by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
When Lori Lipman Brown began her job in 2005 as director and lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America, she was worried about criticism.
"I was fearful that everybody would hate me, and I would go from being a semi-beloved Nevada politician to a hated representative of atheists," she said.
Brown, who spoke in the SUB on Tuesday to about 15 people, lobbies Congress for atheist interests, such as equal rights and funding for nonreligious organizations and the acceptance of stem cell research.
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She said people are more accepting of her job than she thought they would be.
"I'm always a little nervous when I'm on a plane and people start asking what I do," she said. "But when I tell them, about 50 percent of them say, 'Oh, that's wonderful.' The rest of them are at least polite about it."
Brown served as a Nevada state senator from 1992-94. She has also worked as a private lawyer and taught constitutional law.
Religious organizations and people are often given preferential treatment, she said.
"Our minority status in terms of religious beliefs does not mean we should be stripped of our constitutional rights or be treated differently," she said. "A religious group can be allowed to use hallucinogenic tea, while a cancer patient is not allowed to use marijuana."
Having a lobbyist for atheists is important, she said.
"We can still be ignored, but at least we're in Washington," she said. "Congress cannot wish us away. We are represented."
The U.S. should not be thought of as a Christian nation, she said.
"But we are a nation where the majority is Christian, and I have no problem with that," she said. "I don't care if 99.9 percent of the country has a different belief than me, as long as they don't impose those beliefs on me or my government."
Student Brittany Jacques, a Christian, said she appreciated Brown's talk.
"It was uncomfortable in the beginning, because I love Jesus with all my heart," she said. "But I wanted to learn what these people thought. I want to hear from
all sides."
Brown said the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is a violation of the separation of church and state, and it should be removed.
Jacques said that's a bad idea.
"It is part of our nation," she said. "It's been part of the pledge for a while, and most of us want it there."
There was no lobbyist for
atheists until Brown began her job.
"I think that the far-religious right helped my cause a lot," she said. "I think that people were noticing that theology in government was reaching dangerous levels, and they reacted to that."
Brown has appeared on the TV show "The O'Reilly Factor" three times since becoming an atheist lobbyist.
The reception from the show's audience is sometimes less than polite, she said.
"After the show, I received e-mails telling me I should die," she said. "One of the e-mails said we have freedom of religion in this country, so I should leave. I don't think the author realized how humorous that was, but it gave me a good chuckle."
