Reading I, Asimov as a kid immediately converted me from a Southern Baptist to humanist/atheist.

I'm sad that atheist discourse has moved away from Vonnegut/Sagan/Le Guin-style humanism. Starting with Hitchens, prominent intellectuals seem like they hate God more than they believe in people.

Are there any current writers or public figures that have taken up the human-loving atheism of my youth?

> Are there any current writers or public figures that have taken up the human-loving atheism of my youth?

Many. Kim Stanley Robinson for instance.