Author charts development and growth of religious right

David Niose is the author of "Nonbeliever Nation." David Niose is the author of "Nonbeliever Nation." Photo: Book Cover Photo: Book Cover Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Author charts development and growth of religious right 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

David Niose is president of the American Humanist Association and vice president of the Secular Coalition for America, a group that lobbies on behalf of nontheist and secular Americans. In his new book, "Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans," he charts the development and growth of the religious right and what he sees as the increasingly organized response from Americans who are committed to the separation of church and state.

Q: You write about the 1912 presidential election as one in which all candidates were sympathetic to evolution and religious skepticism. Today, a presidential candidate favors evolution at his or her peril. What's changed?

A: What has changed is the environment of politics, particularly the level of political discourse. Conservative Christians have always been part of the voter pool, of course, but only in recent decades have they been organizing and flexing their muscle as a voting bloc.

Q: You write the election of President George W. Bush in 2000 was "the best thing that ever happened for organized secularism in America." Can you explain that?

A: Up to that point, many seculars thought that the religious right was just a passing phase, that surely fundamentalist Christianity would not remain a potent political force for very long. When Bush entered the White House, however, millions of Americans were shocked to see him holding regular policy meetings with fundamentalist leaders.

As a result, organized secular groups began seeing an influx of new members and an increase in activity.

Q: You describe the "War on Christmas" as manufactured by the religious right. Yet many people feel the annual complaints from nontheists are similarly manufactured. Can it be that this is "good" for the secular community?

A: If atheists and humanists make legitimate complaints about church-state violations, it seems rather cynical to suggest that those legitimate complaints are "manufactured." Government should not be in the business of promoting religion - period. Also, keep in mind that the "War on Christmas" often involves no actions at all from the secular community. The religious right will complain if a store says "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."