Kenneth Bronstein recalled the first meeting of NYC Atheists that he organized. “It was sad,” he told The Washington Post in 2004. “Ten guys in a room, all arguing with each other.”
Mobilizing atheists can be akin to organizing a meeting of anarchists or, he once said, like herding cats. They might fracture, divided among freethinkers, secular humanists and anti-theists. Worse still, he added, the problem with being an atheist is that atheists, unlike a growing number of religious and ethnic groups, don’t even get a holiday.
Still, Mr. Bronstein never wavered. “We have faith,” he said. “Just not in God.”
Mr. Bronstein died in a Manhattan care facility on Oct. 18 absolutely certain that he would not go to heaven or hell. He was 85. His partner, Elinor Fine, said the cause was complications of leukemia.
A retired IBM engineer, Mr. Bronstein revived a ragtag fraternity of nonbelievers into a mini-movement called NYC Atheists, around 2000. As its president, his goal was to vigorously support the separation of church and state and to eliminate any special privileges for religion.
ImageMr. Bronstein speaking at a meeting of his organization in 2004. As president, his goal was to support the separation of church and state and to eliminate special privileges for religion.He recruited members, filed lawsuits, circulated petitions, convened book-club meetings. He once derided the meetings as “intellectual masturbation,” but he enjoyed the give and take.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.betmcc online casino