Atheism was in the headlines perhaps more than ever before in 2013.

To highlight some of atheism’s defining moments and trends from the last year, I worked with a panel of ten writers, scholars, and activists to come up with ten major moments or currents in American atheism from 2013. Their contributions are below.

Godless congregations become global phenomenon

2013 was a landmark year for atheists, Humanists, and nonreligious people building communities. Ex-pastors Jerry Dewitt and Mike Aus grew innovative and successful congregations in Louisiana and Texas, and the Yale Humanist Community launched in Connecticut. British comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans embarked on a massive tour, spreading their popular London-based "Sunday Assembly" around the world. December brought Harvard Square's new "Humanist Hub," a 3200 square-foot community center with a Sunday school, a staff of 10, and Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick’s proclamation of "Humanist Community Day." In May, James Croft and I agreed to write about these and many other nontheist communities in The Godless Congregation, a forthcoming book for Simon and Schuster. —Greg Epstein, author and Humanist Chaplain at Harvard | @goodwithoutgod



Pope Francis bucks tradition and reaches out to atheists

Straying from his written Christmas address, Pope Francis last week invited atheists to join in working for peace. This was the latest in a long list of positive statements from the new pontiff about the need for cooperation, dialogue, and understanding between Catholics and the nonreligious. While these statements do not change the aspects of Catholic teaching that many atheists take issue with, his call to humanize the "other side" in what is often a needlessly bitter divide between religious and nonreligious people was remarkable. Francis is right: we should seek common ground. And, with his example, dialogue between Catholics and atheists is already on the rise. —Rory Fenton, Dialogue Officer at British Humanist Association and President of the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies of the UK & ROI | @roryfenton

Humanists increasingly help their neighbors

Atheists and humanists have always engaged in service to others, but 2013 will be remembered as a pivotal year for the organized, collective expression of humanist compassion. This year, local freethought groups made volunteering a larger part of their identity. The Beyond Belief Network of humanist volunteers more than tripled in size in 2013, with more than 90 teams contributing over 30,000 hours of service in their communities. And 2013 saw the launch of the Pathfinders Project, a global service trip by secular humanists laying the groundwork for a permanent Humanist Service Corps. —Dale McGowan, author and Executive Director of Foundation Beyond Belief | @MemingOfLife

Atheists become more visible in the U.S. military

2013 was a banner year for nonreligious sensitivity in the U.S. military. In October the Air Force Academy removed its mandatory “so help me God” pledge, specifically citing a desire to “...build a culture of dignity and respect” inclusive of nonreligious cadets. In June, the push for Humanist chaplains in the military became much more visible when an amendment was introduced into to Congress that would allow for Humanist chaplains to provide support for nonreligious individuals. While the amendment was ultimately rejected, it was supported by 140 representatives—a clear achievement considering the notorious political undesirability of atheists. Though the shift toward accommodating a religiously and nonreligiously diverse constituency has been met with controversy, the overt recognition and support of nonreligious individuals in the military is nonetheless heartwarming and hopeful. —Stephen Goeman, atheist and interfaith activist | @StephenChanges

Diana Nyad and Oprah Winfrey debate atheism and awe

This fall, Diana Nyad—who this year became the first person to officially swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage—did something else extraordinary: she gave a compassionate, articulate and thoughtful voice to atheists everywhere... up against Oprah Winfrey, no less. Winfrey, in a one-on-one interview with Nyad, insisted that Nyad’s poetic explanation of what she believes meant that Nyad was not actually an atheist. But Nyad held her ground with grace and strength, inspiring widespread discussion about atheism and awe. And as an atheist who is also "moved by all humanity," it made me want to stand up and say, 'Amen.' —Vanessa Zoltan, Director of Learning Lab at the Humanist Community at Harvard |@vanessamzoltan

The "nones" make waves as the study of irreligion booms

2013 was a year of unprecedented academic consideration of atheism and irreligion. While the emerging data on the growing number of religiously unaffiliated Americans garnered headline after headline, the research went much deeper. To offer only a few examples, sociologists analyzed data related to the “nonreligious” to examine the composition of this growing demographic, scientists researched the evolutionary and cognitive frameworks of religious belief (and nonbelief), and ethnographers immersed themselves in atheist communities to better understand how atheism is enacted in social contexts. Meanwhile, organizations like the Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network continued to grow as they supported scholars working within this flourishing field. It is not unreasonable to argue that in 2013 atheism was more studied, and better understood, than ever before. —Marcus Mann, scholar of contemporary atheist and secular humanist social movements | @MannMarcus

Atheists around the world rally for free expression

This spring the Bangladesh government arrested four atheist bloggers for criticizing religion. Secularist and atheist groups and organizations coordinated worldwide demonstrations to raise awareness and show solidarity with those jailed. Between April 25 and May 2, rallies were held at Bangladesh embassies and consular offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., London, Ottawa, Calgary, and Toronto, as well as on a college campus in Missouri. The efforts inspired an independently organized pro-free expression protest outside the jail where the bloggers were being held. The bloggers have since been released on bail, though their charges have not been formally dropped. The events marked the first time secularists and atheists so widely coordinated to defend the universal right to free expression. —Michael DeDora, Director of Public Policy at Center for Inquiry | @mdedora

Rebecca Vitsmun and the rise of compassionate atheism

Oklahoma tornado survivor Rebecca Vitsmun’s generous response to Wolf Blitzer's problematic "do you thank the lord" question, which went viral this year, is a perfect example of something that became much more common in 2013: proud but empathetic atheism. And the atheists who buck the stereotype of in-your-face anti-theism turned up their volume this year. Take Jamie Kilstein’s debate on Totally Biased, the lead character Piper Chapman in Orange is the New Black, rapidly growing discussion of atheists participating in interfaith work, or the increased concern among the nonreligious with combating Islamophobia. In a world that is still very much religious, it’s a hopeful sign for the year to come. —Adam Garner, Better Together Support Team at Interfaith Youth Core | @garntastic

Atheist community grapples with sexism

In May, three hundred women and men gathered for the Center for Inquiry's 2013 Women in Secularism Conference. The invigorating exchange of ideas from accomplished speakers was sometimes overshadowed by controversy surrounding the opening remarks from Ron Lindsay, CFI's director, which many found offensive. (Lindsay later apologized.) When writer Katie Engelhart asked "Where are the Women of the New Atheism?", a slew of prominent female atheists emphasized that atheist women are subject to pressures common to all women including economic insecurity, sexual harassment, and the general degree of privilege men maintain in society. As the atheist community advances toward gender equity, debate seems poised to continue into 2014. —Mary Johnson, former Catholic nun, author of An Unquenchable Thirst, and creative director of retreats for A Room of Her Own Foundation | @_MaryJohnson

Discussions about atheism and race expand

We live in a society in which race still matters. There are regularly tragic reminders of just how important race is to life and liberty in the United States—one such reminder came in the form of the Trayvon Martin murder. It reinforced the need for social justice work. And in 2013 atheists not only heard this call loud and clear, but also took action. The third annual Day of Solidarity for Black Nonbelievers in February and the Blackout Secular Rally in May marked in impressive ways a growing attention to racial justice as fundamental to atheist activism. —Anthony B. Pinn, Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities at Rice University

In conclusion

As a Humanist Chaplain and atheist activist, I was amazed by how dramatically the media conversation around atheism seemed to shift in 2013. Perhaps more than ever before, we saw news about atheists living out their values, celebrating life, addressing problems, and working for meaningful change. In a culture fixated on conflict, a more accurate and fair narrative about atheists is emerging. Personally speaking, I was blown away by how the visibility of dialogue and cooperation between atheists and theists reached new heights this year. In the just over a year since Faitheist was published, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to discuss atheist-theist cooperation on CNN, msnbc, and Fox News, in magazines such as Details and Out and online publications like BuzzFeed, and in talks at venues around the world. And I was far from alone in this; it was incredible to see so many atheists have an opportunity to share their stories with the world this year. We have a long way to go, but as you can see from the ten contributions above, huge progress is being made.

As we head into a new year, I carry with me the stories of the many incredible nontheists I met and was inspired by in 2013—people who are working to improve relationships between atheists and theists, build and support communities for the nonreligious, raise the visibility of positive expressions of atheism, and better the conditions of life for others. Here's to continuing that work, together, in the new year. —Chris Stedman, atheist columnist for Religion News Service | @ChrisDStedman

What do you think?

Readers: what do you think some of atheism's defining moments or trends were in 2013? Did the panelists miss anything? Do you agree with their assessments? And do you have any predictions of what atheism's big moments might be in 2014? Please let us know in the comments!