According to Friendly Atheist, Faithiest, by Melanie Wilderman, has been transformed into a stage play.
In the report, the premise of the story is described as an atheist who is from Oklahoma. The atheist survives a tornado. Then the atheist blurts out that they do not believe in God. It is during a live interview on cable news. Her world begins to spiral out of control after that interview.
Apparently, this is a real story fictionalized. It happened to a real woman named Rebecca Vitsmun. Her real life story, in a fictionalized form, will be presented as a stage play in Oklahoma City. The author is a woman, Melanie Wilderman.
As stated, “A dramatic comedy, Faithiest tells the story of small-town Oklahoma school teacher Abigail Asher, a well-liked young woman respected as a dedicated educator, church volunteer, and all-around good person. But her standing in the community crumbles as quickly as the locals can yell, ‘It’s a twister!’”
With the tornado, the woman, Abigail, rescues some children and then is given national news coverage. It became an accidental reveal of personal atheist beliefs and convictions. After that confession, her friends and everyone else – even those in family – view her in a different light.
Now, the personal atheism gets blasted on social media. Abigail’s loved ones do not know how to feel about her anymore. It becomes a play of personal belief and then coping in the midst of the backlash against atheism.
The director, Rodney Brazil, stated, “The central theme of the play is being able to have those tough conversations with people that have differing opinions, people who aren’t going to change their beliefs…. (The play is about) being able to have a productive dialogue about those differences in belief without it causing an end to your relationship.”
Photo Credit: News Oklahoma