Atheists United hosted San Francisco resident and "Sweet Reason" columnist Molleen Matsumura at the April lecture at CFI/West. She shared several stories and letters that she has received since becoming the first freethought advice columnist for the Institute of Humanist Studies' Humanist Network News e-zine four years ago.

She talked about how nervous she was when she first signed on, whether she would get enough letters and questions to maintain a weekly column? But it didn't take long before there was a regular flow of correspondence headed her way, and nowadays she struggles to keep up with all of the requests.
She shared that her approach with most letters is to take some time to try to imagine the background and context of the writer behind the letter; and from that, attempt to respond to the bigger picture of the situation. So she never has a single pat answer to offer: Those who seem to be a bit too shy or bashful about their atheism, she encourages to find ways to be bolder and more open about it; those who seem to be ready to take on the world with their atheism, she advises that there is prudence in withholding and trying to listen to the other side.

Probably because of her practice as a columnist, Molleen tended to throw out a lot of succinct phrases that others found to be memorable. In my mind, the one memorable phrase she threw out that I thought really fit Molleen herself was this: "Quiet, but unbowed." In taking on this challenge, Molleen discovered both a need that she did not know was out there and the ability within herself to be able to fill that need. It was a joy and a pleasure for her to share her story and that of others with us at our April meeting.