Godless Goodies

As a religion reporter since 1994, I’ve covered ample religious themed events including some localized humanist gatherings. But the Atheist Alliance of America’s 2013 Conference marked my first foray into a national gathering of the godless.

As a trained Buddha-killer, I found myself drawn to the godless displays. While atheists have yet to come close to meeting the commercial power of  full-fledged Christian entertainment franchises like  Veggie Tales, Left Behind, or, God help us, the Creation Museum, they do sell their own version of spiritual swag.  While none of these items will help you get into heaven, they might help you laugh off some of the hell here on earth.

Becky Garrison is a satirist/storyteller whose most recent book is Roger Williams’s Little Book of Virtues (Wipf & Stock, March 2020). Also, she edited Love, Always: Partners of Trans People on Intimacy, Challenge and Resilience (Transgress Press, 2015). Her six books include 2006’s Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church (PW, starred review).