I was requested to do an article on the FFRF (Freedom From Religion Foundation) and I decided I would take a slightly broader scope on a small think piece and propose a couple of reasons why online atheist educational non-profits as a whole are important, both to theist allies of marginalized groups subject to religious discrimination and atheist people.

These organizations generally serve an antagonistic purpose, preventing religious movements from stagnation by picking out the weakest points of their argument and their most divisive behavior. Stagnation leads to discrimination towards members both within and without the group. One good example would be criticism of homophobic behavior practiced by self-identified Christians.

They also counteract some of the damage done by state-sanctioned church tax exemptions by working on their public image. Many atheist-based organizations are also charities, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation is a four-star charity. These charities generally do not discriminate against minorities (especially sexual and gender minorities) the way that religious-based charities have in the past, and in fact will sometimes target these individuals for charity because of religious persecution. One of the most famous charities, The Salvation Army, is guilty of this. The Salvation Army has refused to shelter transgender women in the past, and in one case that resulted in a woman’s death. They also have a long history of LGBT discrimination on the whole extending back to the 80s.

Although atheist movements have their own critiques (for example, accusations of xenophobia towards some marginalized groups associated with particular religions) they do have a history of checking religious power and discrimination.