Internet To The Rescue For Atheists

Sometimes I think atheists are treated unfairly here in the United States, but I realize it could be a lot tougher. Take Indonesia, for example, where openly denying God could be dangerous. Fortunately, though, the Internet has provided a great outlet for atheists around the world, like these two young Indonesian women who wisely use fake names:

The two young women are defiant unbelievers in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, but they let few people in the real world know it.

Instead, the women have joined scores of young Indonesian atheists who have found refuge on the Internet, using web tools such as social networking sites, mailing lists, blogs and wikis to communicate with like-minded people in a country where declaring there is no God can turn someone into an outcast.

"For me personally (going online) is just to share my thoughts and to meet people who think the same way I do, because I don't see many in my real life," said Didi, a 29-year-old architect.

"It's easier to say that you're gay than an atheist."

Dewi, a 21-year-old student fond of sardonic put-downs of religion and superstition, agreed. In her life in the West Java city of Bandung, she keeps her lack of belief secret from all but her closest friends.

No one knows how many people like Didi and Dewi are out there:

It is impossible to know how many atheists there are in Indonesia, a country of 234 million people that is nearly 90 percent Muslim, and where non-believers officially don't exist.

Every Indonesian must carry an identity card stating his or her adherence to one of six official religions -- Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism or Confucianism -- and belief in "one God" is the first tenet of the official national ideology of Pancasila.

So there might actually be a significant number of people who are secretly atheists in Indonesia and other countries where a lack of religion is heavily discouraged. Luckily, the Internet is around now, and at a minimum, it gives non-believers a great outlet. It's also possible that the Internet will make atheism a more legitimate option in places like Indonesia, if not worldwide.