wrote.
Each one a minority
As a secular humanist, I have faith in reason. What divides us in this diverse community is not so much our religious differences, but the degree of commitment we have to equal freedom of conscience for all people. Each of us is a minority in some way. It might be race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or any other aspect in which we may be regarded as different. We must defend the rights of all our citizens and residents and treat our fellow human beings with respect and dignity. Our deeds are more important than our creeds.
 

​
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/11/03/15-years-ago-an-atheist-lobbying-group-on-capitol-hill-was-born/
 
http://mailchi.mp/secular/15-years-of-fighting-for-nontheists-on-capitol-hill-217325?e=601716317c
At a September 2000 meeting in Washington, DC, secular leaders representing several organizations met to form a coalition, with me as facilitator. It was a unique and worthwhile experience for these groups simply to sit down and talk to one another. Until that time, freethought groups worked independently, usually ignoring or competing with one another to be the biggest fish in a small pond. Not surprisingly, we had trouble choosing a name for the coalition. We recognized that “atheist” gets more attention and “humanist” gets more respect from the general public. We settled on the Coalition for the Community of Reason, and continued to meet for a couple of years to share information. The organizations agreed on cultural and political goals, but couldn’t reach consensus on how best to cooperate. Some favored an informal alliance, while others pushed for a structured model. Clearly, a more formal and public organization was needed.
 

http://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-advocate-for-reason/article_a1163ebe-be4e-11e7-a203-9b2ac324d839.html
An Oct. 30 letter in The Post and Courier mentions the writer’s delight in seeing a bumper sticker that reads “God Bless the World.” While I don’t believe in any gods, I appreciate the sentiment and prefer it to the narrow “God Bless America.” The writer also quotes a dear friend who says his church is the world, his brothers and sisters are members and to do good is his religion.
​
I expect her friend admires, as do I, our country’s most underrated founder — Thomas Paine. His pamphlet “Common Sense” inspired America to declare independence from Great Britain. My favorite Paine quote hangs on my living room wall: “My country is the world and my religion is to do good.” Paine, unfortunately, was later vilified because of his book “Age of Reason,” in which he advocates for reason in place of revelation and rejects biblical miracles. He said: “All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”
 
 

​https://thehumanist.com/magazine/november-december-2017/features/smile-no-hell-humanist-wisdom
 
Herb Silverman is the founder of the Secular Coalition for America and of the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry in Charleston, South Carolina. He is Distinguished Mathematics Professor Emeritus of the College of Charleston and the author of Candidate without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt (Pitchstone, 2012). His latest book is An Atheist Stranger in a Strange Religious Land: Selected Writings from the Bible Belt. On Saturday, June 10, 2017, Silverman received the American Humanist Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual conference in Charleston, South Carolina. The following are his remarks in acceptance of the award.
 
I’m deeply honored by this award from the American Humanist Association, but I’m troubled that it’s a Lifetime Achievement Award, which makes it sound like my life is coming to an end soon. It’s not, Zeus willing. I don’t even think I’m old, except maybe when I see my picture. 

​https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-few-suggestions-for-the-scouts/2017/10/15/c3711960-af95-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html?utm_term=.cde98390d372
 
The Oct. 12 front-page article on the Boy Scouts described how the organization’s dwindling membership inspired the Boy Scouts in recent years to admit gay and transgender members and now girls. Unfortunately, the media and Boy Scouts never mention who is still left out: atheists.
 
There is a requirement that scouts and leaders must agree with a principle that says, “The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God.” Many open atheists have been refused membership or been kicked out of the Boy Scouts when they stopped believing in any deities. Apparently, the BSA does not consider honesty a core value and would rather youngsters pretend to believe. This certainly would teach them a lesson on how best to prepare for political careers, because open atheists currently have little chance of being elected. On the other hand, the military allows atheists to serve openly and honorably. However, even atheists with an honorable military discharge are not deemed fit to serve as Boy Scout leaders.
 
Herb Silverman, Charleston, S.C.
The writer is founder of the Secular Coalition for America.
 

​There’s a difference between symbolic patriotism and substantive patriotism. Symbolic patriotism is about standing and singing the Star-Spangled Banner, deifying the American flag, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Substantive patriotism is about improving our country in tangible ways, which include serving in the military and on school boards, volunteering at soup kitchens and schools, staying informed on issues and voting, and criticizing our government with the hopes of improving it. Symbolic patriotism is easy and sometimes even mindless; substantive patriotism is what makes a country great.
 

​http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/59ce6124e4b034ae778d49ef

​Many people equate patriotism with standing and singing the Star-Spangled Banner, deifying the American flag, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I have problems with all three.
 
I applaud football players who exercise their free-speech right to kneel during the Star-Spangled Banner in protest of racism, despite disapproval of many fans. Those who disagree call such a protest unpatriotic because this song is supposed to unite us. But there’s a little-known reason why we only sing one stanza of the song: Composer Francis Scott Key was a pro-slavery racist. The third stanza decries the runaway slaves working for the British army and openly celebrates the murder of such former slaves.