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Rally to Celebrate 'Godless America'

CBN

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In the run-up to the November general elections, 'Godless Americans' want to prove they can cobble together enough clout to be an influential voting block.

Atheists, agnostics, humanists and the growing category of the nation's religious nones met on the iconic National Mall for the 2016 Reason Rally, billed "the biggest gathering of nonreligious people in history."

Organizers attempted to show nonreligious Americans "have the power to move mountains," the event's president, Kelly Damerow, told Religion News Service. Yet she acknowledged the movement needs "that critical moment to focus the conversation on what [the] community believes.

"This optimizes America.  Atheists can gather together and celebrate what they believe and what they don't believe," said Ray Comfort, president of Living Waters. "Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians can gather. Testimony to the uniqueness of this nation, that man and woman have shed their blood so we can have this freedom."

The rally was held on the iconic steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the same spot where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Saturday's featured speakers included singers, actors, comedians, and activists. They addressed a range of issues from climate change to LGBT rights.

Event organizers anticipated a crowd of 30,000 -- that's more than those in attendance at the last Reason Rally in 2012. The website Patheos noted that the crowds appeared to be far below the estimated 15,000-20,000 the organizers told Religion News Service were present.  

CBN News photojournalist Steve Jacobi agreed: “It seemed like thousands versus tens of thousands. There were empty seats in front of the speakers,” he said.  

According to a Pew Forum poll, 23 percent of Americans identify as having no religious affiliation. While the number of atheists and agnostics has increased over the past decade, they still only make up 7 percent of the total population.

 

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