As I mentioned on the main directory page, Christian organizations in the U.S. own hundreds of television and radio stations, numerous publishing companies, and thousands of private schools. Christian groups also spend large sums of money to promote their religious views on the web. In addition, the U.S. mainstream media frequently gives free publicity to Christian activities such as Christmas parades, Easter sunrise services, and various local church projects. Obviously American Christians have far greater promotional resources than what is available to American atheists.

Yet atheism in the U.S. has been steadily growing, and Christianity has been steadily declining. Part of the reason for these trends is that atheists have found some cheap but effective ways to promote their views. In particular, the internet provides an opportunity to reach much larger audiences, and at much less cost, than was ever possible in the past. The recognition of this opportunity is what has led atheists to create the many websites, blogs, and other resources listed on the main page of this directory.

To assist those who may want to take part in the effort, I've created the following list of some easy simple ways to promote atheism. Most of them require little time and no money.

Give encouragement to other atheists. This can be especially helpful to owners of atheist websites and blogs, who may get discouraged because their sites don't get as much traffic as they had hoped for. Sometimes they also receive hate mail from Christians, and this makes them feel even worse. Giving them positive feedback lets them know that others think their efforts are valuable and useful. So leave encouraging comments on their blogs, and send appreciative emails to site owners. This is one of the best things you can do to help strengthen the atheist community on the web.

Spread the word on social sites. Look for opportunities to promote atheist views on sites such as facebook, pinterest, twitter, and quora.

Participate in forums. Not only is this a good way to learn about atheism, it can give you experience in expressing yourself and in improving your debating skills. But keep in mind that it's generally best to try to avoid getting into long arguments or annoying other members of a forum.

Create Links. When you find an atheist resource that you like, give it some free publicity by creating links to it from forums, blogs, and social sites. An additional benefit of doing this is that links to a site help to improve its rankings in search results.

Fight misinformation on Wikipedia. Many young American students use Wikipedia as a major source of knowledge. Unfortunately it contains a lot of misinformation, especially in the areas of politics, science, and religion. For years Christians have tried to use the site to promote their false beliefs, and according to some reports, many are even paid to do so. Fighting against them can be a difficult and unpleasant task, but if you are willing to make the effort, you will be helping to fill a big need.

Recommend atheist books. At online bookstores such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble, you can review and/or rate any books that you've read. A high overall rating can help increase the sales of a book. Many Christians automatically give low ratings to atheist books, so you should feel free to try to counteract their efforts

Create a website or blog. You may be surprised at how little it can cost to put a site on the web, and you can easily start a free blog at sites such as wordpress.com and blogspot.com. If you have the knowledge, and are willing to put in the time and effort, this is one of the best ways to promote atheism.

Join atheist groups. If you live in a large metropolitan area, there's a good chance that you can find a local group to join. You should also consider becoming a member of national organizations like American Atheists and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

Releted Resources

You can find other discussions of these subjects at the following locations:

How to promote atheism

Religious beliefs can be disrupted by analytical thinking

Always keep in mind that the main goal is to make the world a better place. By working toward this goal, you will be joining the combined efforts of many people, each with their own individual talents and capabilities. And remember that every little contribution helps.