There is a “Hug an Atheist Day” event page on Facebook, which was created by Indian Atheists and today is the big day. So far 729 have signed up … oh wait, make that 730, I just signed up as well.
They explain it as following on the event page …
On the friday evening, june 7th, we are celebrating ‘Hug an Atheist Day’.
Invite your friends and make new ones, check out our regional groups:
http://nirmukta.com/nirmukta-regional-groups/
Our complete network:
http://nirmukta.com/freethought-media-network/ If you are not an atheist, but have/know someone who is, feel free to join in the event, you don’t need to be an atheist to hug one. Atheists are people, who, same as you, like cats, ice cream, football, and card games. For far too long, they’ve either been forced to stay closeted about their identity or been treated like snobs when they aren’t. Time to break those barriers, that falsely tell us we’re too different. Time to hug it out.
It’s simple, we just decide on places and go there, this will be done by all groups, on the same day, even on places that have few atheists, even if you can find one atheist, you hug them, if you know none, share your place, maybe some from this event will find you, the idea is to have a national event, get noticed, spread the word that we exist and we are humans like everyone else, also to create a progressive society where hugs need not necessarily be creepy and act of hugging doesn’t have to be taboo for rationalists, as if emotions are poison for rationality(not)
Help us decide more ‘hotspots’ :)
http://www.facebook.com/events/641673215846398/ permalink/641676525846067/ Heretic Wear has also created a t-shirt for the event,
It can be bought from here:
http://india.hereticwear.com/shop/ hug-an-atheist/
If you are not from India, you can get it from here:
http://hereticwear.com/shop/atheist-t-shirts/ hug-an-atheist/ , showed over 650 people planned to participate in the event as of Thursday afternoon. The organization is encouraging those who want to hug or be hugged across the nation to set up local meetings where they can gather together to observe the event.
Now perhaps that leads to a couple of questions, well OK, lets have a go …
How many Atheists are there in India?
I don’t have a precise number, but what we do know is that a poll conducted in 2012 by WIN-Gallup International found that 3% of Indians say they are “convinced” atheists.
But Why?
To which I can only suggest … why not.
Group hug?
Of course … here you go …
