You can pre-order the book and to help make this project a reality! Click here!
What brings joy and meaning to the lives of non-believers? To us it seems a simple question with a variety of possible answers, but this is not the view of many in our country. In the minds of most, a life without God is necessarily passionless, purposeless, and empty of joy and meaning. Countless people believe that we secular humanists and atheists are, by definition, cynical and nihilistic people who believe in nothing.
Following upon the recent death of Christopher Hitchens, a writer at the The New York Times gave his opinion on the role of atheism in our modern world:
“Rigorous atheism casts a wasting shadow over every human hope and endeavor.” – Ross Douthat, Dec. 2011
In contrast to this notion, those of us who are gnostic or agnostic atheists, humanists, secularists, or any other sort of non-believer know that our lives can be rich and fufilling. We get joy from beholding the grandeur of the universe, and we find the deepest meaning in the faces of those whom we love and who love us. Enjoying the wonders of science, literature, the arts, and every other human accomplishment, we find our niche within the human community and lead lives of meaning and purpose. That is the reality that I intend to capture in my upcoming book. It is the reality of life that is good without God — existence that is meaningful not in spite of the fact that we are non-believers but because of it.
My name is Chris Johnson, and I am a photographer based out of New York City. Very soon, I will be working on an important project involving my fellow atheists. The finished product, a hard-cover coffee-table book, will contain photographic portraits of 100 atheists from around the world. The goal of the book is to illustrate the diversity within our community and to celebrate the many ways in which we find meaning and purpose in our lives. Among the subjects of the book will be everyday people like you and me as well as some better-known figures including illusionist Derren Brown, philosopher Dr. Daniel Dennett, neurophilosopher Dr. Pat Churchland, biologist PZ Myers, comedian Julia Sweeney, and speaker Matt Dillahunty, to name a few.
Currently, I am cooperating with the atheist and humanist community to raise the funds necessary to produce this book. In support of the project, you can pre-order a copy today. Additionally, financial supporters may receive a a PDF copy of the book, personal thanks in the book, or other rewards for pledging. You may also follow me on this journey through subsequent posts at at the Humanist Community Project blog, via Facebook, or via Twitter.
Please visit www.theatheistbook.com for more information. I’m very excited and honored to be joining the community here, and look forward to cooperating with you in the process of creating this book and exploring the diverse lives of fellow non-believers.
