I won’t have much time to do a lengthy post today, because I’ll be too busy being a wonderful human being.  I’m taking care of a toddler whose mom is pregnant and on bed rest, and babysitting the children of a friend who has to deal with some serious family business.  This is a great example of why being out about your non-theism is helpful.  People know I’m not a theist of any stripe, and they see me doing good.  It normalizes nonbelief and helps people see that we all have more in common than one might think.

Now, I’m not going out of my way to do nice things for others just so I can say, “Look, look, over here, an atheist doing good!  SEE?”  Like most people of any belief, I like to help out my friends.  And that’s the point: people like to help out others in their monkeysphere, and nonbelievers are just people.  The more of us who are open about our beliefs, the more believers will see we’re pretty much just like them.  And eventually maybe we’ll be accepted as just another ingredient in the melting pot.