{"id":2171,"date":"2013-10-14T09:13:11","date_gmt":"2013-10-14T14:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/?p=2171"},"modified":"2013-10-14T09:13:11","modified_gmt":"2013-10-14T14:13:11","slug":"is-american-atheism-a-social-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/2013\/10\/14\/is-american-atheism-a-social-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Is American Atheism A Social Movement?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over at SkeptiSchism<\/a>, my friend Jim<\/a> has challenged the notion<\/a> that atheism should be though of as a movement.\u00a0 I agree with him that such assumptions ought not go unquestioned, and I’d like to take up that challenge here. Charles Tilly<\/a> (who literally wrote the book<\/a> on social movements) maintains that there are three distinct aspects of a social movement: Campaigns<\/strong>, Repertoire<\/strong>, and Displays<\/strong> of Worthiness, Unity, Numbers, and Commitment (WUNC). I’m going to argue that the atheist community in the U.S. falls somewhat short in each of these categories, but not so far short as to disqualify it from being considered a movement for social reform.<\/p>\n

Campaigns<\/em>, according to Tilly, are sustained organized public efforts making collective claims of authorities. Examples of atheist or secular campaigns are few and far between, consisting primarily of efforts imploring people in positions of power to respect separation of church and state<\/a> or to respect freedom of speech<\/a>. Because of our nation’s uniquely Jeffersonian\/Madisonian founding, atheists and other secularists often find ourselves arguing not for progressive change or radical reforms, but rather for a return to foundational first principles.<\/p>\n

Repertoire<\/em> of a social movement consists of some combination from among various forms of political action, such as special-purpose associations<\/a>, public meetings<\/a>, vigils<\/a>, rallies<\/a>, demonstrations<\/a>, petition drives<\/a>, statements to the media<\/a>, pamphleteering<\/a>, and so forth.<\/p>\n

\"National<\/a>
National Day of Reason rally in OKC, 2003 (Where is that baby’s mom?)\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Displays<\/em> of WUNC are the most detailed and demanding of the Tilly’s three-part definition of a social movement. They consist of ostentatious public showings of worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment, and have been fleshed out as follows:<\/p>\n