Your thoughts on the Reason Rally, ten years later?

[James Monroe]

The first Reason Rally was a public gathering for secularism and religious skepticism held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2012.The rally was sponsored by major atheistic and secular organizations of the United States and was regarded as a "Woodstock for atheists and skeptics". A second Reason Rally was held on June 4, 2016 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C..

Speakers and performers at the first rally included biologist Richard Dawkins, physicist Lawrence M. Krauss, musician Tim Minchin, MythBusters co-host Adam Savage, actor-comedian Eddie Izzard, Paul Provenza, PZ Myers, Jessica Ahlquist, Dan Barker, and magician James Randi, among others. The punk rock band Bad Religion performed and other notables (Rep. Pete Stark, Sen. Tom Harkin, comedian Bill Maher, magician Penn Jillette) addressed the crowd by video link. Participants recited the Pledge of Allegiance, deliberately omitting the phrase "under God", which was added by the U.S. Congress in 1954. Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces were represented, and a retired Army colonel, Kirk Lamb, led veterans in an affirmation of their secular military oaths. Speakers urged those assembled to contact local and national representatives and ask them to support church-state separation, science education, marriage equality for gays and lesbians, and ending government support of faith-based organizations, among other causes.

According to the official website of the first rally, the aim of the Reason Rally was to "unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide, while dispelling the negative opinions held by so much of American society." The website had predicted it would be "the largest secular event in world history." The Atlantic said 20,000 people were in attendance. Religion News Service said 8,000–10,000. The documentary The Unbelievers says that over 30,000 people attended the rally. There are no official crowd estimates of events on the Mall.

The second rally, the Reason Rally for 2016, was billed as "a celebration of fact-driven public policy, the value of critical thinking, and the voting power of secular Americans". The weekend of the Rally included advocacy events and conference sessions. The expected crowd attendance was 30,000 but only about 15,000 to 20,000 actually attended the rally, according to the organizer's estimate.

Doesn't get talk as a landmark event for the secular community, which is shocking as it should a mainstream growth to the country, just as there has been a conflict between the science denying public and the rational Brights. The even debunk the perception of white middle-class guys being the atheists when it's women and minorities who made up a good number of the attendants. It also brought many mainstream voices who have been helping to give the community a better image in the public sphere. Hopeful they'll plan another one after the pandemic, because if anything this catastrophic event shows the downside of religion who have done everything to prolong the pandemic with their science-denying rhetoric.

[PSOL]

By then the Atheist rights movement was losing steam in the public eye. Still a freedom rally.

[If my soul was made of stone]

Atheist rights movement

Everyone in this country has the right to be an atheist if they so choose. Demanding that the whole world bend around you and not pass judgment on you for that, or the "right" not to be exposed to people you disagree with, is just the dumb right-wing "free speech means no one can criticize me" talking point transposed to another identity that is not oppressed by any enforceable legal code in this country. It's no wonder why the New Atheist to alt-right pipeline was/is so massive...

At any rate, this event maybe could've meant something had it been held thirty years prior, but in a post-Dubya world it's amusingly (and bemusingly) antiquated even by the standards of 2012.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The first Reason Rally was a public gathering for secularism and religious skepticism held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2012.The rally was sponsored by major atheistic and secular organizations of the United States and was regarded as a "Woodstock for atheists and skeptics". A second Reason Rally was held on June 4, 2016 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C..

Speakers and performers at the first rally included biologist Richard Dawkins, physicist Lawrence M. Krauss, musician Tim Minchin, MythBusters co-host Adam Savage, actor-comedian Eddie Izzard, Paul Provenza, PZ Myers, Jessica Ahlquist, Dan Barker, and magician James Randi, among others. The punk rock band Bad Religion performed and other notables (Rep. Pete Stark, Sen. Tom Harkin, comedian Bill Maher, magician Penn Jillette) addressed the crowd by video link. Participants recited the Pledge of Allegiance, deliberately omitting the phrase "under God", which was added by the U.S. Congress in 1954. Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces were represented, and a retired Army colonel, Kirk Lamb, led veterans in an affirmation of their secular military oaths. Speakers urged those assembled to contact local and national representatives and ask them to support church-state separation, science education, marriage equality for gays and lesbians, and ending government support of faith-based organizations, among other causes.

According to the official website of the first rally, the aim of the Reason Rally was to "unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide, while dispelling the negative opinions held by so much of American society." The website had predicted it would be "the largest secular event in world history." The Atlantic said 20,000 people were in attendance. Religion News Service said 8,000–10,000. The documentary The Unbelievers says that over 30,000 people attended the rally. There are no official crowd estimates of events on the Mall.

The second rally, the Reason Rally for 2016, was billed as "a celebration of fact-driven public policy, the value of critical thinking, and the voting power of secular Americans". The weekend of the Rally included advocacy events and conference sessions. The expected crowd attendance was 30,000 but only about 15,000 to 20,000 actually attended the rally, according to the organizer's estimate.

Doesn't get talk as a landmark event for the secular community, which is shocking as it should a mainstream growth to the country, just as there has been a conflict between the science denying public and the rational Brights.

Self-identifying as a "rational Bright" seems like opebospeak for the sort of thing one is supposed to outgrow when one realizes the gifted program isn't teaching one any social skills.

[Antonio the Sixth]

who care

[James Monroe]

Atheist rights movement

Everyone in this country has the right to be an atheist if they so choose. Demanding that the whole world bend around you and not pass judgment on you for that, or the "right" not to be exposed to people you disagree with, is just the dumb right-wing "free speech means no one can criticize me" talking point transposed to another identity that is not oppressed by any enforceable legal code in this country. It's no wonder why the New Atheist to alt-right pipeline was/is so massive...

At any rate, this event maybe could've meant something had it been held thirty years prior, but in a post-Dubya world it's amusingly (and bemusingly) antiquated even by the standards of 2012.

Now it seems to be the misperception amongst the more spiritual crowd to lump in New Atheists as being alt-right figureheads because some figure said something disapprovingly of Islam or have occasional made an off-hand remark. With rallies that prompted up many atheists to show up, they want to send a message to the world they're not crazed baby eating Satanists. In a country where many believe in such gibberish nonsense, and I'm not talking religion specifically, atheists want to challenge the status quo of a free society that is promoting such irrational beliefs that have no proof of burden and have no factual footing in reality.  The secular community has not been listened to policymaker who have been bypassing them for faith voters, leaving the atheists/agnostics exhausted of being marginalized by even those who should stand up for their rights, as Democratic Party members.  A rally such as this is needed in any time of the country foundation, it would have been perfect to have such an event in the Reagan administration when Robertson/Farwell had the greatest significance, to say it was antiquated in the Obama administration is false given what we know about the public perception of atheists.

[PSOL]

Atheist rights movement

Everyone in this country has the right to be an atheist if they so choose. Demanding that the whole world bend around you and not pass judgment on you for that, or the "right" not to be exposed to people you disagree with, is just the dumb right-wing "free speech means no one can criticize me" talking point transposed to another identity that is not oppressed by any enforceable legal code in this country. It's no wonder why the New Atheist to alt-right pipeline was/is so massive...

At any rate, this event maybe could've meant something had it been held thirty years prior, but in a post-Dubya world it's amusingly (and bemusingly) antiquated even by the standards of 2012.

Kids are still getting kicked out of their homes for not being believers and atheism is a taboo across huge swathes of the country aside cosmopolitan districts in cities. We aren’t there yet.

[James Monroe]

Atheist rights movement

Everyone in this country has the right to be an atheist if they so choose. Demanding that the whole world bend around you and not pass judgment on you for that, or the "right" not to be exposed to people you disagree with, is just the dumb right-wing "free speech means no one can criticize me" talking point transposed to another identity that is not oppressed by any enforceable legal code in this country. It's no wonder why the New Atheist to alt-right pipeline was/is so massive...

At any rate, this event maybe could've meant something had it been held thirty years prior, but in a post-Dubya world it's amusingly (and bemusingly) antiquated even by the standards of 2012.

Kids are still getting kicked out of their homes for not being believers and atheism is a taboo across huge swathes of the country aside cosmopolitan districts in cities. We aren’t there yet.

Even pushing aside religion, we need a stronger scientific grip on the public, so science does not become the centre of the highly-educated elite. Too many people are buying anti-science propaganda because of Qanon or Fox News or local church told them lies about the efficiency of the vaccine. More skeptics means more people will be comfortable in understanding the scientific method and start to call out charlatans out while promoting spams as homeopathy.

[Dr. MB]

Making the word reason a synonym of atheism is a slap in the face to thousands of years of human history and knowledge.

[afleitch]

Stop taking the bait people.

[Torie]

I really did lol. Actually it is the "religious" who need better PR these days, not the "seculars." JMO. God bless you all.

[°Leprechaun]

"Faith" is defined in Hebrew 11:1 as belief in what can not be seen. Is this congruent with reason or common sense?