Name Change: International Society of Secularists

Posted March 4, 2009 on Facebook:

Good Evening!
I hope you are doing well. I want to inform you that I have decided to rename the group I am founding the International Society of Secularists. I know many atheists will have concerns about this decision, so I would like to take a moment to explain it.
Atheists appear to be the most organized and active portion in the non-theist community, at least in English speaking countries. This activism and organization, especially over the last decade, has brought me hope for secularism. I do not take atheists for granted, and I hope they will continue to be interested in my organization.
I have found it very difficult to generate interest in my group from those who do not explicitly call themselves atheist but are nevertheless non-theists. I know many atheists might argue that other names for non-theist positions are all forms of atheism. However, I ultimately had to ask myself “What are the goals of the organization I want to form?” Although activism is certainly going to be a part of what we do, it will not be our main focus. Our purpose is to provide a source of cohesion for the secular community. We will do this by establishing social and support networks for non-theists, as well as providing services to both the public and to the secular community.
I know this decision will probably cause the organization to be viewed as a moderate group, and moderate theists and non-theists are sometimes criticized for their apparent lack of clarity and steadfastness. Let me be clear – the ISS stands for free thought and separation of church and state. It also embraces the use of reason and science over faith and tradition. I believe both moderate and more vocal groups are both important components of social movements.
You may have questions and concerns about my decision to change the name of the organization, and I welcome those. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to share your feedback and ideas. I hope that you will continue to show support and interest in the organization.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Clapper
Founder
International Society of Secularists

Response to Benedict XVI

The AFP reports that Pope Benedict XVI made several interesting statements about the modern world and materialism July 19 in Sydney.  He allegedly:

…urged worshippers to become “messengers of love” to counter a “spiritual desert” spreading in the modern world, saying their youthful energy had helped reinvigorate the church.

“The world needs this renewal,” he said. “In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading, an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair.”

The pontiff has repeatedly railed against consumerism and greed through the week and again warned young worshippers to avoid “the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships.”

If Pope Benedict is claiming that a growing lack of faith is equal to a lack of love or morality, I certainly disagree. If he means that faith and spirituality are giving way to reason, how is that a bad thing?  The only thing I have ever noticed about non-religious people as far as an “emptiness” is concerned is that they sometimes are suffering psychologically because of the social isolation they often endure.

The sense of despair and emptiness Pope Benedict describes may also be an indirect result of other factors that accompany development. For example, more people live in and near urban areas in developed countries, where population density is much higher than we are likely evolved to cope with.  Workforces are also much more mobile where infrastructure allows it.  Although this is good for the economy, it may cause additional stress on people as they are forced to rebuild their social networks.  In a nutshell, the negative emotions described by Pope Benedict may have more to do with our evolutionary hardwiring than the fact that we are less religious.

It is normal for humans to be consumers and to stockpile resources. Resources help men attract mates and help women raise healthy children.  We are therefore likely to seek to acquire them, along with status symbols that imply we have them.  To rally against consumerism and greed is to rally against human nature.

An Early Logo for the International Society of Atheists

I recently created a low tech logo for my ISA Facebook interest group to help symbolize my vision for the organization.  Here it is:

Also, the Facebook interest group is a way for people to network with others that are interested in the organization.  Feel free to take a look.  You can find it at:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10903714877&ref=ts

Barack Obama Endorses Faith Based Initiatives

When I first saw part of a speech made by Obama in 2006, it seemed as though he was very close to promoting a strong separation of church and state point of view.  However, when I viewed the speech in its entirety, I saw that Obama was attempting to make observations about church and state from both the left and right.  He offered points of advice for both conservatives and progressives on how he thinks religion and politics should interact.  So instead of proposing a reenforcement of the wall between church and state, it seems he was actually calling for a kind of pluralistic movement towards the center on church and state issues.

About a week ago, Obama endorsed the use of faith based initiatives to give funding to religious organizations that perform community service.  While I commend Obama’s lifelong commitment to community service, this particular decision troubles me.  The organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State has voiced its objections to the press, and hopefully atheist and secular organizations are doing so as well.  If leaders of both of the two major political parties in the United States endorse faith based initiatives, it seems as though permanent erosion to the wall separating church and state might occur.  What leading politicians will now speak for the non-religious, who are likely to object to having their tax dollars given to religious organizations?  Obama is reaching out to religious conservatives in an apparent attempt to poach their votes from the Republican Party, but he risks alienating the non-religious.  Perhaps it is the correct strategic decision; maybe religious conservatives are better organized and will donate more money… or maybe Obama’s campaign strategists think that his left wing and secular supporters are likely to stay with him while he causes former loyal Republican voters to switch parties.

Obama later clarified that the money would not be able to be used to proselytize, and that federal dollars would have to be used on secular programs.  However, it seems as though a religious organization, even if it did indeed use the federal money only for community service programs, would then have that same amount of money freed up in its budget plan for uses such as… proselytizing.

Obama, according to the Associated Press, has said that he will make his Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships the moral center of his administration – perpetuating the false dichotomy between religion and morality.  It seems as though the myth that societies and individuals need religion in order to be prosperous and moral will continue for some time – or at least for four more years.

More on Barack Obama’s Speech on Religion

I found out where the speech I mentioned a few posts back by Barack Obama was made, thanks to James Dobson…  It was a speech made to the group called Call to Renewal on June 28, 2006.  The reason I found out is because the press has been paying attention to remarks made about it by Dobson.  I might disagree with Obama about his comments regarding the pledge of allegiance, but for the most part I tended to agree with what he had to say.   Here is the full speech, courtesy of Youtube:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

David Silverman’s Response

A couple posts back, I shared how I wrote this comment on the blog sponsored by American Atheists and administered over by David Silverman, which can be found at http://www.nogodblog.com:

Congratulations, David and Kathleen (on being appointed to the Board of Directors). David, I personally think your appointment to the Board is overdue by about 10 years, give or take. But better late than never. Is the board considering terms and term limits? One book on nonprofits that I’m reading says that in many organizations, once a board member serves the term limit, they have to leave the board for at least a year. Afterwards, they are able to rejoin it. Also, if you haven’t already, you might consider recruiting board members with a diverse range of abilities and experience. For example, one with experience in accounting, one with experience in web design, one with marketing experience, etc… Is the board considering hiring an executive director? It seems that most nonprofits that reach a certain size will hire an executive director who runs the day to day operations of the organization, and the board is there to provide oversight, knowledge, and fund raising contacts… Does AA have an up to date strategic plan? Up to date handbooks for board members, staff, volunteers, state and local leaders? Does AA regularly put out a call for volunteers, contact community colleges and universities for both volunteers and interims, and place ads for interims? -Andrew Clapper

Here is Silverman’s response:

(Andrew), Our board HAS broadened recently with the addition of Edwin (Attorney), Kathy (Military), Arlene (Local Groups) and myself (pretty face). You’re going like the changes over the next year.

Although Silverman addressed the question of the need for a larger board, the idea is to have a board of experts that are able to make sure that the organization is run efficiently and professionally. There is nothing wrong with having activist board members, but I can not help but wonder if certain areas of the organization’s management are being neglected.

The post on the expansion of the Board of Directors of American Atheists can be found here:

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/06/09/news_dave_and_kathleen_join_the_board

Barack Obama and John McCain on Religion

I noticed this very interesting speech given by Barack Obama tonight. I don’t know where or when he gave it, but it seems like he is on the verge of advocating separation of church and state.

I have not yet found a recent video featuring John McCain on religion. It appears he has been very quiet on the topic lately:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9361.html

However, I did find a video from before the primary season that is somewhat troubling – somewhat because he was at least partially making these statements with the primary season in mind:

I don’t (publicly) endorse either candidate, but it seems as though these two different approaches to the issue of separation of church and state might contribute to the decision of non-believers.

Good News for American Atheists

American Atheists has added David Silverman and Kathleen Johnson to the Board of Directors.

David Silverman is the Communications Director of the organization, while Kathleen Johnson is the Military Director. Both will retain their current positions as they take seats at the Board.

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/06/09/news_dave_and_kathleen_join_the_board

Also, the Board voted to dismiss Ellen Johnson from the Board (and she choose not to be present for the meeting in which the vote occured), although I don’t consider this good or bad news.

Also, after reading the comments section of this post, American Atheists also appears to have added Blair Scott to the Board, who left the posts of Alabama State Director and National Affiliate Outreach Director in order to focus on Board duties.

Here are some reasons why I think this news is good overall:

• the board is growing. The board was apparently at 9 people when recent events began. This may be a bit small, especially considering that the organization has had many problems during the last decade or so, including a lack of transparency, connection to members, and a website left over from the 90’s.
• The organization is changing and has adopted an attitude of reform. It appears that the board had been stagnant for a long time, although it is unclear whether it has terms and term limits or not. Lines of communication seem to be open among board members, and they have used recent events to look at how the organization can improve.
• David Silverman should have been on the board years ago. I once talked to him online some eight years ago, after stumbling upon him in an America Online chat room, and from what I could tell he has long been a voice for reform and transparency in the organization. He is outspoken even on his own blog about some of the problems he thinks the organization has.

Here is the response I wrote to the blog post on this subject:

Congratulations, David and Kathleen. David, I personally think your appointment to the Board is overdue by about 10 years, give or take. But better late than never. Is the board considering terms and term limits? One book on nonprofits that I’m reading says that in many organizations, once a board member serves the term limit, they have to leave the board for at least a year. Afterwards, they are able to rejoin it. Also, if you haven’t already, you might consider recruiting board members with a diverse range of abilities and experience. For example, one with experience in accounting, one with experience in web design, one with marketing experience, etc… Is the board considering hiring an executive director? It seems that most nonprofits that reach a certain size will hire an executive director who runs the day to day operations of the organization, and the board is there to provide oversight, knowledge, and fund raising contacts… Does AA have an up to date strategic plan? Up to date handbooks for board members, staff, volunteers, state and local leaders? Does AA regularly put out a call for volunteers, contact community colleges and universities for both volunteers and interims, and place ads for interims? -Andrew Clapper

Recent Events at American Atheists

A week or so ago, I was checking the American Atheists website to see if I could find out more about the latest convention and perhaps find videos of the presenters there. I didn’t find any convention videos, but I did find this message:

“Following over 13 years of outstanding service to American Atheists and the cause of State-Church Separation, Ellen Johnson is leaving her post as President of the organization. “

from http://www.atheists.org

The language seemed to suggest that Johnson left her post willingly. However, when I visited the organization sponsored blog I learned that she was removed from office. The blog is apparently run by Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists. On May 7, 2008, Silverman made this post on his blog:

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/05/07/we_re_still_waiting

Ellen Johnson does not appear to have made a public statement since she was removed from office.

Later on May 7, 2008, Silverman made this post:

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/05/07/special_official_statement_re_ellen_john

For nine days, there were no apparent further public statements about Johnson’s departure. The next post on Silverman’s blog about this topic is dated 5/16/08. Here it is:

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/05/16/president_zindler_answers_questions

The next post is dated 5/22/08, and although it does not directly mention the firing of Ellen Johnson, it seems to be related to it:

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/05/22/toward_the_future

The next and most recent public post regards the resignation of a member of the Board of Directors of American Atheists. Here it is:

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/05/30/bart_bows_out

Bart later requested that Silverman post his entire resignation letter. The letter seems to finally explain what happened with the firing of Ellen Johnson. Scroll down about six comments to read the letter.

So there it is. I wanted to put links to these statements into one document so others wouldn’t have to dig around as I did.

One Possible International Growth Strategy

A few months back I decided to publicly write about my plans for the atheist organization I plan to start. Before I talk about an international growth strategy for the organization, a brief restatement of the organization’s basic goals seems appropriate.

The organization (tentatively called the International Society of Atheists) will focus on a set of clear goals: to establish social and support networks for atheists on a local level, to serve both local atheist communities and local communities at large, to reach out to individuals and groups such as public officials, the religious community, and other atheist and service oriented organizations, and to eliminate negative stereotypes about atheism and atheists. The organization will also pursue some not so unique goals that are nevertheless important to atheists, such as the promotion of separation of church and state, reason, and civil rights of atheists.

I imagine that for the first few years – or at least the first few months – that the organization is operational, it will run on a fairly small budget. Therefore, it will rely mostly on the work of volunteers to begin with. So how will we have a national growth strategy at the beginning, let alone an international one?

First of all, one will have to be either a current or former chapter leader in order to be a member of the board of directors. This means that the members first slate of directors will all have to be current chapter leaders. Of course, this will make it hard for someone to be on the board before the organization begins operations, so there will probably be a special section in the bylaws pertaining to the first board. I will probably write something into it that allows these first directors to serve on the board as long as they commit to and plan for starting a chapter as soon as the organization begins operations.

This policy means that every director on the board will understand what it means to be a chapter leader – and will be in a good position to understand and serve other local leaders. It will also insure that each director is actively involved in the organization, no matter how big the organization gets. The policy also means that, if the board members live in a wide range of geographical locations, the organization itself will also be active in the same wide range. As the board turns over and grows, the policy may serve as one method of growth for the organization.

One possible reason that this international strategy of growth may not work during the first months of the organization’s life is that it may need to have the first group of board members to be concentrated in a relatively small geographical area. The organization will probably have few funds to reimburse board members for traveling expenses. Also, the board will probably need to meet frequently in order to write the organization’s strategic plan. It may be the case that the board members will have to act as volunteers in order to run the organization’s day to day operations, at least at first.

As always, your feedback is welcome. Feel free to give me your ideas and constructive criticism.

The Day I Learned the Ten Commandments

A few weeks after my kindergarten CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) sessions began, our instructors took us into a classroom to teach us the Ten Commandments.  This was the first time we were exposed to a serious, extended lecture style lesson.  Our two instructors also took on a serious demeanor we had not yet seen in them, and so we were all a bit nervous and not quite sure what to expect.

One by one, they went through the Ten Commandments and explained them in terms that five year olds could understand.  It was made very clear to us that we were not just being told a story; it was required of us that we learn them and begin to follow them. 

At first, they seemed to make good sense, although I felt as though good people were supposed to do things like honor their mother, and refrain from lying, stealing, and killing.  Why did we need God to tell us to do these things?  And where was the kind and loving God (of the New Testament I think) I had been taught about until this day?

The adults were so serious about what they were doing that I didn’t want to go against what they were saying.  However, the other children in my class had questions for each commandment.  It is hard for me to remember them, but I think some of them resembled questions like “Why do we need someone to teach us how to be good people again?  Our parents already teach us (to be moral)… Why does God need to command us to do things if he is all powerful?”

Their questions resonated with me, and our instructors were at a loss to tackle some of the advanced philosophical questions that were being asked.  I am still a bit amazed by the ability of these children to question their elders like that.  Maybe even five year olds are able to think like an atheist before they are indoctrinated.  I, however, stayed silent.  I was quite impressed by some of the questions that were being asked. 

After several questions for each Commandment, and more after all were taught to us, our instructors began to become frustrated.  Eventually, one simply began to insist that we should try to follow the Commandments because God required it of us, and the other instructor followed her lead.  After a stern lecture about how it was alright for us to think about the Commandments, but that we still needed to learn them and follow them, our CCD session moved on to another matter.

I remember thinking that the instructors would probably avoid the topic of the Ten Commandments in the future, because they would face the same barrage of questions and become frustrated again.  I believed it was okay for me to simply ignore that lesson, since although the instructors were supposed to be more knowledgeable than us, they lacked acceptable answers to our very important questions. 

The next week we had our next CCD session.  As soon as it began, our instructors verbally quizzed us on what the Ten Commandments were.  This time, they would have no more questions.  They simply wanted us to recite them.  We children obliged them, although at first I still thought that all of us considered it a waste of time.  As we went through this new routine, alarm began to creep into me.  The other children had many questions that the adults did not have satisfactory answers to, and yet we were now simply going along with them.  I grudgingly mumbled the Commandments along with the other kids, filled with anger and resentment towards the adults for forcing us to do something we clearly had demonstrated to them was frivolous.

The weeks went on, and my anger and resentment about the Ten Commandments became directed towards the other children.  I was filled with a sense of betrayal as well.  Why had we abandoned our skeptical stance towards these pointless commands?  Why did the adults simply need to insist on something for us to agree to it?  What was wrong with these kids?  I do not think I ever voiced my thoughts and feelings about the issue to anyone.  I do, however, remember that this same resentment surfaced later when we began to have prayer and doctrine testing done on a regular basis. 

Are Atheists and Religious People in the United States Doomed to be Enemies?

It probably seems so to most people.  I’ve lately found myself asking why we are so damned determined to defeat the other side and prove each other wrong.  It seems as though we are locked in a kind of ideological struggle with no way out.  Atheists and other non-theists tend to criticize historical proofs of the existence of a god, among other things.  On the other hand, the religious look at atheists and atheist organizations, and all they see is an individual or group that appears to be determined to undermine ideas that are central to their lives.  I am honestly not surprised that they are resistant to anything we have to say. 

Does it have to be like this?  There is good reason to criticize doctrines that most people tend to take for granted.  Society does need to know that there is a respectable alternative to religion and belief in the supernatural.  However, I personally have only had a desire to attack religion when it has resulted in bigotry and social isolation towards me or someone else for not being religious, or when I notice an example of when religious belief is used to manipulate people into being violent.

What I really want is what I think most people do: the ability to live a healthy, productive life, have rewarding relationships with friends and family, and to be able to start a family.  Why shouldn’t atheists be able to do these things, and to be openly atheist at the same time? 

Atheism is not a disease.  We are not mentally ill, and we are not atheist because we are angry at a god or because someone associated with a religion molested us.  We are atheist either because we were born that way and stayed that way, or because at some point we chose to become so again.  We are still normal people.  Most of us probably keep the fact we are atheist a secret because we do not want to be ostracized. 

I am tired of fighting with religious people.  I am tired of people asking me “so you think we came from monkeys?” when they find out I am atheist.  I am tired of people buying me books by Josh McDowell and C.S. Lewis to try to convert me back to Christianity.  I am tired of getting the cold shoulder from women that find out I am atheist as if there is something wrong with me.  I am tired of the references to Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot as leaders of supposed atheist nations. 

I often find myself drawn into debates about these and many other topics, but what I really want is the ability to live a normal life while being openly atheist.  This is one of many reasons why I decided to form my own atheist organization.  Instead of focusing on this cycle of attack on religion that we often find ourselves in, it goes in another direction.  Its three key activities will be community building, service, and outreach.  Maybe I am wrong, and another approach will one day bear fruit.  But my approach does not seem to have been tried before. 

ISA Chapter Positions

A couple of weeks ago, I began to use my blog to publish my ideas about the organization I plan to officially form in the fall of 2009.  The organization is called the International Society of Atheists (ISA).  I am still researching and thinking about the regional, national, and international positions in the organization.  However, I think that I have a reasonably clear idea of what the chapter positions will be.  They could change between now and next fall, but I think they are specific enough now that I can describe them.  Here they are. 

Facilitator

• anyone in the chapter that is an ISA member can register to be one
• someone can be a facilitator and hold another office in the chapter at the same time
• coordinates a social activity – announces it, makes appropriate arrangements, is present
• very little work or experience needed for a RAG (Random Atheist Gathering), more needed for special occasions, celebrations
• Random Atheist Gathering: an unstructured social event (for example, meeting at a coffee shop, game night, pot luck dinner, etc…) held for atheists… each chapter should have one at least weekly if possible
• example: Andrew posts an anouncement/reminder for a RAG on his chapter’s email listserv (and maybe in the newspaper or other venues if he has the time and/or money).  He tells everyone that the meeting will be at 7pm at the local Starbucks on Wednesday March 19, 2008.  He offers words of encouragement and notes that there will be a copy of The God Delusion on the table for newcomers to recognize the group.  Andrew shows up a few minutes before 7 that night and stays for at least an hour or two, and he chats with anyone that shows up.  After a few months, a group of regulars are likely to come to the RAGs… Andrew still tries to find ways to reach more atheists and encourage newcomers to attend.

Outreach Leader:

• elected every two years by chapter members
• meet with religious leaders and leaders of previously hostile private organizations (for example Boy Scouts of America)
•  - ask them to stop (or refrain from) denigrating atheists and atheism
•  - establish positive relationships
•  - jointly organize public dialogue events
•  - propose joint social activities
•  - propose joint service activities
• meet with holders of public office
•  - discuss separation of church and state concerns
•  - discuss civil rights concerns
•  - follow up with calls and letters
•  - if holders of public office are deliberately and persistently hostile, organize mass mailings, petitions, peaceful protests, other activist activities
• establish relationships with members of the media
•  - newspaper reporters and editors, local news reportes and producers, radio station producers
• reach out to local chapters/groups of atheists and other non-theists
•  - attend their local meetings, praise them for their strengths
•  - calls, emails, letters
•  - promote their activities to ISA members
•  - establish relationships

Service Leader

• elected every two years by chapter members
• plans, promotes, organizes the service activies of the chapter
• service projects in general community
•  - work with organizations such as the United Way to improve quality of life for local people
• services to individual atheists in the chapter
•  - legal advice/counsel when possible
•  - housing for abused, ostracized atheists
•  - provide mentors/mentorship to atheists that need advice

Community Leader

• elected every two years by chapter members
• provide support and leadership to facilitators
• ensures that regular social gatherings take place for the chapter
• encourages chapter members to acknowledge special occasions together, possibly facilitates them (for example: weddings, memorials, coming out parties, solstice/equiniox celebrations, Darwin Day, graduations, academic acheivements)
• assists neighboring towns/cities in forming new chapters and assists their facilitators
• evaluates, improves, and maintains the morale of the chapter

Chapter Leader

• elected every two years by chapter members
• communicates the needs of the chapter to regional leaders
• acts as facilitator, outreach leader, community leader, service leader in a smaller/newer chapter
• ensures that the chapter has at least one monthly structured meeting where business is discussed
• promotes the goals of the ISA – in ways the chapter sees fit, but within the working framework of the organization
• ensures that the chapter sets specific goals, assists chapter leaders and members to accomplish those goals

*****

You might notice that the positions of Facilitator and Outreach Leader seem to be a bit more developed.  The reason is because I have written about those two positions in the past already, so I’ve already spent a good bit of time thinking about them.  What do you think about the outline in general?  Hopefully it will give you a sense of what the organization is all about, at least on the local level.

The International Society of Atheists (ISA) Outline

My original outline that I published was fairly detailed and I think it conveys the sense that the ISA will be a fairly comprehensive organization.  Hopefully it also shows that I have done a great deal of thinking and researching, and that I am a good candidate to lead the project.  However, it does seem a bit cluttered at the moment.  Originally, I grouped it into four main categories: support, community, activism, and outreach.  There seemed to be a great deal of overlap in some of the activities listed for each category, and to be honest, I think it needs to be re-organized. 

Every so often, I will update the outline and published a revised version of it.  Since one reason I’m publishing my work is to receive feedback on it, please feel free to comment on it.  A fresh pair of eyes will be able to tell me where I am making mistakes, as well as where I and the outline in particular are strong. 

The outline will probably be the main source of the goal focused section of the organization’s constitution.  I will begin work on an outline for the organization’s structure in the near future. 

The three new categories for the goal outline are:

Community, Service, and Outreach

The activities that had been under social support are now a subgroup under community, and activism is now under outreach.  So, without otherwise changing or adding to the outline yet, here’s what it looks like:

Community

     Support:
Social:
Regular social gatherings for each chapter
Mentors to help those in need
Legal (will probably come later after organization grows):
Discrimination
Separation of church and state
Celebrations and ceremonies:
Weddings
Funerals/memorial gatherings
Coming out parties
Graduations?
Secular holidays? Winter solstice, etc…
Conferences/other events:
Speakers
Seminars
                 Service
                               Work with United Way (or other organizations), other service orgs

Outreach
religious leaders:
meetings, letters, phone calls
media:
advertising
public relations w/media
press releases
politicians:
meetings, letters, phone calls
other atheist/secular/nonreligious groups:
attend their meetings, conferences, write them letters, PR efforts
general public (through media, activism):
telling them we exist and are here to support atheists and their families and friends
Activism:
Petitions
Marches
Rallies
Mail outs/handouts
debates

****

You might notice that the Service category is now underdeveloped compared to the other two.  The reason I decided to make it a main category is because service to the community (the general community outside of the atheist community) will help raise the general public’s opinion about atheists, and I think it gives both a sense of purpose for atheist social groups and an avenue for our outreach efforts to religious leaders and holders of public office.  Of course, if you disagree, feel free to tell me why.  You might change my mind about something. 

Atheists Reach Out

In this post, I will describe my vision for the outreach activities of the International Society of Atheists, the planned atheist organization I plan to officially launch circa fall 2009. Right now I can think of four major areas of focus for our outreach activities. The four areas are religious leaders and groups, the media, holders of public office, and other atheist/secular/nonreligious groups.The outreach activities for religious leaders and holders of public office will be fairly similar. Depending on the size of the chapter, either the outreach officer or chapter leader (or both) would be encouraged to write letters and phone calls asking for meetings with office holders and religious leaders.

Meetings with religious leaders will probably focus on asking them to refrain from denigrating atheists and atheism. Hopefully positive relationships with at least some religious leaders will be established, and the ISA members might then propose that atheist and religious groups work together on service projects, as well as have public dialogue events and perhaps even socials together.

Meetings with holders of public office will probably focus on separation of church and state topics and any civil rights issues that may be of concern to the chapter or perhaps entire ISA. Chapter leaders and chapter outreach leaders would probably meet with city council members, school board members, mayors, and state legislators. Regional leaders would probably seek meetings with mayors of larger cities, governors, state legislators, and possibly federal legislators. International leaders might seek meetings with governors, federal legislators, and federal leaders and cabinet members.

If religious leaders and holders of public office are unable or unwilling to meet, the ISA member can follow up with phone calls and letters. Occasional (polite) letters might be most appropriate when the person is unwilling to meet.

Establishing relationships with members of the media will be important because members of the media tend to have the ability to make the general public aware of issues of concern to the atheist community. They will also be able to make the public aware that atheists, and especially the ISA, are dedicated to service and community building. Such reporting alone will probably greatly improve public perception of atheists and atheism. Members of the media will also be able to provide a voice for the atheist community when issues of separation of church and state and discrimination exist.

Outreach to other atheist and non-religious organizations will be another important activity that the ISA will pursue. ISA leaders will attend the meetings of other organizations on local, regional, and national/international levels. We will establish relationships with their leaders and members. We will attend their local meetings, as well as large scale conferences. We will also communicate with them on a regular basis and praise them for their strengths.

I realize some of the ideas I have mentioned may seem radical to many atheists. Hopefully, however, one can get a sense that our unique approach will in fact raise the public opinion of atheists and atheism, as well as allow us to pursue our goals in ways not yet possible due to the way atheists approached them in the past.  Of course, that is not a detailed explanation, but I think if one reads several of my writings about the ISA, he or she will begin to understand the approach I am taking with this organization.

Why Create Another Atheist Organization?

Someone recently asked my why I wanted to form a new organization, when some organizations already exist. They also asked why I wanted to wait until the fall of 2009 to begin the organization. My response was becoming so long, that I decided to adapt it into a post. So here it is.

Why Form Another Atheist Organization, When Several Already Exist?

I do not wish to criticize specific organizations that already exist, but the approach I’m taking is to find out what many different organizations do really well. That way, I can combine the best qualities into one cohesive unit: community building, social support, civil rights, service, outreach, networking, and perhaps some other qualities.

As far as I can tell, there are few if any organizations that exist on a national or international level that have a high level of grassroots support. On the other hand, there are many local atheist organizations that seem to be doing quite well in fostering a sense of community with their members. I have also seen a great deal of success accomplished in local polyamory groups of providing social support by simply having an informal system of facilitators that make regular announcements of social events and provide anchors for groups to form.

Many atheist organizations have democratic elections, but some do not. I appreciate the fact that there are only a small number of people willing and able to be leaders in a non-profit organization. I also realize that some groups face the danger of having large numbers of people join so that they can disrupt it and steer it away from the goals it was created to accomplish. However, I believe the benefits of elections and clear term lengths outweigh the dangers. Right now, I’m thinking term lengths would look like this: 2 years for chapter officers, 4 years for regional, and 6 years for national and/or international. Those numbers are tentative. Also, I would like to conduct more research before I decide whether or not we should have term limits.

A third key difference between my organization and existing atheist organization is the methods and mentality that are used to approach our goals. Rather than believing we opposed to all religious organizations on all issues, and thus creating a self fulfilling prophecy, we will work in partnership with them. True, there are some religious groups that will be more difficult to reason with than others, but there are also some that will be willing to work with us if we present ourselves as contributors to the community, rather than purely agitators. For example, The United States Atheists in Portland, Oregon helped organize an event called the Catholic and Atheist Dialogue Night. I think every chapter should at least attempt to have these kinds of events. I do believe that once religious organizations no longer see atheists as an overt threat, they will be much more tolerant and likely to listen to our ideas. That is not to say, however, that atheists or the ISA should tolerate bigotry, discrimination, or violence. Or that we should necessarily agree with religious organizations on most things or anything. However, if we disagree in a way that is non-threatening, we will be five steps closer to being viewed with respect and tolerance. On a local level, it will be impossible for atheists to be accepted members of the community if we make ourselves enemies of that community. I intend for the ISA to spearhead the public relations campaign that atheists so desperately need.

Why Wait Until Circa Fall 2009 to Launch The Organization?

The reason I’m waiting a year and a half is because I may be going to grad school then, and wherever I end up being will be where I start the international organization, have headquarters, and probably start several local chapters myself. That will also allow me to plan the organization in great detail. Rather than start quickly and uncover flaws in the way we’re organized later, I would like to research other atheist organizations and NGOs heavily. That way, I’ll be able to learn from their mistakes, and follow their lead in areas that they are strong. It will also allow me to write and build up a national (and possibly international) audience so that I will already have grassroots support for the organization when it starts. It will also allow me to build up publicity for the organization… the closest analogy I can think of is when Alfred Kinsey’s team of researchers would discuss their upcoming books and build public interest in them before they actually were released.

Becoming an Atheist

Becoming an Atheist

I first learned the word atheist when I was in the eighth grade of middle school (junior high school). Before one of my classes started, another student randomly asked me, “Are you atheist?” My reply was, “What’s that?” He said, “It means you don’t believe in God. XXX is atheist. I think she’s stupid.” I told him that I wasn’t atheist, and that I was unaware it was possible not to believe in God and that a word existed for such a non-belief. At the same time, I thought to myself, “Good for her. I takes guts to be open about what you believe in like that.”

Three years later, I had taken on this point of view myself. Granted, three years is a long time for a teenager, but not so long in the context of an entire human life in a developed country.

Let me backtrack a bit. When I was sixteen years old, a friend of mine let me borrow his copy of Tao te Ching translated by Stephen Mitchell. At first I read it simply because I was curious, but the apparent pantheistic nature of it immediately appealed to me. It also appeared to provide guidance that was of much higher quality, in my opinion at the time, than the Christian Ten Commandments, New Testament, and other important pillars of Christian doctrine. I soon bought my own copy of the book, and secretly considered myself Taoist for a month or two.

It wasn’t long, however, before my philosophical leanings became more deistic. Soon thereafter, they became a form of naturalism and essentially atheist. I was terrified of being socially ostracized and isolated for thinking this way, and so was a closet non-theist for about four years.

When I was 20, I was taking an SSRI to treat double depression. I strongly believe that one of the several side effects I experienced was SSRI induced mania, along with aggression. In a period of less than six months, I moved out of my parents’ house, strained my relationship with several family members, came out as an atheist to friends and family, and almost got arrested.

I do not recommend coming out to friends and family the way I did. I still suffered from dysthymia, but since I no longer suffered from clinical depression, I gradually stopped taking Zoloft. I was openly atheist from that point on. I did in fact experience the social isolation that I had previously feared. Being an atheist can be a large impediment to the love life of someone looking for female dates in a white, suburban, and mostly Protestant southern state in the United States. I joined one of the larger national atheist organizations with the hope that it would allow me to connect with local atheists. There was indeed a South Carolina division of the organization, but it was based in another part of the state and wasn’t actively having meetings at the time.

After a few years of relative social isolation, I came up with a plan. I would work hard and become a well known scholar, then later I would use my clout to write about atheism and act as an advocate for social change. I would go into philosophy, or possibly evolutionary biology or psychology. I would again take up the cause of atheism like Bertrand Russell did in the United States.

Sound familiar?

Well, since Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens (and others) beat me to it, why not start now? And while I’m at it, why not create an atheist organization that we an all be proud of and that will provide both a national and international voice, as well as social support for local atheists?

An Ideal Organized Social Group for Atheists

Last week, I introduced a basic outline for an atheist organization that I plan to start in about a year and a half (circa fall 2009).  Now I’d like to discuss the social support aspect of the organization in more detail. 

The organization, tentatively called the International Society of Atheists, will consist of many local chapters.  My goal is for the chapter to have regular social gatherings, hopefully at least once a week.  Since a major focus of the ISA will be local atheist community building, these regular social gatherings will be a cornerstone of the entire organization.  Here is my vision of how things will go:

The facilitator for the next social gathering will post an announcement on the chapter’s website and email list to tell chapter members vital information about the gathering.  It of course will include the when, where, and what to expect details of the gathering.  One example of a suitable gathering might be as simple as having some members get together at a local coffee shop or cafe to sit and chat.  The facilitator will hopefully use other resources to inform local atheists of the social gathering, such as newspapers and social networking websites.  An extremely important aspect of the facilitator’s duties will be to constantly work towards bringing new local atheists to the social gatherings, since there will inevitably be turnover in the group.

Some other examples of social gatherings might include theme parties, picnics, sporting events, dramatic theater performances, fundraisers that double as social gatherings, weddings, memorial gatherings, coming out parties, graduation parties, and secular holiday parties and celebrations (for example, Winter Solstice or Darwin Day).

The facilitator of the social gathering will be in charge of inviting local atheists to the gathering, and will also make sure that the logistics are planned well and taken care of.  The amount of work required of a facilitator will of course vary according to the type of gathering and the number of people expected to attend it.  For example, one would expect that a wedding with five hundred guests would be much more work and need more time to plan than something like a group of ten people going to a soccer (football) game.

 A major goal of the ISA will be to bring local atheist communities together, and these social gatherings will be a vital part of reaching that goal.  The ability to meet other atheists and to enjoy regular gatherings will raise the morale of the atheist community considerably.  It will also help satisfy the psychological need of atheists to feel like they are socially integrated and accepted.  It may even make many closet atheists comfortable with coming out about their atheism, because they will have a nearby support network of fellow atheists. 

Why Atheists Should Organize

Although the word atheist is problematic because its root words to not explicitly define what atheists are and think, I argue that contemporary usage implicitly suggests an overlapping set of ideals that bring those who call themselves atheist together.  Furthermore, I argue here that atheists should and will organize themselves better for a number of reasons. 

Humans are social mammals.  Although it seems obvious for me to say such a statement, sometimes we may lose sight of what that idea implies.  There is, I think, still a great deal of debate about what human social groups were like before certain agricultural and neurological advances.  However, it does seem clear that we lived and died as part of groups when these advances took place. 

Since humans are social mammals, it is expected that we will express a psychological need to be integrated into a group.  Local atheist communities will allow a formerly socially isolated atheist to fulfill this need. 

There is a need for atheists (and non-theists, non-religious, secular humanists, Brights, etc.) to work together in an organized way.  The only way to effectively lobby for separation of church and state, civil rights, and the promotion of science and reason is for us to do so as a relatively unified group, or at least an alliance of relatively unified groups. 

There may not be a need for organized atheist groups in larger and more secular cities, at least not for the same reasons.  For example, if one lives in New York City, Seattle, or London, finding secular friends to satisfy the human evolutionary and psychological need to be part of a social group will not be difficult.  However, it seems as though local active atheist communities could provide important services to atheists in small cities, suburbs, and rural areas. 

Atheist organizations that exist on the national and international level seem to do well when it comes to promoting ideas shared by the atheist community.  They also lead the way in being a watchdog for many issues related to the separation of church and state.  However, I have difficulty finding an organization that not only provides services to local communities of atheists, but also is able to coordinate well with other local communities. 

I therefore decided to create an organization that will consist of local chapters that provide badly needed support for atheists on a local level.  It will also have regional and international leadership to help individual chapters and the organization as a whole work towards a clear and cohesive set of goals. 

The Problem of the Word Atheist

Some of the feedback I’ve received in online forums and social networking sites brings up the issue of atheists organizing and forming communities.  Some argue that atheists should not even use the term atheist.  This argument is a serious challenge to the approach many of us take, and it deserves consideration.  Sam Harris argues, for example, that we do not use labels such as non-racist to describe ourselves.  He and others instead argue that society and individuals should instead promote reason and science.  Furthermore, some argue the term atheist is unnecessary or perhaps even misguided. 

The word atheist is a sticky issue.  I myself rejected it for a time.  I would tell philosophically inclined friends that the term atheism did not describe what my philosophical inclinations were… it only described what they weren’t.  Despite that fact, it did indicate something I had in common with other atheists… that I rejected or otherwise ignored any belief and idea that proposed some kind of supernatural object or energy. 

That may be the main reason the term atheist is still so debatable: although it gives a name to non-theists, it doesn’t explicitly signify what our philosophy and agenda actually are.  I think that is why we see others choosing words to describe themselves: rationalists, humanists, secularists, secular humanists, naturalists, non-theists, agnostics, brights, and probably many more.

The reason I took on the term atheist again is because although the roots of the word atheist lack any explicit description of what an atheist is and thinks, contemporary usage of the word provides an implicit picture of who an atheist is and what he or she might think. 

In fact, the implicit meaning of the words atheist and atheism seems now to include all of the other words that people have proposed to replace it.  There is of course variability between those who call themselves atheist, but for the most part we tend to be non-theist, secular, humanist, and naturalist.  We tend to use science and reason to guide our thoughts and decisions rather than faith, religious ideas, and supernatural forces.

It is a bit ironic, but even though the word atheist doesn’t tell us what an atheist thinks about many issues, that may work in its favor.  Perhaps the word atheist could actually serve as a rallying point for all of us with similar and overlapping philosophical approaches because it is in fact so non-specific.