Atheism in the Modern World – Dan Barker | Westminster Symposium 2012

Atheism in the Modern World, plenary lecture

A featured speaker at Westminster College's 2012 Symposium on Religious Experience in a Global Society, Mr. Dan Barker, Co-President of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (Madison, Wisconsin), discusses atheism in the modern world. Nonreligion is currently the fastest growing "religion" in the United States. Most western democracies, including the healthiest nations on earth, are primarily secular. Atheism is also rising in other parts of the world, especially among young people. The main cause of atheism is intellectual--belief in god does not make sense philosophically or scientifically--though some nonbelievers also cite social, emotional and political reasons for rejecting religion. The best hope for the world is a secular government, where leaders remain officially neutral while citizens are free to believe or disbelieve as they choose.

Mr. Barker has been FFRF Co-President since 2004 and he is the author of the autobiographical book, Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists. He has a weekly radio program on the pros and positive contributions of a secular life and lifestyle that is broadcast worldwide.

Presented at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri on September 18, 2012. Introduction by Dr. Kurt Jefferson, Director, Center for Engaging the World, Westminster College.

During the 2012 Westminster Symposium (now known as the Hancock Symposium) on “Religious Experience in Global Society,” a dynamic group of experts in their field offered presentations and discussions on everything from the existence of God to religion’s impact on sports, movies, business, literature, music, and science. The Westminster Symposium is a special academic experience not found at any other American college or university. Each year, the entire Westminster College community of faculty, staff, and students, as well as the general public, gather for two days to learn about one topic of global importance ranging from health, war in the Mideast, and the Digital Age. Noted experts on each subject have come from all over the world to take part in lectures, panel discussions, and presentations. With campuses in Fulton, Missouri and Mesa, Arizona, Westminster College is ranked one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country by Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and more.

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