Richard Wade is a retired licensed Marriage and Family Therapist living in southern California. At Hemant’s suggestion, in 2009 he began writing an advice column called “Ask Richard.” He publishes his responses to email letters from people of all viewpoints, not just atheists. These usually deal with challenges or conflicts stemming from believers and nonbelievers living or working together. He tries to reduce unnecessary conflict and suffering on all sides.
He has spoken as a “guest atheist” at several churches to dispel the misconceptions and false stereotypes about atheism and atheists. His goal is to prevent the same unnecessary strife and hardship in families and friendships that he has dealt with in hundreds of “Ask Richard” letters. With accurate information, loving and respectful relationships do not have to be ruined by this difference in beliefs.
He is the President of the Santa Clarita Atheists and Freethinkers, who provide a safe haven and support for non-believers in the area as well as participate in several community outreach activities, charity work, interfaith events, and political activism.
Dear Richard, I’m in a long-term relationship with a man raised in a modern Orthodox Jewish family. He and I are atheists happy to participate in Jewish culture, but lacking any interest in the spiritual side of things. His parents are both very observant. His mom converted before marrying his dad, and now runs a strict Jewish household. My boyfriend and I started living together last year. His parents were initially very upset with this arrangement, since it signified that… Read more
Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Richard, I am an open and outgoing atheist. Years ago, as a joke, I got an online ordainment just to be able to tell people I can perform weddings. — but now one of my friends is taking me up on that claim. She and her husband-to-be are only moderately religious and are fully aware of my religious status — but they have one request: in order to avoid as… Read more
Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Dear Richard, I am a 24-year-old atheist living in the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia. The version of Islam here is much more relaxed (in general) than the extremism we see so much in the Middle East, but even non-religious people aren’t generally cool with atheism. If they’re not Muslim, they’re Christian, usually Protestant, less so Catholic, but they are not generally atheist, at least not publicly. I’m… Read more
Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Dear Richard, I came out as an atheist to my family eleven years ago (when I was seventeen). My family is Reform Jewish, and though I have relatives who had married outside the faith, my atheism caused a rift between me and my family which, while improved, has never been repaired. While I’ve been dealing with the situation for a while, I’m now finding it very hard to cope with… Read more
Hey Richard- I’m a 24-year old atheist living in the mountains of Colorado. My immediate family recognizes me as an atheist, but few family members beyond that know about my beliefs. I live in a younger community and many of my friends have similar beliefs to my own. My identification with atheism is not something I typically trumpet around everyday, although I did participate in a few A-Week functions which sparked some great dialog between myself and several theistic friends…. Read more
