Atheism and the Interfaith Movement

[Fidel_Castronaut]

It might seem strange for an atheist to get involved with the "interfaith" movement, since that term "interfaith" seems to inherently exclude nontheists. Yet in my experience, I have been welcomed at interfaith events. My lack of theism was sometimes handled awkwardly, but an effort was made to include me.

If you are wondering what the interfaith movement is, it's basically a bunch of people with different beliefs coming together, either for its own sake or for a common good. As a result of being a part of the interfaith movement, I have a lot of Muslim friends, and they accept me in spite of my atheism and lesbianism. Here is one organization I have worked with: http://www.ifyc.org/

I really think this is a positive movement, but is it compatible with the atheist movement? Can I be an atheist activist and an interfaith leader both? Does having righteous atheist anger mean I can't be kind and work with theists?

I actually study interfaith organisations for my PhD in my city in the UK.

The lack of non-faith representatives is actually an issue that is almost ubiquitous throughout every group I've come across, with often the terms 'atheist' and 'secular' becoming muddled to mean the same thing in the eyes of members.

Interesting that you're an active member in one. Seems like an area for a lot of research to be conducted in the future perhaps! There's a distinct lack of literature on it at the moment!