If a prize were awarded to the happiest atheist on the planet, Lucy Gubbins would be a frontrunner. Raised in Tennessee, Lucy had a childhood fascination with Japanese culture and all things religious. She drifted from Christianity to Wicca before advice from her brother began to lead her down a more secular life route. In college, she co-founded the Alliance of Happy Atheists (AHA!) at the University of Oregon. The group became one of the most widely-known organizations on campus within its first few years.
When she was a child, she believed that the bliss that she felt while walking through beautiful forests could only be explained through the awesomeness of a higher power. She certainly hasn’t lost her appreciation for nature or her faith in people, even though she no longer believes that God exists. She hopes, more than anything, that her efforts in organizing have helped to provide a safe and meaningful secular community in which young atheists can participate and flourish.