Hooray for Larry Hicks

Perhaps you saw the letter from Larry Hicks recently in the paper in which he said "I am an atheist" before going on to make his point.

I am glad to see atheists such as Larry who are willing to identify themselves as atheists. It must be disheartening to the theists in our area who desire to keep us in the closet to see atheism openly prolaimed. How do we ever expect to gain acceptance if we ourselves do not have the courage to admit who we are? We must not allow the fundamentalists intimidate us into silence.

I sometimes hear people say "We could have more members in HAT if we would avoid using the "a" word." This leads me to ask, how far are we willing to compromise our principles or dissemble about who we are for the sake of gaining members?

I am an atheist, and I will proudly proclaim it.

Below are some comments from Larry on the need to identify ourselves as atheists.

I sent the article out to many friends when I submitted to the paper. A friend who is a retired prof of religion at UT e-mailed immediately and advised that my letter would have been better if I had not used the "A" word. I didn't respond to him. I know he had a valid point, but I also know that it is important in the Tulsa community, as well as in the rest of America, to speak out about who we are and where we come from. We who are nonbelievers, I think, need to identify ourselves as such when we speak on matters that address our positions relating to civic issues, ethics, and our belief of what is right or wrong. Note: I did NOT say good or evil!