|
Preparing for Inauguration and Beyond
As Washington prepares for the second inauguration of President Obama on Sunday, the city is awash with patriotic paraphernalia, bleachers along the parade route and plenty of other preparations. An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are expected to attend. Inauguration day will usher in another four years with our president, and symbolizes new opportunities for the secular movement--and we plan to seize every one!
The Secular Coalition has three upcoming meetings with the offices of representatives and senators in the coming weeks. On Thursday, we met with the offices of Rep. Todd Young (R-IN). We will be meeting with Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) on January 24, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on January 29 and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, we are watching several bills closely, including on introduced by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA). Wolf has again introduced his bill (H.R. 301) to create a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. We have used this bill as a Congressional Scorecard vote in the past.
Finally, we are hard at work planning the Lobby Day and Secular Summit for April 24-26 and our first Senate Briefing for March. If you haven't already registered for Lobby Day, register now to secure the early bird rate! |
UPCOMING EVENTS
|
 And now for the weekly wrap up The American Humanist Association distributed it's own new edition of the "Jefferson Bible" to incoming members of Congress. AHA's new version includes what its editors consider the best and the worst of the sacred texts of the world's religions -- the Hebrew Tanakh, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhist Sutras and the Book of Mormon. The Society for Humanistic Judaism called for a boycott of retailers selling assault rifles and high capacity magazines – people can sign the petition and find a list of retailers who have and have not removed such weapons from their online catalogues and shelves. In response to Bibles being distributed at several dozen high schools in Florida, The Central Florida Freethought Community will provide books, pamphlets and brochures from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Atheists, and the Secular Student Alliance.
|
Why I Raise My Children Without God
Photo courtesy of shutterstock
"I thought it was only right to be honest with my children. I am a non-believer, and for years I’ve been on the fringe in my community. As a blogger, though, I’ve found that there are many other parents out there like me. We are creating the next generation of kids, and there is a wave of young agnostics, atheists, free thinkers and humanists rising up through the ranks who will, hopefully, lower our nation’s religious fever.
Read Mitchell's 7 reasons she's raising her children without God
|
Losing Our Religion
Photo courtesy of shutterstock
NPR is running a series on the "nones". Listen or read the stories that have fun so far:
|
Nontheist News Corner
Dates to Remember:
Don't forget to follow or friend us!
|
|
|
Questions? Comments? Contact us. (Please do not reply to this email message)
We are giving you a place at the table. Support us with a monthly or single donation via credit card, PayPal, or check.
Log in to manage subscription
Unsubscribe
Receive this e-mail from a friend? Sign up here
The Secular Coalition for America is the national lobby for atheists, humanists, freethinkers, and other nontheistic Americans. From our office in the nation's capital, our lobbyists and support staff engage public policy makers and the media on issues ranging from religion's influence on education and medical research to the privileging of faith groups by government. We are the first and only cooperative venture of freethought organizations coming together to improve the cultural and political situation of a previously unrepresented constituency: the tens of millions of atheists and agnostics in the United States. The Secular Coalition for America is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization.
Please consider joining or donating to one of our national member organizations:
American Atheists
American Ethical Union
American Humanist Association
Atheist Alliance of America
Camp Quest
Council for Secular Humanism
HUUmanists
Institute for Humanist Studies
Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers
Secular Student Alliance
Society for Humanistic Judaism
|
January 18, 2013
Inauguration of President Barack Obama, 2009. .jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
