Contact: David Reinbold, dreinbold@americanhumanist.org
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Humanist Association (AHA) is partnering with the
Washington Ethical Society to co-host an evening with Kate Cohen to talk about her recently
released book, We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should
Too).
Cohen, an author and contributing columnist for The Washington Post, will talk about her
journey from Reform Jew to outspoken atheist, her decision to raise her children as atheists,
and her efforts to recognize and replace the benefits religion can bring.
The event will take place on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at the Washington Ethical Society, 7750
16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20012. This is a hybrid event, with participants able to attend
in-person or virtually. Doors open for the event at 6:30 p.m. ET for people attending in-person,
with the full program beginning at 7 p.m. ET for virtual attendees. For in-person attendees, there
will be a book signing and reception to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
We of Little Faith is Cohen’s third book, and in it she argues that nonbelievers should be more
vocal, both to enjoy more honest lives and to help save America.
“Many Americans pretend to believe in God when we really don’t, and that has consequences,”
explained Cohen. “The reticence of, let’s say, the PTA atheist, contributes to the culture-wide
assumption that regular people are believers. But many of us are not. We just need the courage
to say it.”
“Kate’s new book is an example of what we’ve always believed at the AHA: That we can all be
good without a god,” said Nicole Carr, Interim Executive Director of the AHA. “It truly highlights
the compassion, joy and fulfillment that nonbelievers experience in their lives. We are so
honored to co-host this important event to help amplify Kate’s book and help steer a cultural
conversation about what it means to be an atheist and a humanist in America.”
“We of Little Faith has the potential to open up our conversations about nonbelief in the public
sphere,” said KC Slack, Senior Leader of the Washington Ethical Society. “When we can have
honest conversations about what we do and don’t believe, how we each come to and live out
our values, and challenge assumptions about what’s ‘normal,’ then we can move closer to a fair
and ethical world for all.”
The event is free to attend for all, including press, but space is limited and registration is
required. Registration details can be found at: https://form.jotform.com/232769071113150
There is no separate credentialing process for journalists and other members of the press to
attend, though registration is still required.
Kate Cohen is a Washington Post contributing columnist and author of We of Little Faith: Why I
Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too). Kate is the author of two previous
books. The Neppi Modona Diaries: Reading Jewish Survival through My Italian Family tells the
story of a Jewish family who went into hiding to survive the Nazi invasion, and explores Kate’s
own perspective as a post-Holocaust, non-believing Jew at the end of the twentieth century. A
Walk Down the Aisle: Notes on a Modern Wedding examines through personal essays the
functionally outdated but still hard-to-resist American wedding ritual. She and her husband live
on a farm in Albany, New York.
The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists,
and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of
humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals
to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The Washington Ethical Society (WES) is a humanistic congregation that affirms the worth of
every person. WES strives through its relationships to elicit the best in the human spirit. With
faith in human goodness, WES appreciates each person’s unique capacities, and nurtures a
sense of reverence and responsibility for each other and the earth.