Photo: Me with Mandisa Thomas of Black Nonbelievers.
Hugh Laurie (best known for his role as Dr. House on TV) volunteered his time to do a keynote Q&A with David Silverman this afternoon and helped the Convention just by being a big name on the slate. (Registration was around 850 this year.) The room was packed, including an overflow room, and he and Silverman sipped on martinis as they chatted.
Laurie announced, “I stand before you a proud atheist,” but reminded us that he comes from a godless country. In fact, he said, about 70% of Brits under the age of 30 now identify as non-believers, so the label “atheist” is nearly irrelevant.
Laurie grew up in a home with parents who were “vaguely observant,” attending church maybe 2 times per year. He described his childhood environment as largely agnostic, with a reverence for science. His father was a physician and he was sent to a secular boarding school.
Laurie said he is less argumentative and combative than he used to be, and only gets excited when he sees religion infringing on public policy or the rights of others. (Less significant, it riles him when NFL players run up to the camera and give all their thanks to God.) His personal belief is that atheists need to check bias and prejudice, making sure not to come off as overly confident or arrogant.
TAKING THE STAGE NOW: Keynote conversation with Hugh Laurie and David Silverman! #AACon18 pic.twitter.com/aSGz08ErIK
— American Atheists (@AmericanAtheist) March 31, 2018
Also today, we got to participate in a recording of the podcast “The Thinking Atheist,” hosted by Seth Andrews. Andrews typically begins each episode with a dialogue followed by fielding questions from phone callers.
Andrews discussed his fundamentalist upbringing, including being sent to private Christian schooling. His first job was in Christian radio, a position he held for 10 years.
His format is nicely organized, not just a “shoot-the-breeze” kind of a show. Andrews is witty and serious all at once, and at just the right times.
In response to a question about how to start a podcast, Andrews said there is way too much focus on negativity on the Internet right now. He recommended content that promotes solutions and visions, not tearing other ideas down. Agreed!
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/
We also heard from Mandisa Thomas, founder of Black Nonbelievers. Thomas is an activist and high-energy speaker. She has been volunteering and speaking for many years, while holding down a full-time job and raising 3 kids. The good news is she is moving into full-time activism and has opened a Patreon account at www.patreon.com.mandisalateefah.
Thomas discussed the meaning of community, how to support it, and how to recognize that at times it is going through growing pains, but in the end, it pulls back together and gets it done.
There were other speakers and events today—too many to attend for me, but a great day and more tomorrow, including a major service project during which 30,000 meals will be packaged for the Oklahoma City Food Bank.
Also today and requiring a longer post:
Mohammed Alkhadra: “Islamophobe”: American Atheists Convention 2018