Alternative questions from Atheism in America by Melanie E. Brewster (Intro-1)

1.       What is the textbook definition of delusion? (2).

2.       Most historians trace the birth of the New Atheist movement to what date? (5).

3.       According to Victor Stenger, what is the difference between faith and science? (6).

4.       Who are the Four Horsemen of New Atheism? (Trivia questions – Who were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and who were the 1924 Four Horsemen of Notre Dame and what is their connection to Murfreesboro, TN. (6&10).

5.       What does Austin Dacey say unites thinking persons and free peoples across ethnic, national, and creedal lines, and in its unfolding through public conversation, our moral lives are measured out? (9)

6.       The feminist and atheist blogger Greta Christina presents a call to arms against what? (10).

7.       Why does deconversion continue “to be a slow and painstaking process for many people”? (13).

8.       What did Rebecca Vitsmun say to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and why did it go viral? (16).

 Alternative discussion questions.

1.       According to Brewster, “Reports of the demographic composition of atheist populations routinely show that atheists tend to have privileged identity statuses in society (i.e., well-educated white men of higher socioeconomic status.) What problems does that create for the atheist movement and what can be done to create a more balanced demographic composition?

2.       What are some of the challenges that an atheist experiences when she or he goes public?

3.       Alvin Burstein was raised in a Jewish environment, attended Orthodox Sabbath services, and performed his bar mitzvah and then realized it was “none of the above for me.” What role if any should schools play in helping students like Alvin identify their non-religious feelings or is this the parents’s responsibility? If it is left to a minister, then there is a natural biased to start. Can a minister counsel a child on being non-religious?