Athiest Group Plans to Lobby TN Legislators

A national group of atheists plans to lobby Tennessee lawmakers on issues involving separation of church and state.

According to The Tennessean, the Secular Coalition for America announced intention on Tuesday to organize a local chapter aimed at increasing the clout of local atheists and agnostics.

Edwina Rogers, the executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based coalition, said 40 million Americans don't identify with any religion but they have limited political influence because they haven't been organized.

Kevin Pierce, a Franklin resident who described himself as a secular humanist, said the group faces an uphill fight in Tennessee.

An American Religious Identification Survey found fewer than 2 percent of respondents said they were atheists or agnostics.