Dinesh D’Souza’s blog post “Where Is Atheism When Bad Things Happen?” asks, “Notice something interesting about the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings? Atheists are nowhere to be found. ” He later states: “To no one’s surprise, Dawkins has not been invited to speak to the grieving Virginia Tech community.” Nor was any other atheist or humanist, but silence doesn’t mean we weren’t there. And not being offered a podium doesn’t preclude our ability to mourn and offer words of healing. Even if it is clear that many people like D’Souza have no idea what a humanist or an atheist really is.

“I am an atheist and a professor at Virginia Tech,” posts a heartfelt response to D’Souza that is well worth reading and may bring tears as you realize what this man has to defend his own compassion even after he has lived through such a tragedy.