Invisible

Unlike other discriminated against minority groups, naturalists (those
people that do not believe in supernatural causes) are mainly
invisible. As long as you keep your mouth shut, nobody need ever know
that you are an atheist.
But, Imagine if one morning every naturalist in the world woke up with
the letter N stenciled permanently on their forehead. People would
stare at you as you walked down the street knowing what you are and
what you believe. Shopkeepers would follow you around their store
because everyone knows that atheists can’t be trusted. Your parents
might disown you; your spouse might leave you. You might not get that
promotion or even be fired from your job. In some countries you might
be imprisoned or lynched. It is for these reasons that we remain
invisible.
But we pay a price for this invisibility.
First, misconceptions about us abound because of this invisibility.
People don’t realize that we are their doctor, their teacher, their
spouse or the nice guy that just held the door for them. The only
face of naturalism a person is likely to see is a militant one. Is
there any doubt that the image of naturalists would improve overnight
if politicians, stars and athletes would come out?
Second, while we are thus engaged in being invisible to theists, we
are also invisible to each other. Because of this, we do not enjoy
the camaraderie, mutual support and social networking that other
minorities enjoy and benefit from.
Third, most people learn by copying success. But because of the lack
of Naturalism role models, many people with naturalistic leanings
simply do not view naturalism as a viable lifestyle. By being
invisible, we undermine the naturalistic movement and in doing so we
may be undermining the future existence of humankind.
I understand the costs of fully coming out and so I am prepared to
offer up a half-measure. What I propose is that on Darwin’s birthday,
all naturalists wear something yellow as a sign of solidarity. The
amount of yellow you wear would be up to your own discretion. You
could wear a yellow shirt, a broach or yellow underwear.
If widely adopted, this initiative would start a slow coming out of
the Naturalist community with little risk to the individual.

Will Davidson