President’s Column: Remain Vigilant
By Ben Blanchard
Dear Members of Minnesota Atheists,
I am honored to address you as your newly re-elected President. I am eager to continue working with our board and leaders, advancing our mission of building a positive atheist community that actively promotes secular values.
As we move forward, I believe we must be aware of and actively work against the rise of Christian nationalism. Christian nationalism is a dangerous trend that threatens the principles of secularism that we hold dear, and we need to fight against it by organizing and mobilizing our community. We are currently shielded from many of these attacks by virtue of where we live, but the attacks continue. Currently there are dozens of malicious, “biblically inspired,” pieces of legislation being proposed in our state. Even though these bills are unlikely to advance, we must remain vigilant as the people and organizations pushing these bills are gaining strength.
Minnesota Atheists has a crucial role to play in this fight. We have a unique perspective and powerful voices that we can use to push back against the forces of Christian nationalism. As we work together, we must ensure that more members of our community are elevated into organizing positions, to make sure we are sustainable and can continue to be effective for years to come.
By empowering more individuals to take on organizing roles, we can create a strong and effective movement that will protect the separation of church and state, defend the rights of atheists and other non-believers, and promote our mission of secularism. Together, we can build a vibrant and active community of atheists, agnostics, humanists, non-believers, secularists, skeptics, heathens, and nones in Minnesota, and make a real difference in the world.
Thank you for your continued support of Minnesota Atheists. I am excited to continue to work with all of you as we strive to achieve our goals, elevate more members of our community into organizing positions, and make our voices heard.
Sincerely,
Ben Blanchard
President, Minnesota Atheists
