Atheist Clubs Spreading Rapidly in High Schools; Due to Many Rel. Scandals, Use of the Internet

The Religion News website reports today (July 2, 2012) that the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) -- a national organization of more than 300 college-based clubs for atheists, humanists, agnostics, and other "free thinkers" -- is helping to establish clubs for high school students to hang out with other teens who share their skepticism about the supernatural.

There were about a dozen high school atheist clubs at the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic school year -- a figure that rose to 39 in 17 states by the 2012 summer break.

The clubs are student-led, with SSA providing information and guidance only upon a student's request.

JT Eberhard -- director of SSA's high school program -- attributes the growing interest in atheism among high school students to several factors, including disenchantment with organized religion among recent scandals, and the rise of the Internet, which gives young doubters a safe forum to ask questions.