David Silverman (born August 13, 1966) is an American secular advocate. Silverman previously served as president of

American Atheists American Atheists is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to defending the civil liberties of atheists and advocating complete separation of church and state. It provides speakers for colleges, universities, clubs, and th ...

, a non-profit organization supporting the rights of atheists and the removal of expressions of religion in government, from 2010 to 2018. His annual anti-Christmas

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

which calls

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

"a myth" has often sparked controversy. Silverman is also the subject of the popular ''Are You Serious Face'' internet meme. Silverman identifies as a firebrand atheist and defines firebrand atheism as vocally "attacking" humans' "silly" religious beliefs without attacking the individuals themselves.

Early life

Silverman was born in a

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

Reform Jewish family in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsu ...

. He went to

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning one's Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Heb ...

and was

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

ed when he was 13 years old. Silverman began publicly challenging religion in high school and often states in interviews that he became an atheist at the age of six. Although he was never in the closet about his disbelief, he was forced to do his bar mitzvah. He calls this the turning point in his life where he decided never to lie about his atheism again because he had gotten up on stage and told all the people he knew that he believed in God. Seventeen years later his father admitted to him that he also was an atheist. Silverman rejects the label of being "Jewish" and in a speech in Phoenix titled "I'm an Atheist and So Are You", he urged a secular Jewish audience to follow his lead and abandon the term "Jew". Silverman has argued that Judaism is neither a

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

, a race or a

nationality Nationality is the legal status of belonging to a particular nation, defined as a group of people organized in one country, under one legal jurisdiction, or as a group of people who are united on the basis of culture. In international law, n ...

Career and activism

Silverman received a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

and MBA in Marketing from

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in International Business from

Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

. Silverman worked as a professional inventor at

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, Murray Hill, New Jersey, the compa ...

, with 74 patents.

American Atheists and Atheist Alliance International

Silverman worked with the

organization beginning in 1996, and holding a variety of roles, including: New Jersey State Director, Communications Director, and Vice President. He was elected president of American Atheists on September 16, 2010, following Ed Buckner. During his tenure as Communications Director and Vice President of American Atheists, Silverman made several media appearances, but became especially visible since becoming president. An atheist awareness billboard campaign launched in December 2010 sparked controversy and increased media exposure for the organization. As a result of this campaign, Silverman appeared on a number of television shows since late 2010, most notably, ''The O'Reilly Factor'' on January 4, 2011. It was under Silverman's direction that the American Atheists group sought to block the preservation of a cross-beam section of the World Trade Center skeleton that resembled a cross. Silverman opined: "The WTC cross has become a Christian icon. It has been blessed by so-called holy men and presented as a reminder that their God, who couldn't be bothered to stop the... terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name, cared only enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross..."

Misconduct controversy

On April 13, 2018, Silverman was terminated as president of American Atheists over complaints of financial and sexual misconduct. Silverman had been placed on paid leave on April 10 pending an investigation into a complaint received on April 7. The day after his termination,

BuzzFeed News ''BuzzFeed News'' was an American news website published by BuzzFeed beginning in 2011. It ceased posting new hard news content in May 2023. It published a number of high-profile scoops, including the Steele dossier, for which it was strong ...

published an article detailing allegations of unwanted sexual contact by two women, subsequently denied by Silverman.Leading atheist, accused of sexual misconduct, speaks out
''The Washington Post'' (republished article from ''

Religion News Service Religion News Service, branded as RNS, is a news agency founded in 1934. It covers religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues, and publishes news, information, and commentaries on faiths and religious movements to newspapers, magazines, bro ...

'') by Kimberly Winston, September 6, 2018 The new president of American Atheists, Nick Fish, specified that Silverman's termination was not over sexual allegations, but as a result of a "loss of confidence" stemming from violations of internal policies on staff management, conflicts of interest, and their general code of conduct. Silverman was appointed Executive Director of

Atheist Alliance International Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is a non-profit advocacy organization committed to raising awareness and educating the public about atheism. The group supports atheist and freethought organizations around the world through promoting local ...

(AAI) in October 2019. He resigned from his position in December 2019. AAI President Gail Miller recognized Silverman "for the contribution he had made in reorganizing the AAI board and its operations".

Media appearances

Silverman attended and spoke at the 2011 American Atheists National Convention, in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. During his speech, he announced plans for the

Reason Rally The first Reason Rally was a public gathering for secularism and religious skepticism Religious skepticism is a type of skepticism relating to religion. Religious skeptics question religious authority and are not necessarily antireligious/cle ...

. On March 24, 2012, the Reason Rally took place at the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...

in Washington, D.C., and was the largest atheist gathering in world history. Silverman was the Creator and Executive Producer of the event, and the President of the Reason Rally Coalition, the coalition he founded to run the rally. On October 28, 2011, Silverman and

Dinesh D'Souza Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an American Right-wing politics, right-wing political commentator, conspiracy theorist, author, and filmmaker. He has made several films and written over a dozen books, several of them The New Y ...

participated in a public debate on whether

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

is beneficial for America. Silverman went on Fox News's ''

Hannity ''Hannity'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative television political Talk show, talk program on Fox News hosted by Sean Hannity. Episodes air live at 9:00 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, while episodes that ai ...

'' to discuss Christmas-themed billboards that American Atheists put up in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

, New York City. He also gave a talk to the Secular Humanist Jewish Circle in Tucson, Arizona detailing the incorrectness of Jewish atheism and how religion lies in general to promote itself. Silverman's first book, ''Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World'', was released on December 1, 2015.

Anti-Christmas billboards

Silverman has spearheaded the controversial anti-Christmas campaign by placing strategically placed billboards from New York City to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

featuring unapologetic slogans like "Keep the Merry, Dump the Myth!", "You Know It's a Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason" and "Dear Santa all I want for Christmas is to skip church!" The anti-Christmas billboards and subsequent TV appearances are often followed by a growth in subscribers and donations. Silverman has also launched

antireligion Antireligion is opposition to religion or traditional religious beliefs and practices. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe oppos ...

billboard campaigns in the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...

, urging people to skip church.

Personal life

Silverman has one child who attended I.L. Peretz Secular Jewish school.

References

External links

*
The No-God Blog

The Atheist Viewpoint TV Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverman, Dave 1966 births Living people 21st-century atheists 21st-century American Jews Jewish American atheism activists American computer scientists American libertarians American marketing people Articles containing video clips Brandeis University alumni American critics of religions American critics of Christianity Critics of Judaism People from Marblehead, Massachusetts Seton Hall University alumni Smeal College of Business alumni 21st-century American scientists