According to its organizers, the Reason Rally is not just a critique of religion. The Reason Rally: Nonbelievers unite

Washingtonians know all too well about rallies on the National Mall. On a regular basis, thousands of citizens converge near the Capitol to speak out about the issues they passionately believe in.

So what would happen if the march was about passionately not believing in something?


On March 24, the Mall will be occupied by the Reason Rally, an event that pulls together those seculars who don’t accept that there’s a higher power. It’s being billed as a “Woodstock for nonbelievers.”

Paul Fidalgo, communications director at the Center for Inquiry, said that, despite appearances, this isn’t a rally about believing in nothing. There’s actually an agenda involved — and that includes current politics, the 2012 race and President Barack Obama.

“There isn’t one specific issue we’re going out there to rally on behalf of. But that’s not to say that there aren’t shared values and a shared agenda amongst the various groups,” he said.

Among the issues: international anti-blasphemy laws, the recent clash over contraception and the Republican presidential race.

“The right has so commingled themselves with religion,” Fidalgo said. “I will say that I do find it interesting that in an election season in which the main issue is ostensibly about the economy, that in recent weeks it’s been issues surrounding religion that have become so central.”

Fidalgo said the majority of atheists are “center left” (with a sprinkling of libertarians), but makes it clear that this is not an event supporting one party or the other.

“We do not endorse candidates,” said Fidalgo, adding, in a lighthearted moment, “we will not be rallying for” Rick Santorum, whose faith represents a big part of his public life.

Jesse Galef of the Secular Student Alliance calls the March 24 event a “political statement.”

“This is a demographic that Washington, D.C., will have to pay attention to,” Galef said. “With 2012 being an election season, it seemed like the perfect time to do it.” Galef said atheists are the only demographic that is growing in all 50 states.

Although much of the concern by Galef and Fidalgo regards what they see as threats to the separation of church and state as most recently heard in comments made by Santorum and Newt Gingrich, they’re not letting Democrats off the hook either, including the president.

Fidalgo said it was “a big deal to us” that Obama included a mention of “nonbelievers” in his inaugural address but expressed concern that “he attends the National Prayer Breakfast and uses religious language in his rhetoric.”

“That’s not to say that he’s not free to express his religious beliefs — he certainly is — but when he engages in things like the prayer breakfast, which we feel crosses the line — or straddles that church-state separation line of becoming a tacit government endorsement of religious ceremony — that kind of thing troubles us.”

The rally’s website says the intent is to “unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide” and “combat negative stereotypes about nonreligious Americans.”

“It’s a celebration,” Fidalgo said. “It’s not a protest. It’s not a complaint. It’s not a March on Washington where we’re picketing anything. It’s a celebration of the fact that the secular movement is really starting to come into its own. There are more people who feel free to come out and say they’re nonbelievers or secular humanists and those numbers are growing. People are less shy about it. This gives us a chance to make ourselves known and put ourselves on the national stage and say, ‘We’re here, we’re a large group, we’re active, we have a positive agenda.’ We want you to know we’re your neighbors, and we’re not scary.”

Hardly an easy task, however. Fidalgo admits “Americans do have a bad impression of their atheist neighbors.”

“In American culture right now, religious belief is seen as a kind of shorthand for morality. If you can espouse your devotion to a particular faith, it’s your way of indicating that you are now a moral, upright, upstanding person.”

With a long roster of sponsors involved — American Atheists, American Humanist Association, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, United Coalition of Reason, Center for Inquiry, Stiefel Freethought Foundation, Secular Coalition for America, Secular Student Alliance, Freedom From Religion Foundation (and that’s just the “major” ones) — it’s been a minor miracle just to get this thing off the ground.

“We’re a questioning and argumentative bunch, so just the notion that we can get every major secularist group on board is a really good sign for our movement,” Fidalgo said.

Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), the only openly atheist member of Congress (one event organizer told us that a private survey revealed more than 20 congressmen and senators who are atheist but not ready to admit it), will provide a video message for the rally, as will Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a Catholic. A tribute will be played to the late Christopher Hitchens, who authored “God Is Not Great,” and notables in attendance will include MythBusters’ Adam Savage and comedian Paul Provenza. The band Bad Religion will perform. An invite has been extended to HBO’s Bill Maher, a notable atheist, to participate in some capacity.

As for one of the most important questions when it comes to Washington rallies — how many people will attend? — organizers are taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We’re expecting [it] to be big,” Galef said. “We’re not sure — 20,000? 30,000?”

Some of which, as these things go, will be counter-rallies.

“We’ve seen a number of Christian organizations publicly saying that they plan to come and engage with us,” Galef said. “Everybody is welcome. We hope they don’t disrupt the event.” Galef said he heard of one organization planning to show up and hand out water and Bible tracts.

“We thank them for the water,” he said with a laugh.