Jason Benell lives in Des Moines with his wife and two children. He is a combat veteran, former city council candidate, and president of Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers. This essay first appeared in the fall issue of the 2025 American Atheist Magazine

I am often asked, “Why are you an atheist?” or, “How can you be an atheist?” when engaging with members of the public. Here in Iowa, being an atheist, humanist, or secular person is still seen as an anomaly by a lot of folks, especially well-meaning people who are struggling with many of the actions of our state and federal government. They have grown up with the idea that religiosity is synonymous with morality, and while that is so demonstrably not true upon any short reflection, it remains a social burden nonreligious folks must bear. This is deeply unfair as well as untrue: most human beings do not share the faith of the people here.

This is one of the many reasons that I’m motivated to be an atheist activist.

I like showing folks what Being Good Without God looks like. Reminding the public that we are all human beings with the same needs, wants, fears, concerns, and all the rest of what it means to be a human being. Like the folks who belong to religious groups, I want to raise my kids to be smart and healthy and strong. That means marshaling our resources to support clean water, well-funded and evidence-based education, democracy, and safe public spaces.

It also means embracing science, rational thinking, and considering the consequences of our actions in our civic and social decisions – not assuming what we’re doing is automatically correct because we make faith claims. For someone living in a red state that is dominated by Christian Nationalist ideologues, embracing these things becomes difficult since, all too often, religious doctrine finds itself at odds with the virtues of science, democracy, and equal protection under the law.

So, I do what I can to act because the legacy of the organized secular community has been and should continue to be one of justice, equality, democracy, and science. I believe the future is too important to be left in the hands of regressive, sectarian church organizations that undermine the primary thing that facilitates a thriving society: secular governance.

We know what cultures look like when the faithful hold all the levers of power; we see how it harms the fabric of society and creates divisions; we know how the treatment of women and people of minority faiths shake out. Stopping that fracturing and degradation of society starts with us because when equality is under attack, atheists show up! To me that is more than just a catchphrase, it’s something I want to back up with action.

For an example of action, in June, the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers teamed up with the Humanist Society of Iowa to host our annual Iowa Secular Summit, an event that spanned a day with talks from evolution experts like Aron Ra and communicators like American Atheists’ Melina Cohen. We invited lobbyists from a wide swath of groups like One Iowa, Progress Iowa, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, and the bipartisan dialogue group Braver Angels. We discussed the importance of church-state separation and showed the public what it means to have secular values.

The event energized scores of people and encouraged them to reengage their political leaders and to participate in the democratic process explicitly as secular people. After all, we are the largest consistent voting block, and that group size is only getting larger, so, let’s act like it, right

Another way I take action is by holding my government accountable. This year, the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers filed a lawsuit against the Iowa governor’s office, which cancelled an event to be held by the Satanic Temple of Iowa with no notice or explanation.

When pressed for a reason via a public records request, the governor’s office refused to comply and declined to provide documentation about the cancellation decision, citing executive privilege, an unsubstantiated privilege that only seems to be used when minority religious groups request clarity.

The ACLU of Iowa is representing us in our suit, which aims to challenge the claims of indefinite executive privilege by the governor to discriminate against religious groups and withhold potential discriminatory language and actions from the public to avoid accountability.

Notably, other religious groups have refused to advocate for transparency in public decision-making, instead adopting a “hand off” stance while others’ rights are eroded. As an atheist, a humanist, and a citizen, I can’t sit idly by while this kind of behavior becomes normalized, and if the purported “moral authorities” in the churches cannot find a way to use their resources to help others, then I will.

We are hopeful this kind of lawsuit and public hearing will result in a more transparent and responsible government, something that is truly necessary to protect the rights of all citizens.

Last but not least, what I do as an atheist activist is live my life publicly and proudly as an atheist. When I interact with others, I make no secret about it: I am a father, a husband, a taxpayer, a homeowner, a combat veteran, but I’m also an atheist.

Because I am not shackled to faith-based claims, I’m free to make more rational decisions for myself and for my family. I am unafraid to call out unsubstantiated bad ideas or to challenge faith claims as being equal to scientific ones. I work to normalize conversation about atheism and being willing to break away from the routine deference to faith or the incorrect assumptions that faith is some kind of virtue.

It really does start with each of us in everyday conversation and being willing to cause a little discomfort in favor of a lot of truth. Even running as a city council candidate in the largest city in my state, I never shied away from being nonreligious. Faith is not a requirement to be a good person or leader, and I believe consequence based and reason driven policy approaches are necessary to build a government that represents all citizens equally.

I hope that sharing my experiences and my stance on atheism will encourage you to get out there and normalize atheism, too. Show the world there are far more folks that don’t share their faith than agree with their faith claims. Build that secular community, join those events, attend that rally, get to that protest, wear that shirt, and embody the virtues of being Good Without God, no matter the headwinds you may face.

Alone we are a freethinker, but together, we are the future of reason, democracy, and humanity.