While shooting footage for a documentary in Brooklyn this past weekend I came upon this sign outside of a Methodist church and felt compelled to share it with you. It made me feel good to see tolerance so boldly stated.
Are you tired of worshiping the God of Love under the same roof as uppity women priests and gay people? Look no further, says the Vatican, because the Roman Catholic Church wants you. Come let us give you a safe place to worship, says the Church famous for harboring at least 4,000 pedophile priests.
Today is the National Day of Prayer in a nation that allegedly treasures the separation of church and state.
This incongruence motivated a lawsuit by Freedom From Religion Foundation. The federal suit was filed while the Bush Administration was in power, but it continues to be pursued today.
Here’s the problem in a nutshell:
“Exhortations to pray in official Presidential proclamations do not constitute ceremonial deism solemnizing some other occasion,” the Foundation asserts, but “constitute an end in itself intended to promote and endorse religion.”
In an article posted today, FFRF explains further:
“Prayer proclamations not only violate the separation between church and state, but offend reality, by suggesting we can suspend of the natural laws of the universe through wishful thinking,” notes Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor.
The Foundation and the freethought movement have long suggested a National Day of Reason.
“Congress ought to repeal this law and substitute a National Day of Service,” Gaylor added. “That would be constitutional and, equally important, it would be useful! Prayer is a cop-out. If humans want to improve the world, we need to take action, not slavishly beg a supernatural power to do our work for us.”
Freethinkers believe in deeds, not creeds, said Barker. Noted 19th century freethinker/attorney Robert Green Ingersoll famously wrote: “The hands that help are better far than lips that pray.”
Here is a copy of the Complaint filed by FFRF.
This article from the 8/24/08 edition of the Colfax Record indicates that Christianity once had same-sex ceremonies akin to marriages:
Prof. John Boswell, the late Chairman of Yale University’s history department, discovered that in addition to heterosexual marriage ceremonies in ancient Christian church liturgical documents, there were also ceremonies called the “Office of Same-Sex Union” (10th and 11th century), and the “Order for Uniting Two Men” (11th and 12th century).
These church rites had all the symbols of a heterosexual marriage: the whole community gathered in a church, a blessing of the couple before the altar was conducted with their right hands joined, holy vows were exchanged, a priest officiated in the taking of the Eucharist and a wedding feast for the guests was celebrated afterwards. These elements all appear in contemporary illustrations of the holy union of the Byzantine Warrior-Emperor, Basil the First (867-886 CE) and his companion John.
Fascinating stuff. The article provides quite a bit of detail. This was the first I had heard of this. It does present a challenge to the claims of contemporary Christians who abhor homosexual marriage because the concept of marriage has “always” involved one man and one woman.
There are some new local humanist centers springing up and they resemble churches in many ways, according to an article by USA Today. What do they do?
[They meet] monthly with about 10 families. Acosta says trips to museums and a parenting course called “Compassionate Communication” are planned. The Harvard chaplaincy also hosts “Humanist Small Group” biweekly Sunday brunch discussion and buys drinks at biweekly “Humanist Community Pub Nights.” Last month, it hosted holiday-style celebrations around Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and is hosting a talk by humanist writer and director Joss Whedon of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame.
What is the long-term outlook for such groups? I have always assumed that there was something about traditional churches that would help keep the group intact, something having to do with a solution to the fear of death. Churches work hard to play up both the fear and the solution. Non-believers tend to have a different focus: the here and now.
The USA Today article quotes Richard Lints, a professor of philosophical theology who
doubts humanism can sustain itself in the local congregations Epstein envisions because community is not a natural part of humanism, where the individual is the ultimate source of meaning. If humanism becomes concerned with the “greater good,” and a sort of natural moral order that implies, it starts to resemble religion and humanists will back away, he said. “At the heart of the humanist project is deep individualism,” Lints said. “It’s always going to be difficult to sustain a real robust community.”
Certainly one of model of such a community has been successful, that of the Ethical Societies such as this one. Also, consider that many religions are not traditionally religious–they run along a continuum. As proof, consider the scorn heaped on Unitarian Churches by right wing fundamentalists. Here’s one dramatic example.
Can non-theistic “churches” hold together? Time will tell.
Actually, Dale “Parenting Beyond Belief” McGowan spent his first 10 years here. On his blog, “The Meming of Life” he has a speaking schedule posted. When he posted a solid date in my town, I posted about it and sent emails. So yesterday I drove out to the local Humanist hall. I got there early [...]
At Daylight Atheism, Ebonmuse discusses the disconnect between the Catholic Church and lay Catholics:
To judge by some recent news articles, the Catholic church, which at least used to stand for good education, has become infected with the same anti-intellectual disease that pervades so many sects of evangelical Protestantism.
What are the problems with the Catholic Church? [...]
I’m not claiming that non-believers and believers always get along, but I do know that they can get along. I know this for many reasons. Here’s my newest evidence: Last night I spoke about my lack of religious beliefs from the front of a packed church, during the religious service.
How this could possibly be true? [...]
About a year ago, I visited The Journey, a new church in my neighborhood. You can see that post here. Although I felt like a “misfit” at The Journey (because I don’t believe in the literal truth of any of the miraculous claims of the Bible) I reveled in the upbeat energy of the congregation [...]
What’s the deal with preachers who are telling the flock how to vote. Is it really happening? Why is it illegal for religions to promote particular candidates from the pulpit? Ebonmuse has posted on this topic.
I am a practicing Roman Catholic, and will vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States. Not only will I vote for Senator Obama, I will do so gladly and with a clear conscience. The reasons are many. This lengthy post enumerate many of those reasons, providing ample links in support.
I accept the [...]
If you want to read some first-rate writing that harpoons one of America’s best-known liars, check out Matt Taibbi’s new article in Rolling Stone, entitled, “Without a Prayer.” Here are a few of his gems, but really do go read the full article. Not many writers are this dangerous with a pen:
McCain’s chosen stump [...]
MSNBC has recently reported on the prosperity gospel of Televangelist Kenneth Copeland, which appears to be benefiting mostly—Kenneth Copeland and his relatives.
Kenneth Copeland, 71, is a pioneer of the prosperity gospel, which teaches that believers are destined to flourish spiritually, physically and financially — and share the wealth with others.
His ministry’s 1,500-acre campus outside Fort [...]
