Annalise Fonza, a former United Methodist clergywoman who now identifies as an atheist, reveals the unexpected trouble she encountered after performing a wedding in Atlanta, Georgia, as a licensed humanist chaplain:
A few days after the wedding, the bride called to inform me that they were at the Fulton County Probate Courthouse where a clerk had a question about my credentials. After several minutes of troubling conversations with the clerk and her supervisor, I was told that Judge James Brock had refused to sign the certificate. “Who are you?” the clerk asked me in reference to the title “Humanist Celebrant,” which I was required to provide on the license. Obviously, the clerk and the rest of the Fulton County Probate Court had never heard the term, nor had they heard of the Humanist Society. After a few more phone calls, I was informed that it was Judge Brock’s final decision to deny the certificate and, hence, it was clear that the couple would have to be married again.
The couple decided to get married again that same day, this time in the Fulton County Probate Courthouse, but after a few weeks of wrangling the judge did confirm that Fonza was qualified to officiate weddings in Georgia. What she takes away from the episode:
The truth of the matter is that anyone who openly identifies as I do must expect public scrutiny and possible rejection. People in the United States still discriminate against atheists, even though more and more people are using the word “atheist” to self-identify. In other words, just because one uses the term openly and proudly, doesn’t mean he or she will be accepted without question or won’t face rejection. In addition, the religious bigotry and social entitlement here in the South is so pronounced—by people of every color and background. Many, including African Americans, openly discriminate against or exclude other black people from social and professional circles when they learn that those others are atheists. …
My first time navigating the courts in Atlanta, Georgia, as a humanist celebrant was far from loving, and it taught me the value of being good and godless in a world that is dominated by systems and people who put their faith in gods, but who don’t seem to have the slightest idea of what it means to be loving and accepting of anyone who doesn’t adhere to their religious beliefs.
The Dish 