Des Moines will be a gathering place for atheists and non-believers Easter weekend.

The American Atheists, one of the largest atheism activist groups in the nation, will be hosting their annual convention Thursday to Sunday in Des Moines. The convention already has nearly 700 people confirmed to attend, including members of Iowa State’s Atheist and Agnostic Society.

Hector Avalos, professor of philosophy and religious studies and adviser of the Atheist and Agnostic Society, believes the convention will benefit atheist activism in Iowa in several different ways.

“First, it will give them a moral boost because they may feel rewarded for their helping to put Iowa secularism on the map,” Avalos said. “Second, local secularists will be introduced to a national audience and network of atheists around the nation.”

Avalos said the publicity for the conference may help attract more people in Iowa to local secularist groups. He is hopeful that the term “atheist” in Iowa may become a more normal self-description.

“I already know many who are less fearful of using that word to identify themselves, though there is a long way to go,” Avalos said.

A conference centered on atheism, particularly during the Christian holiday of Easter, seems atypical in a state like Iowa. From Avalos’ experiences, Iowa is perceived around the country as a beacon of hope for secular causes.

“The idea that a Midwest farm state has legalized gay marriage, when many states with more liberal reputations have not, is certainly one development that attracted the attention of atheists, who tend to support gay marriage,” Avalos said. “The fact that Iowa has defeated many efforts to introduce intelligent design into public education also has generated the perception that Iowans really stand up for science education.”

Avalos said atheists around the nation were also attracted to Iowa after seeing the visibility of local atheist groups.

One of these groups is Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers, a non-profit social group working to create a community of support for nonbelievers in Iowa, be those atheists, freethinkers, secular humanists, agnostics and other non-religious people.

One of their most successful efforts was a DART bus ad campaign that read “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.” The American Atheists, the group organizing the convention, had their own campaign around the Des Moines metro area to promote the event, which read, “You know it’s a myth. We KNOW you’re right.”

Atheism is a term that often has negative connotations. Avalos said he believes this is due to the same reasons other minority groups are perceived in a negative light.

“Americans are predominantly religious and have been socialized to think that religion is necessary for good citizenship and morals,” Avalos said. “Atheists, therefore, are perceived to lack good morals and as anti-social.”

“People who don’t know atheists personally may also fear what they don’t know just as they do with other minority groups, such as Muslims and immigrants.”

The charge that atheists have no morals is the one Avalos hears the most frequently. He wrote a book in 2005, entitled “Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence,” to refute such a claim.

Avalos said atheists believe moral codes should be based on causes and consequences that can be proven. He also believes that a moral code revolving around God tends to be more chaotic and arbitrary because people can interpret what God wants in a number of different ways.

“Thus, you have Christians who say homosexuality is a sin, and Christians who believe homosexuality is not a sin,” Avalos said. “You have Christians who believe the death penalty is murder, and Christians who believe the death penalty is not murder. Historically, God-based morality has never resulted in a uniform set of principles or actions.”

Avalos said the other problem with religion-based morality is some people become convinced that murder is permissible if they are commanded by God to do it. Avalos said atheists would say one should never take someone’s life based on the will of a being whose existence cannot be proven.

“As an atheist, I focus on making the world around me better because I do not live and expend my resources living for an afterlife,” Avalos said. “As an atheist, my morality is focused on relationships with real human beings, and not on relationships with beings I do not know exist.”

Avalos will speak at the convention on why the concept of intelligent design is not considered science. On top of that, several members of the ISU Atheist and Agnostic Society will be part of a panel discussion during the convention.

The American Atheists National Convention will be Thursday to Sunday in the Embassy Suites on the River, 101 E. Locust St., in downtown Des Moines.