Godless in Dixie is creating
a blog, videos, and a book
Skepticism with a bit of a drawl.
78
$926
Milestone Goals
1 Milestone Goals
reached
Deep South Activism
There is so much work to be done in organizing and connecting freethinking groups in the Deep South, and I've got some great ideas about how to do it. With reader support, I could devote more of my time to helping start and connect freethinking groups across the Bible Belt.
Godless in Dixie: The Book
I'd like to write a book about my journey from Evangelical faith to secular humanism. I'd like to tell my story, give my reasons for leaving the faith, and describe the path I see to making the Deep South a happier place for people like me to be.
About
Neil Carter is a high school Geometry teacher, a tutor, a swim coach, a father of five children, and a skeptic living in the Bible Belt. A former church elder with a seminary education, Neil mostly writes now about the struggles of former evangelicals living in the midst of a highly religious subculture.
Location
Jackson, MS, USA
Top PatronsSee all 78
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WHO IS GODLESS IN DIXIE?
My name is Neil Carter, and I write a blog on Patheos called Godless in Dixie in which I write about what it's like living as a former Evangelical in the heart of the Bible Belt. Being "godless in Dixie" brings a certain set of challenges that anyone living in a very religious place but has left his or her religion can tell you. It takes time to unpack your own religious tradition, so there's plenty to write about. Being secular among the very religious can also make you quite unpopular, so there's plenty of work to be done on the social and political front as well. I live in Mississippi, which by all counts is the most religious of all the states in the union.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH?
I write in hopes of developing a better vocabulary to promote understanding between people on both sides of the the sacred/secular divide. People are quick to argue but not always quick to empathize with those on the opposite side. I've been on both sides now, and I think we could do a better job of communicating. My first order of business is to create a useful place for dialogue between the religious and the non-religious, as well as to encourage other former Evangelicals to "come out" about their changed way of seeing the world. They need to know they are not alone, and that there is life outside their tradition.
In addition to maintaining the blog, I intend to write a book about my journey from faith to secularism. I also would like to help facilitate better communication between the many freethinking groups spread throughout the Southeastern United States, and to help better organize them. They face challenges that are peculiar to our region, and I'd like to see them get more help in promoting secular humanism in their areas.
WHY DO YOU NEED MONEY? DON'T YOU HAVE A JOB?
Yes. In fact, I have three. I teach school full-time, but teachers don't get paid a lot in Mississippi, and I have five children in my care. On top of writing, I work a couple of part-time jobs in order to make ends meet, but the extra work makes it difficult to write. As I've connected with more people from backgrounds like my own, I've learned the need for this kind of writing is greater than I realized. There aren't yet many of us who are fully "out" about our apostasy, so there's lots to do. It takes time to answer emails, write blog posts, network with other secularists in the region, and keep up with what's going on in the world. With reader support, I could devote more time to the tasks I see before me, and maybe in time more will step forward to provide skeptical voices in my state and the ones surrounding me.
[photo credit: BibleName Foto]
My name is Neil Carter, and I write a blog on Patheos called Godless in Dixie in which I write about what it's like living as a former Evangelical in the heart of the Bible Belt. Being "godless in Dixie" brings a certain set of challenges that anyone living in a very religious place but has left his or her religion can tell you. It takes time to unpack your own religious tradition, so there's plenty to write about. Being secular among the very religious can also make you quite unpopular, so there's plenty of work to be done on the social and political front as well. I live in Mississippi, which by all counts is the most religious of all the states in the union.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH?
I write in hopes of developing a better vocabulary to promote understanding between people on both sides of the the sacred/secular divide. People are quick to argue but not always quick to empathize with those on the opposite side. I've been on both sides now, and I think we could do a better job of communicating. My first order of business is to create a useful place for dialogue between the religious and the non-religious, as well as to encourage other former Evangelicals to "come out" about their changed way of seeing the world. They need to know they are not alone, and that there is life outside their tradition.
In addition to maintaining the blog, I intend to write a book about my journey from faith to secularism. I also would like to help facilitate better communication between the many freethinking groups spread throughout the Southeastern United States, and to help better organize them. They face challenges that are peculiar to our region, and I'd like to see them get more help in promoting secular humanism in their areas.
WHY DO YOU NEED MONEY? DON'T YOU HAVE A JOB?
Yes. In fact, I have three. I teach school full-time, but teachers don't get paid a lot in Mississippi, and I have five children in my care. On top of writing, I work a couple of part-time jobs in order to make ends meet, but the extra work makes it difficult to write. As I've connected with more people from backgrounds like my own, I've learned the need for this kind of writing is greater than I realized. There aren't yet many of us who are fully "out" about our apostasy, so there's lots to do. It takes time to answer emails, write blog posts, network with other secularists in the region, and keep up with what's going on in the world. With reader support, I could devote more time to the tasks I see before me, and maybe in time more will step forward to provide skeptical voices in my state and the ones surrounding me.
[photo credit: BibleName Foto]