Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor Meet on Oprah
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- Опубликовано: 16 окт 2024
- This aired in the early fall of 1984. It was the day Dan Barker met Anne and Annie Laurie Gaylor. It was also the first time Dan spoke publicly about his atheism. He had just sent out his letter of deconversion in January of that same year.
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
These people are Amazing. 35 years ago they had the guts to go to a TV show to speak about Atheism. They are smart and courageous people. Dan and Annie are still around changing the minds of people and making a better world. People like them make a better world.
Absolutely!
I agree
It's important for non theists to assert a view that isn't suggesting that America is a theocracy. The deep disingenuity in these people when they stand there admitting they aren't even students of the christian bible and yet it's the only way to immortality..
I never Knew of Atheism till 2010 when First got into the Internet Yet I Have been an Un believer 23 years
Absolutely! Even now in 2021 I am not comfortable in admitting that I'm an atheist because the society that I live in is not that supportive!
Damn, I forgot how aggressive Christians act when someone questions their delusion.
They were downright nasty
Top Comment!!
It's crazy how Christians can get. Why they don't like being questioned and lose their shit when they're questioned, I don't get it.
They act completely opposite of what their religion says or teaches. It is a big reason why many like myself and friends are indifferent to religion
as has been said: "I don't have enough hate to be a Christian" or "nothing hates more than Christian love".
The audience seems so hostile. I was amused by the black woman holding the Bible who said she hasn’t read the entire Bible.. she is the stereotypical Christian.
"I haven't read it from cover to cover." fart sound
I've read it, it's the most depraved, disgusting pile of shit and damaging nasty viscous spiteful thing I've ever read and to think people love quoting bits of it to small children, it just makes me sick.
Well read it cover to cover then see for yourself religion is a delusion and join the atheist when you’re finished
@@seanjones2456 "I haven't read it from cover to cover." Womp, womp, womp!
Oprah herself was hostile to the atheists. In fact religion has long been a strong unifying force in many black communities, many black celebrities have been particularly hostile to the notion of atheism (ie Steve Harvey).
what really got me is how calm the guests were and how aggravated the audience was getting
Yes, shocking isn't it. Very very distasteful
This audience would have enjoyed watching the guests tortured and burned at the stake if it wasn't for the separation of religion and state, which was achieved through long struggles.
That’s Christian love for you...
The difference between being supported by logic and being supported by faith.
@@kayem3824 I
Notice how angry and hostile believers get when challenged. "When you're used to privilege equality feels like oppression."
great comment
Bingo!
Do you know who said that quote? Did you say it? I think that's so true, brilliant!
Angry believers? god works in mysterious ways...i wonder how many of these believers still believe after 20 something years 😂
@@katherineg9396 -- Its not original to the OP. Its old as the stars. (6,000 years)
Proud to be an Athiest !!
Hell yeah
Born and raised.
Fuck yeah
Yeah, and your love for your children is just the result of chemical reactions in your brain
Amen!
Oh, a miracle is in the making. Dan found Annie. Annie found Dan. What a wonderful world they are making for all of humankind. Love FFRF.
I didn’t know this until I read your comment but I had a feeling she liked Dan’s introduction and wit.
watching this in 2019 and its making me so so happy! Thank you to all the atheists who came before us and paved the way for us leaving the faith now.
Imagine the courage they have to collect given that religion is something prime back then, with people shunning you when you come out as atheist
I can learn much from the calm, well-spoken manner of the Gaylor women.
I feel the same way. After watching this video I think I can be composed and friendly when I talk to people about atheism. It's just that I'm genuinely afraid that people are going to discriminate against me, hate me, etc, just because I haven't chosen to believe in a religion. All those fears and emotions flood up inside and I don't know how to even communicate. Not to mention that I genuinely do have trouble dealing with the fact that more people haven't done the hard work of questioning their world views. I feel that this is a crucial part of growing up.
Dan Barker, via the internet several years ago, was a major catalyst in my transformation into a free thinker. He's a hero too me. To be such an intelligent man yet be humble enough to admit he was wrong, sets an example for all of us. Ive gotta say too...he has great taste in women.
It's interesting to see how confrontational Oprah is to her guests, especially to Dan Barker. Oprah accuses the guests of being on tv to proselytize. I love the way that Anne Laurie Gaylor points out that they were invited on the show.
and her calm voice is pure goals :)
How many televangelist tv shows have there been over the years pushing an religious agenda.
Oprah was hostile to the guests she invited!! Why do people think she is so great?! She turns me off.
@@mnob1122to be fair she’s just catering to her audience and crowd.
@@mnob1122she sucks, but I’m a guy so…
Oprah: For some people if it weren't for the ten commandments they just wouldn't know how to behave.
Well, how sad and pathetic!
Not to mention frightening. The Ten Commandments are not even close to a comprehensive list of all the wrongs one could commit upon others. Not to mention two of them are directly related to kissing this God's ass. If this God were real I would kick him in the balls for being so stupid and self-centered. Devoting two whole Commandments to fellating him and not saying a thing about forcible rape
It is actually four...
Especially, because the 10 commandments are not at all a moral guide accept for the "Thou shalt not Kill" one, and god himself can't even adhere to it, and was on a killing spree throughout the whole freaking bible!
"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed". - Albert Einstein
@@imvandenh Abraham's god is a cultic god of an undiagnosed schizophrenic man who thought he heard voices commanding him to murder his child. Sickening how most 21st century people are religious - its all due to childhood indoctrination.
In 1984 I was still a Mormon. I went on my missionary service in the mid-1980s. I didn't leave the church for good until over a decade later. When I visit a Mormon church with my family now I hear all this ridiculous stuff; I can barely keep from laughing during the meetings. So glad I'm free from religion. Hard to understand how it took me so long.
There are tears in my eyes, those people right there, in that moment, were the light in a room full of darkness.
Well said. I agree with you.
'How do you suppose you got here?' I thought she might answer like famed atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair: 'I got here by my parents f**king one night.' She was brilliant. And the truth.
I guess Pascal's Wager was considered clever in the 80's.
+uncleanunicorn lol
Not anymore lol
Not a lot's changed. Theists still use it on me all the time.
It never stopped being "clever," I think. It certainly makes sense to me.
It’s still is by theists. A friend who is religious asked me that just this year.
16:42 - If religious people could only hear how absolutely *INSANE* they sound to the rest of us.
Wow, that's sweet to see how Annie Laurie and Dan met. For young whippersnappers, they defend their views well.
Nothing fails like prayers - so true! This show was the first time I heard this phrase. I've always thought it was a great slogan for the anti-theist movement.
Think of all the parents whose children are in the hospital with sicknesses, who end up dying. I bet they prayed harder than anyone.
If I am correct (Which I very well may not be) I think Mark Twain said that way back when. If not it is the sort of thing he would say.
@@doneestoner9945 Yet the dolts in the audience don't seem to think so..instead they engage in emotional pleas and yelling over others. Sickening level of stupidity..
I prayed that my father would be cured of cancer.... RIP Dad
Main reasons people hold on to their Religion is:
1. They were trained from time they were children that if they turn away from the belief they’ll be punished in Hell for eternity.
2. Can’t handle the idea that our physical death is final so the comforting idea of an eternal afterlife takes over.
3. Fear of being labeled an unbeliever and rejected by family and others as a result.
I love how the Mom empowers her to speak. Good stuff.
Where do they do that at lol
"my heart cannot accept what my mind rejects" -Dan Barker (8:28). . . "nothing fails like prayer" - Annie Laurie Gaylor (22:38)
The audience couldn't comprehend or absorb the answers from the guests. The logic confused them. This show was great. Inspiring. I really admire how dan and anne never get loud. They say so much by saying so little, and the audience can't get it.
well said
Yes they left that show each questioning their beliefs
I wish Hitchens could've been there to field some of those deluded questions.
@@shakeybritches8089 We miss the Hitch.
These people sure needed a Hitch slap !
That would have been perfect.
It would have been a slaughter of grand proportions. Meanwhile, you should watch some of Dan's debates, he is nearly just as eloquent, to the point and, devastating, although less personal and confrontational. If given the time, he could have had some of those people stuttering and tongue tied in trying to come up with a valid counter. He's also more animated which is a treat. I love them both, and quite a few others who are waking up ever more people to skepticism and reason.
He's too inflammatory. It's better to have calm and kind people represent atheism. His hostility wouldn't change people's minds.
Anne Gaylor, Annie Laurie Gaylor, and Dan Barker make me proud to be an atheist.
Same here. I've been an atheist my whole life. Sure I have family members who are Christian, but try as I might, I've never found myself believing in God or in Jesus Christ.
💯
@@jasoncarpp7742exactly the same here.
@@jasoncarpp7742I wish I knew about this hotline some years ago. I was devout Catholic for 2 decades and even though I can explain the fallacies and contradictions of god, I still find myself thinking that god is watching or that he is angry.
They have developed very successful ways of brainwashing you long term.
Just realize that people who are raised religious aren’t trying to be intentionally deceptive, they truly think they are doing the right thing.
"Why do atheists have to force their beliefs on everyone??" -said entirely unironically by the 6am door-knocking clan
Mine is: "This girl's got the devil in her!"
I laughed pretty hard, I didn't realize it was the 17th Century.
This 17th century mentality can stay around and come back even in 2030 if religion gets a majority
@@Rico-Suave_ come to we can't stand the thought of thinking alamance county usa
I've been atheist for many years and am familiar with FFRF. Really enjoyed this video. For me, the best part starts at 39:50 when a woman in the audience said "Seriously, this young lady here, the devil has got hold of her and her momma." and Annie Laurie quickly shot back with "You think I'm a witch?" Annie Laurie was quite the fireball there! Some of those audience members were pretty hostile toward the atheists.
I enjoyed seeing the video of the time Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor first met. What a great pair they make and what wonderful work they are doing in the service of reason and the true dignity of humanity.
In September of 1984 it married a girl from Chicago. Soon after we went to Chicago to meet her parent. I happened to turn in the TV and saw this episode. A year or too late I saw Christopher's Hitchens on C-SPAN and I know my journey was complete. Thank you Dan and Annie Laurie and Hitch for helping me find my escape.
I sure do miss Christopher Hitchens
I became a nonbeliever at age 12 from reading the Bible. More people should read the entire Bible with the intent of understanding it.
@@bobs182I did too about the same age
Thank you Annie Laurie and Dan for allowing us to see this.
The atheists were cool, calm, and collected. The religious were angry.
Color me surprised.
These people knew back then, what I only recently learned. And I'm in my 50s. Wow !!! Dan, Ann and Annie were feisty and knowledgeable. They knew more about the bible than everyone in that audience. This is an amazing show.
Hitchens: "You guys believe in God? You're stupid!"
Dawkins: "You guys believe in God? I'm sorry, but you're delusional."
Barker: "I understand why you believe in God, but we can help you." Barker is easily the nicest leading atheist.
I wish I had Dan and Annie Laurie when I was growing up. When I was growing up we had this so-called *"Satanic Panic",* when Evangelicals and other Christians would find *"Satan"* in anything that wasn't of their beliefs.
Oprah: "Why the hell are you here telling people on TV about atheism?"
Her: "Uhhm. You invinted us... duh?"
It's so great. When Oprah made that accusation I immediately shouted out "YOU PUT THEM ON YOUR SHOW!!!" in my living room. Then Annie said it in 1984.
Annie Laurie really resembled Drew Barrymore. Both her and her mom so smart and beautiful. Quite a "first date" foe her and Dan!
She does look like drew Barrymore
Annie Laurie does not seem to age. She is still quite beautiful and so intelligent......
"nothing fails like prayer" im gonna keep that!
Isn’t it amazing that all these “anonymously picked” audience participants just so happened to have their bibles with them.....because that’s the first thing you bring with you to a television show😂😂😂😂
I think they knew the topic of the day's show.
If I’m going to defend them, many in the audience may have known what the topic would be about beforehand and felt like this was the best time to bring a Bible.
@@doneestoner9945 Yeah, the station obviously promoted it to stack the audience.
They are taking a crib to an exam they haven't studied for.
You would think they would have followed god’s commandment of “hiding thy word in thy heart” but I forget that most Christians don’t read the Bible anyway.
Isn't it interesting that even though this show must be 30 yrs old we atheists are facing the same issues today. Just change the music, technology and dress and this show could represent modern day sentiment toward us.
There is so much work ahead of us to calmly and rationally pose challenges to religion and plant seeds of doubt in people who blindly believe in religion and the supernatural.
Fortunately we have these brave, activist pioneers Dan Barker, Annie Laurie Gaylor and Anne Gaylor.
So long as childhood religious indoctrination remains, we will always have this pernicious problem that is religious faith.
Your comment was 9 year ago
But unfortunately, even today, we're still facing the same issues
And I think it is better now 10 years later it is just that so many more of us are nondelusional. The religious ones are getting worried as they realize they are wasting their lives on a myth, so they try to make us legally have to participate in the myth.
@@FactStormyes completely correct there.
There have been powerful political and economic forces actively undermining progress for decades so it's not that surprising.
I love this! Thanks for fighting the good fight for all these years!
The way Annie looked at dan at one point I saw the chemistry then went and googled it and they started dating shortly after and are still married.
That guy saying that the Egyptian and Greek empire were destroyed by the god of Israel in exodus and claiming that as a historical fact is oblivious 😳. I just can’t wrap my head around it
He's psychotic..he doesn't believe in evolution because he doesn't understand it.
Been wanting to see this for years. The answer that Anne Nicol Gaylor gives at 34:50 is absolutely amazing. The Atheists come across as very nice thoughtful and pleasant while the Christians are preachy self righteous and condescending (incl Oprah). @stormchaser so true Annie is completely taken by Dan, so cute and precocious. Dan was a lucky guy :) :)
I loved this! I have been a member of the FFRF for almost two years, they are a great organization of people of sound minds and character. I actually read about this interview in Dan Barker's book 'godless'. Great book by the way, get yourself a copy & enjoy! -DP (New Orleans)
I wish that we could see where these audience members are now... I also wish I could have been there to answer some of their insanity. I am glad that atheists have gotten much better at answering the claims of the religiously deluded. I found myself yelling at my phone watching this. I wonder how hard Oprah prayed for god's Intervention while she was being raped by a family member? Disgusting that people actually believe that prayer to a magical man in the sky grants them wishes sometimes and when he "says" no it is for your own good. When is child rape EVER good for ANYONE. How can anyone TRULY believe this?
I loved this! Wonderful show! Thank you so much. I found this per Dan's referal in a 2016 Ask An Atheist. I wish I'd seen this back then. Great work! I love all of you. So grateful you kept it going!
I’m really impressed with Dan Barker. He is my new favorite Atheist
I'm reading his book, godless.
If you listen carefully, in minute 8:22 you can hear Cupid's arrow hiting Annie's heart.
The first time i saw this was several years ago, and i did not know at the time they became a couple. But i did wonder if they hooked up. I got the impression of some chemistry. Funny that they met because of Oprah, and actually worked out.
When you think about it...wow that's cute 😁❤️
Super impressed with how thoughtful and well spoken all of the atheists were, especially Annie Laurie!
I'm sorry I didn't get to watch it when it originally aired and I was surrounded by bible thumpers in Jackson, MS. That would have been AMAZING!
Those people in the audience were the 20th century equivalent of the medieval people who would call for them to be punished or even killed because they blasphemed their god.
I heard about Annie and Dan's first meeting from his book, "godless". I just started reading it, and it's excellent. I love these two.
I am listening to it on audible now. Fantastic book!
Annie and Dan were so cute back then, I'm glad they found each other, it's fascinating to see how much Dan has matured, Annie seems exactly the same still beautiful after all these years.
wow, i can't watch it all now, but annie laurie was very well spoken at a young age. The way they carry themselves is respectable.
ugh, the fashions from 1984...
Oprah was pretty rude, confrontational and defensive. She invited these people onto her show and treated them poorly.
Finally! The 80s fashion is awful 😂
Oh yes, lived through it. Shouldpads on women made us look huge. Like a linebacker.
Excellent work FFRF. Way ahead of the 80s.
Nothing fails like prayer.
Now there is a true statement if I ever heard one.
That audience is terrifying.
The insanity of the religious is clearly apparent in this clip.
That took courage to get there in front of those people. Bravo! It's interesting...you can critique someone's golf game, or musical performance, etc., but never tell them about their own religion, no matter how gently or respectful. Blind faith knows no limits.
It doesn't matter what you say, if they're not willing to listen, nothing you say will move them, nothing at all. God told them not to listen to these people and that's all they know.
It's y I don't try 2 b overly polite wen speaking against religion
Religion relies on the naive and ignorant. Also the indoctrination of children.
I was going to compliment Oprah for allowing these brave four a voice, then she was disgusting as usual. Invited them in, then accused them of aggressively pushing an agenda. Such a deceitful host. She has definitely been a promoter of woo. Nohpra.
It is really a brave n heroic effort by Dan n Annie n the others to be on stage in 1984 when atheism values are termed as satanic n very frowned upon..salute to them
.
The funny thing is people still make the exact same arguments, “what about pretty trees”, etc. so silly.
My favorite is, "How will you know right from wrong?" Lol. And they're here to defend a creed that promotes rape, incest, misogyny, vengeance and genocide.
@@dreamingrightnow1174 While proving they don't know how to separate them when and where it really counts: Like before the effects of indoctrination mess people up so bad they cannot think rationally!
Just makes me want to push them off a cliff and yell " Enjoy the view of gods wonders on your way down!".
@@Bob-of-Zoid theyre gonna drag this world down with them
Inspired women. Well before their time.
14:17 "We were invited!"😂
That one was a real slap in the face for Opera. She didn't expect that one back.
Did someone walk through this audience hitting people with the Stupid Stick?
@@shakeybritches8089 The bible is 100% accurate! Especially when thrown at close range.:)
@@seanjones2456 I have found this to be factual and scientifically proven. They are very effective blunt weapons.
That's funny! Or it was until 2016 when those imbeciles decided to shove their agenda down our throats.
@@Anne--Marie Actually, they've been 'shoving their agenda down our throats' since at least November 4, 1980, when enough of them voted for Reagan, following the lead of Jerry Falwell and his ilk. "The last guy", as President Biden calls him, was merely the logical result of what began in the late '70's, if you want to call what they try to 'shove down our throats' "logic". The only real difference is that they're more vocal and militant now than they've ever been.
i was honored to briefly say hello to Annie Laurie and Dan at the Reason Rally.
I left all religion at the age of 70, and since then have believed as did the scientist Stephen Hawking before he died, that in one form or another, the universe always existed ... no creator involved ... and that suffering of all forms of life ... is natural. I am now 83, and try my best to be as kind to others as is possible, knowing that if I do my best, I will feel good about my own journey in life.
"Nothing fails like prayer."
Yes, and theists have a catch all when prayers produce no measurable results, they say God works in mysterious ways. And when people die, often suffering in the process, theists comfort themselves by saying that they've gone to a better place and that they'll meet again when they themselves die.
That young woman is so well spoken!
4 intelligent people here - & they're not in the audience.
Fantastic vid, thanks for putting it up. This is a real historical gem: Anne Gaylor in person, Annie Laurie so beautiful, smart, and sure; Dan newly out and with hair on top even; and all of them so calm and steady facing an audience of "defenders of the faith" with only one possible atheist that I could identify. While the dumb questions/assertions about morality, everlasting life, etc. haven't changed much, a lot has changed as the nonbelieving portion of the US population has doubled.
i'm not a good person so that i will be rewarded, i'm a good person because i have compassion and care for other people and things
Pioneers of common sense!!! Great job!
As mentioned before, nothing fails like prayer!!!
It seems "Look at the trees" was the most popular argument back then.
Sadly, it's still very popular.
Here in 2022. Amazing how far we’ve come !
Oprah you were incredibly rude with them.
I have NEVER liked Oprah. I see right through her, just like Donald Trump
This just shows you can be scientifically illiterate in America and still become a billionaire, or even President! I wouldn't be surprised if Oprah still believes Adam and Eve is a true story today in 2019.
She uses the same preacher's techniques, giving false hopes, handing out prizes, ang getting people into hysteria, but like religion, it's ultimately a big money racket.
I loved the interview. I thought Oprah was really good, especially having just watched another more recent vid with Annie and an obnoxious woman interviewer on sky? news who asked questions but didn’t let her talk
@@kayem3824 It's interesting that a religious charlatan named J. F. Rutherford is credited with the slogan: "Religion is a snare and a racket." The irony is that the religion of which he was the head 1917-42 is, to this day, the worst of the worst in this regard, and yet he refused to call it a "religion". That group, Jehovah's witnesses, didn't admit to being a "religion" until 1951, nine years after Rutherford's death. They've only grown worse since then. Since 2014, they've actually been working toward becoming a full-time "Electronic Church", with their own televangelists, whom they call the Governing Body and its "helpers". Events of the last year or so have actually given them Carte Blanche to go underground, while still operating legally, in that now all of their meetings are online and their "field service" consists merely of an ongoing letter-writing campaign. All the while, their Governing Body is still hitting them up for money, the bulk of which is split between trying to settle lawsuits and lining their own pockets. Talk about your rackets!
Never stand between exslaves and their exslavemaster's religion. I used to be a theist. I'm much happier being an atheist. Life makes so much sense now.
1983, apparently. Kudos to Oprah for trying to handle things evenly despite her own bias. How amazing to see people jump up and say how they're getting hot inside just hearing that someone doesn't believe in their god. If I heard a panel of people who don't believe in gravity I'd shrug, I wouldn't feel the earth removed from under my feet. Believers must not truly believe. I'm hoping this country has moved past this knee-jerk panic by now. Kudos to the panel! You guys are great.
What the hell? Did they invite random nuts from the local churches that day to be in the audience? So rude.
I admire how eloquent and brave these four speakers were despite hostile audience. It is important that we have these kinds of people speaking out!
It's great to see how skepticism/Atheism has progressed and become more accepted since this show.
Theists no longer control the conversation like they once did (and never will again) thanks to social media and EDUCATION on the subject.
Wow, I'm so impressed. You've been steadfast all these years and your influence on society is immeasurable. This is a profound bit of history.
Almost done reading his book "Godless." Excellent read, highly recommended!
34:58 Anne Nicol Gaylor - “I apply the test of reason and kindness. I use the yardstick of reason and kindness. If I’m contemplating an action, is it reasonable, is it kind and that’s all you need.”
In '84 I'd been an atheist for about 39 years. I had never believed or prayed. I never believed the stories. That's all any religion is. A bunch of stories that can neither be verified or falsified. Just have faith. Never bought it.
You're a lot smarter than I. I spent three years being extremely religious. I'm glad I'm free now.
Lloyd Christmas I’ve spent a year being super religious and I’m still trying to recover from Catholicism. I’ve been thinking about starting an atheist channel for people who are atheists, agnostics, people who are not serious in their religion, or people questioning their faith.
@@40wolfbabe check out the atheist experience channel
You have the gift of having the ability to think with logic and with reason
Pioneers of Atheism. Bold. Great.
My heart felt so heavy watching this. If that's a way to describe the idea of being in a room filled to the brim with people that don't agree with you.
So which sky wizard is your parents choice? What parts of the multiple choice book have you selected? Dan has face up to many people, he is just out of the cult now and you can see he is slightly damaged in it. He is far more assured now that he has healed from this cult.
Must be from the mid-80s. AM Chicago screened from 84 to 86.
The Gaylors are among my heroes.
One of my all time favourites watching Oprah and the audience loose their shirts when they were out argued.
Oprah is a classic example of bigotry coated in niceness cloak for audiences
It's really sad and pathetic that the very polite, calm and friendly guests were treated like shit after being invited. Oprah made no real attempt to referee the rude and venomous audience other than to occasionally say "they have a right to believe that" right before she cut them off and wouldn't let them address the vile and
She sucks
This was filmed during a period of record rising ev*ngelical numbers and power, wasn't it? Makes you appreciate some of the struggles the FFRF must have had just to be heard then. Glad they're still here for and with us all now.
I just LOVE Dan Barker's and Anni Laurie Gaylor's answers to all the religious questions and fear they encountered at the Oprah Show. Happy to be a member of FFRF!
Awesome! I love Annie and Dan ! They have done so much for us
Thank you for sharing. I enjoyec seeing you on this precursor to th Oprah show. I wish I would have heard this programs in the 1980s. I would have startes my journey to atheism much sooner
Yes but more importantly, she and her mother are so intellectually honest and intelligent!
lol, the black guy pics one of the known historical myths from the bible. The Egyptian army was not destroyed by the Jews or swallowed by the sea. In fact the Jews were never used as slave labor to build the pyramids.
I'm so proud of these people to stand up for what they don't believe in. They are trail blazers
These ladies were way ahead of their time. Ive been an atheist since the 80s and still don't feel comfortable talking in public about it. Religion poisons everything.