Atheist Hotline Project Reaches Fundraising Goal Ahead Of Schedule, Seeks Volunteers

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - June 20, 2013 - PRLog -- June 20, 2013 — A toll-free, 24-hour secular hotline, designed to assist people as they question their faith or deal with the problems associated with leaving religious belief is one step closer to reality. Well ahead of their June 30th deadline and a little over two weeks after starting their fundraising efforts, Recovering from Religion, the organization behind The Hotline Project, has raised the $30,000 necessary to get the project started.

“We are very grateful to the outpouring of support we’ve received for the Hotline Project,” says Sarah Morehead, Executive Director of Recovering from Religion. “Our next challenge is to recruit and train enough volunteers to make 24-hour, 7-days per week support possible.”

The Hotline will provide trained volunteers to answer a 24-hour, toll-free hotline and provide real time, caller-specific support to each person who calls. Callers will be connected with national, regional, and local resources – a secular support network they can utilize, as they question their faith.

"Coming out" as a nonbeliever – or even a doubter - can often be extremely difficult,” according to Morehead. “In addition to their existential worries, budding nonbelievers run the risk of alienating family and friends, and in some communities they risk their jobs and more. Recovering From Religion provides a transitional safety net as they seek out the vast and welcoming secular community that exists across America.”

The idea for the hotline sprang up after hundreds of calls and emails came in to the Recovering from Religion phone line from people questioning their faith and needing to talk to someone. The Hotline Project will fill this need for a permanent, anonymous place to talk to an unbiased, trained volunteer.

The hotline’s volunteer counselors will be trained to not engage in religious debate, Morehead said. Instead, they will try to give callers practical, action-oriented solutions and link them with resources available in their local communities. Anyone interested in volunteering with or supporting the Hotline Project should visit the volunteer section of www.recoveringfromreligion.org to submit an application.

Recovering From Religion (RR) is an international organization that provides support to those who have experienced the negative impact of religion in their lives, as they explore their own personal journey away from faith. RR was founded in 2009 by Dr. Darrel Ray, and is led by Executive Director Sarah Morehead.

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If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Sarah Morehead, please email Recovering From Religion atadmin@recoveringfromreligion.org or call (512) 666-4630 (tel:%28512%29%20666-4630).