Kind of a quick diary, but wanted to put this out there. Today, 4/23 is Openly Secular Day. This is the day all closeted non-believers are encouraged to tell at least one person in their life that they don't believe in God.
This idea is modeled on the LGBT model that has been so successful in helping open the doors for people who are afraid of how the world will react if they come out. Like it or not being an Atheist/Humanist in America is still a difficult thing to be. People who announce their lack of belief often are ridiculed, shunned and ostracized. While I personally am lucky to have been raised in a family of non-believers there are many others who have not had that good fortune.
While there are groups devoted to helping people come to terms with their lack of belief and how to deal with family members who might reject them, by coming out Atheist we are hoping to help turn the tide and show the world that Atheists are merely other people. Some of us are even people who do good works on behalf of others.
You don't need to be religious to believe in good. This is actually a core tenet of Humanism.
I am in a massive hurry and won't have time to check back on this diary until much later today or even tonight. I do hope at least one person here finds the strength to tell at least one person about their lack of belief and that things go well when you do so. Only by tearing down the prejudices about Atheism can we change the negative perceptions of us non-believers.