David Silverman (activist)
Dave Silverman | |
|---|---|
 Dave Silverman in 2011 | |
| Born | 13 August 1966 |
| Citizenship | American |
| Known for | Atheist activism, Separation of Church and State, Criticism of religion |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | American Atheists |
David Silverman (born August 13, 1966) is the current president of the American Atheists, a non-profit organization that supports the rights of atheists and the removal of expressions of religion in public when possibly interpretable as governmental endorsement.
Biography
Dave Silverman is an activist from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Silverman began publicly challenging religion in high school and often states in interviews that he became an atheist at the age of six.[1] Although he was never in the closet about his disbelief, he was forced to do his Bar mitzvah. He calls this the turning point in his life where he decided never to lie about his atheism again because he had gotten up on stage and told all the people he knew that he believed in God.[2][3] Seventeen years later his father admitted to him that he also was an atheist. [3] He received a bachelors degree in Computer Science from Brandeis University and a Marketing MBA from Penn State University. Silverman is an inventor with seventy four patents, and has authored several articles, including a cover story for Inventors digest. Dave Silverman has been married for nearly two decades to publisher Hildy Silverman who is an active worshiper in Judaism. The couple has one teenage daughter.[1][4]
Silverman has worked with the American Atheists organization since 1996, and has held a variety of roles, including: New Jersey State Director, Communications Director, and Vice President. He was elected president of American Atheists on September 16, 2010, following Ed Buckner. Silverman also cohosts the Atheist Viewpoint television program, writes for the NoGodBlog, attends protests, debates and conferences for atheism and freethought, across the country.[4][5]
Media appearances
During his tenure as Communications Director and Vice President of American Atheists, Dave Silverman made several media appearances, but has been especially visible since becoming president.[5] An atheist-awareness billboard campaign launched in the Winter of 2010 sparked controversy and increased media exposure for the organization.[6] As a result of this campaign, Silverman has appeared on a number of television shows in late 2010, most notably, The O'Reilly Factor on January 4, 2011. It was under Silverman's direction that the American Atheists group sought to block the preservation of a cross-beam section of the World Trade Center skeleton that resembled a cross. Silverman opined: "The World Trade Center cross has become a Christian icon. It has been blessed by so-called holy men and presented as a reminder that their God, who couldn’t be bothered to stop the terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name, cared only enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross."[7]
Silverman's appearance on the O'Reilly Factor also spawned a popular internet meme. In arguing for the existence of God, O'Reilly stated " I’ll tell you why [religion is] not a scam, in my opinion. Tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication. You can’t explain that. You can’t explain why the tide goes in." A black and white drawing of Silverman's shocked reaction to this statement entered popular use on the internet, where a user posting the image is meant to convey an "Are you serious?" reaction to the topic at hand. [8]
Dave Silverman attended and spoke at the 2011 American Atheists National Convention, in Des Moines, Iowa [9] During his speech, he announced Reason Rally, scheduled for Spring 2012. On March 24, 2012 the Reason Rally took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. On October 28, 2011 David Silverman and Dinesh D'Souza participated in a public debate on whether Christianity is beneficial for America.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Dave Silverman - MasterMedia Speakers Bureau". MasterMedia. 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ Merica, Dan. "Atheist organizer takes 'movement' to nation's capital". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 06/18/2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b Pakman, David. "TDPS: American Atheists' David Silverman Fascinating O'Reilly Behind-Scenes, Agnostic vs. Atheist". Daily KOS. Retrieved 06/18/2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "American Atheists - Dave Silverman, President-elect". American Atheists. 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ a b "American Atheists - Media Releases". American Atheists. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ "NPR - War on Christmas Spreads to Lincoln Tunnel". NPR. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ "Jon Stewart on American Atheists vs. Ground Zero Cross". The Daily Show. 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
- ^ You Serious Face / Seriously?
- ^ "American Atheists - National Convention". American Atheists. 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ Dinesh D'Souza, The King's College
