Raiders punter Chris Kluwe, one of the NFL’s most outspoken players, now plans to speak out on another issue that may cause some controversy.
Kluwe has been named as one of the speakers at the 2014 national convention of American Atheists.
Lots of NFL players wear their religion on their sleeves, but it’s rare for an NFL player to publicly speak about his lack of religious faith. In NFL locker rooms, it’s common for the head coach to lead the team in reciting the Lord’s Prayer, and it’s usually just assumed that no one in the locker room would have any issue with that. So by speaking at an atheist convention, Kluwe is putting himself pretty far outside the NFL mainstream.
Kluwe himself is not an atheist. In his new book, Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, he refers to himself as “cheerfully agnostic” and writes, “Atheists confuse me,” because they seem too certain about their belief. Kluwe thinks both atheists and religious believers should leave room for doubt about their world views.
Whether you agree or disagree with Kluwe’s views, he’s smart, engaging and funny in the way he articulates those views. This speech will surely be no different.