‘We don’t have horns’ — A Sunday afternoon with the Western Colorado Atheists

Ed Beardsley says we are all born atheist.

“You have to be told by people in authority or that you love that there is a god ... and you continue in the religion as though it were true,” said the retired California school teacher and Stanford graduate.

Young and old, 13 members of the Western Colorado Atheists met at Traders Coffee shop on the Redlands to hang out with like-minded nonbelievers.

They come from all over the valley representing all walks of life.

A security guard. A retired Air Force noncommissioned officer. A flight attendant. A geologist. A registered nurse. A Ph.D.

“We just want to inform the public that we don’t have horns; we don’t have tails; we are ordinary people,” said Earl Mullen.

Atheists have beliefs — a supreme being, or god, isn’t one of them.

They believe the Earth is round and that it orbits the sun. They believe in the theory of gravity and evolution. In summary, they believe in that which can be proven scientifically and rationally.

And forget about faith.

“Faith is the opposite of reason,” said Ed Beardsley’s son, Chris Beardsley.

The group, founded by Anne Landman, started with a few in February 2007, and now boasts a roster of nearly 30.

With the growing number of churches and worship spaces in Mesa County, Landman thought atheists needed a voice, and their own time to gather. They meet about every three weeks on Saturdays or Sundays at local coffee shops.

Becoming atheist

For many folks, the road to atheism is a progression.

Earl Mullen, for years, was an agnostic — one who holds the view that it is impossible to know if there is a god.

“Then I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. — I went in agnostic and came out an atheist,” said Earl Mullen.

“What kind of god would allow this (the Holocaust) to happen,” an unidentified woman interjected.

Affirming their beliefs, the group went on to cite more atrocities in human history and why a benevolent and omniscient god didn’t intervene.

Retired Air Force noncommissioned officer Al Bratton was a faithful church goer, even becoming a United Methodist clergyman. His path to atheism came through the intense study of philosophy, religion and psychology.

“I finally came to the conclusion that God doesn’t exist,” Bratton said.

Born to a Jewish family, Jo-Ann Mullen, Earl’s wife, knew at age 7 she didn’t believe in god. Moreover, she is dumbfounded why any woman would follow religion.

“Religion has done more damage to women because it has treated women as third class (citizens), as property of men, as not having any brains, as not having any equality. Religion teaches women to be subservient to men,” Jo-Ann said.

Politics and atheism

Politics has no place in atheism — except when foisted upon them in the form of prayer in school and city council meetings, and so forth.

So, what about the current government and its blurring of church and state?

“We are strongly against the Bush administration’s faith-based initiatives,” Earl Mullen said.

“It’s unconstitutional,” Jo-Ann Mullen added.

Several in the group went so far as to make the case that the Founding Fathers did not intend for our country to be a Christian nation, and that “one nation under god” was added to the Pledge during the Eisenhower administration in 1954 to distinguish our country from the “godless communists.”

Without authority, where’s morality?

In December, the Western Colorado Atheist will have use of the free speech display space at Mesa County Library Central Branch.

“It’s going to be a kind of public education opportunity where we can let people know what atheists are and what we’re not,” Landman said.

There’s a notion that if atheists don’t believe in a moral god, then they are absent a moral compass.

Landman said atheist promote human values without invoking religious doctrine. The Golden Rule (“Do unto others ...”) most closely describes an atheist’s moral code, she said.

“We don’t need the prospect of rewards in heaven nor the fear of burning in hell for an eternity to be ethical and moral people,” Earl Mullen said.

“We are our own authority, we make the decisions,” said Bratton, who believes he doesn’t need an external authority to tell him how to behave.

“Being an atheist means there’s no one to blame but yourself,” said Danny Cackler. “You have to take responsibility for your own actions, and your success is your own.”

As an atheist, Chris Beardsley said, he knows there is nothing after this life so he lives the best life he can live today for his family and loved ones.

“We’re happier than theists,” said Chris Beardsley, because atheists don’t live in perpetual fear of spending eternity in “some kind of imaginary furnace” if they don’t behave a certain way.

With almost 80 percent of the U.S. population holding religious beliefs, that adds up millions believing in some sort of afterlife.

“Atheist don’t have a burning need to know what happens after this life,” Cackler said.

“We’re all going to be in the same place when we die as when we started (life) — non existent,” Chris Beardsley said.

Reach Tracy Dvorak at tdvorak@gjfreepress.com.