David Ferguson:

Humanist groups and atheists across the U.S. have banded together to help a fellow atheist who survived the massive tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma earlier this week.

…At the fund-raising website Indiegogo, atheists have set up a relief fund for Vitsun, who lost her house in the storm and most of her possessions.

“Let’s show the world that you dont need to believe in a god to have human compassion nor does all charity fall under the banner of religion,” says the site. “Let’s get this courageous woman and her family back in their own home.”

The site has already passed its goal of $50,000 by nearly $700 at press time, with 60 days in the fund-raiser still to go.

Additionally, their site says:

The impact of getting Rebecca and her family properly housed by the atheist community will do far more good than sitting in bars or chat rooms mocking people of faith. Like religion, free-thinking will be more easily spread through compassion and decency. …More importantly, the more money we raise the better the example we set.

Yes, how inspiring that atheists can use natural disasters as opportunities for public relations and point-scoring just as well as any other ghoul who resolutely gazes into swirling chaos in order to discern the potential for increased market penetration. If you’re anything like me, you may have been concerned that atheists, being so über-rational, might lack that reflexive tribal solidarity that has served humanity so well through the ages, so this will come as a welcome relief. Send those checks to help give a big ol’ middle finger to all those religious nuts and their antiquated in-group/out-group thinking!