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Jessica Ahlquist, a 17-year-old atheist, shares her story at Skepticon, a national skeptics convention held in Springfield, Mo. Ahlquist won a lawsuit against her high school in January after it refused to take down a Christian prayer poster. Although criticized in her hometown community, she is seen as a hero in the atheist community. RNS photo by Kellie Kotraba/Columbia Faith and Values

Jessica Ahlquist, a 17-year-old atheist, shares her story at Skepticon, a national skeptics convention held in Springfield, Mo. Ahlquist won a lawsuit against her high school in January after it refused to take down a Christian prayer poster. Although criticized in her hometown community, she is seen as a hero in the atheist community.

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Jessica Ahlquist speaks at Skepticon, a national skeptics convention, in Springfield, Mo., in 2012. RNS photo by Kellie Moore/Columbia Faith and Values