Buffman

Captain Dave

We need direct political action. This involves writing letters to newspapers, school boards, our elected representatives, etc. Sometimes it involves litigation. This action is necessary to both stengthen the wall of seperation and defend it against the endless barrage of attacks.

(Just brainstorming thoughts about creating an easily usable, organization, format for a "Handbook.")

TYPES of ACTIONS

1. Political
2. Educational
3. Legal
4. Social
5. Pyschological
6. Economic

These would seem to be some of the viable areas for activism. Therefore "letter writing" would be just one useful "technique" in several of the categories, not just political. Over time, specific letter writing "Do's & Dont's" could be formulated for each category under a 'Letter Writing Campaign' sub-title. (i.e.: There are some things that might be appropriate when a letter is submitted to a local newspaper that might not serve the same purpose/goal as one sent to a school board or an elected representative.) Obviously any letter destined to bring about direct legal actions should, by necessity, be formatted as accurately as possible by someone qualified to do so. However, that would only be the case if included in the Legal actions category. In any of the other five categories, the letter could be composed in the manner that best suits promoting/recommending litigation as a "means" of rectifying a current injustice.

Something like the C-SS issue would fall under most of those categories. It could be included among a list of particular examples applicable to the specific chapter(category) and found at the end of each chapter. (This might provide a potential activist with a clearer picture of what they, personally, could do to contribute to activism in the area in which they were most comfortable ...or in that area in which they suddenly recognize that their unique qualifications are sorely needed.

If we look at how these Sec Web forums are named, we can find a number of parallels. However, the specifics we need tend to get spread out over the various topics/strings/posts within each forum. This dilutes, if not actually terminates, any cohesiveness and applicable "lessons learned."

ybnormal

If we could all arrive at an agreed definition of "Activism", perhaps your personal concern could be resolved to your satisfaction. At the moment, this is the C-SS forum, not the "General Activism" forum. I have chanced the the Moderators will be tolerant of my type of digressions...and transgressions.

Oresta

Since there is a lack of consensus on terminology, I am trying to find words that resonate with me, and throwing them out to see if they resonate with anyone else.

I'm with you here, galiel, treading carefully because terminology issues can be so much fly paper, as it was for our 20th century Socialists who squandered their limited energies in quibbles over precise definitions for where each lie upon the spectrum of the same political plane. You seem in pursuit of where the cachment is that will gather us together, not along a spectrum of nontheism, but around what issue activates some of us. So, I'm still with you into your next paragraph:

By the way, it is far from a perfect term, since it excludes modern Deists, with whom we have no quarrel, and who probably constitute one of the largest unrecognized segment of the "other" or "not religious" categories in surveys. By modern Deist I mean those who believe that a conscious entity created the universe and its physical laws (via the Big Bang), but otherwise has no involvement with the world today. I suspect most scientists who are believers and honestly practice rational science fall in this category.

Right, set them side for the moment, and don't concern yourself....And so to your next paragrah.

That is one of the reasons I think "Separationist" is a great, inclusive and resonant term that should be revived

I couldn't agree more. The concern here is organizing First Amendment activists, not secularists. "Separationist" is not a place on an ideological spectrum, it is common ground on which many can gather.

CaptainDave

Buffman,

Thank's for your suggestions.


Could you elaborate on the distinction between social and psychological as it pertains to types of action?

I'm drawing a total blank on "economic." What kinds of economic actions could we take?

Buffman

Social: Membership in community organizations; running for elected offices in the organizations; setting up a food/household goods bank to help families in need; finding creative folks to go to children's hospitals to entertain or teach the youngsters new skills; doing the same at retirement facilities or city/state hospitals/prisons; offering time at a Hospice, running for office of PTA groups, etc.

Psychological: Bringing qualified camera/video types and writers to cover all these activities and flooding the local/national media outlets with the results/stories/interviews of those receiving the help/free service; starting a local "support our service men and women overseas" campaign to let them know just how important what they are doing is to "all" of us; finding loving, fully qualified, non-theist families who wish to adopt children and maintaining a local/national placement clearing house service for them; talking to local theist clerics and encouraging them to invite non-theists to address their flocks on issues of "mutual" civic/social/national importance (like getting them behind the serviceman/woman appreciation campaign; many others of a more covert nature.

(Added)

Oresta

Just found your contribution. Great! Thought I would repeat posting this item for general consumption/consideration based on your thoughts:

" Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England, while Separatists took a more extreme approach--desiring to separate entirely from it. Mayflower passengers (at least those passengers belonging to the Pilgrim's church in Leyden) are properly classified as Separatists. In general, Separatist views were not as extreme as Puritanical beliefs regarding social customs, but were more extreme when it came to separating ties with the established Church of England. There are also some significant differences between the Pilgrim and Puritan views regarding the relationship between Church and State. Both Puritanism and the Pilgrims' separatist movement, as well as Presbyterianism, descend from John Calvin and the Calvinists of the mid-1500s."

[ September 14, 2002: Message edited by: Buffman ]

[ September 14, 2002: Message edited by: Buffman ]

[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: Buffman ]</p>

Jayhawker Soule

Sorry, but the notion of "Separationist" as an inclusive term brought a chuckle.

I'd probably prefer something more like Americans for a Secular Democracy ...
We both know that "action" versus "perfection" is a false dilemma, be it "at this moment" or at any moment.

That you "don't see any other nontheist organization taking on the expense, logistical nightmare and outreach that AA has" may reflect many things, including a critical view of the March as sectarian and unworthy of support.

I have a relatively long history of both atheism and militant activism, and this is certainly my view. The March is, in my opinion, the wrong message promoted in the wrong way at the wrong time.

Finally, there is a difference between reinvigorating the movement and reinventing the wheel: for those anxious to promote the "Separationist" message through new and novel organization and action, I would ask where and why you find organizations like <a href="http://www.au.org/" target="_blank">Americans United</a> wanting. I suspect that they would benefit from an infusion of enthusiasm and ideas.

[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: ReasonableDoubt ]</p>

galiel

AU is a wonderful organization which I support, like many others such as the Councel for Secular Humanism and the ACLU, of which I remain a card-carrying "member" despite the cufent director's abandonment of the cause of nontheist rights.

Despite the terminology, however, I, like all others on their roster, am not so much a member as a contributor or subscriber. I am welcome to fund their worthy efforts, which I do to the best of my limited ability, but I and the rest of the "masses" are supposed to leave the actual heavy lifting to the intellectual elites. Believe me, I have tried, for years. I contacted the designated "outreach" people in various organizations offering to set up a local grass-roots chapter, never to receive so much as a response. These vital but limited organizations are top down, run by talented but somewhat elitist "we know best" intellectuals who are reluctant to open the armory to the Huns.

They are also characterized by an excessive focus on Washington D.C., failing to emulate the religionist's successful infiltration of local political machine after local political machine, local school district after school district, etc.

What is woefully lacking in the cause of nontheist right's is the kind of grass-roots participation, individual involvement and broad-based diverse activism that characterized the great civil rights struggles of the past and that I seek to catalyze.

What is also lacking, as Buffman so effectively pointed out, is the kind of supra-organizational, non-partisan, free and open database containing information, resource lists, "matchmaking" systems and other services that would serve any individual or organization sharing the cause of nontheist rights.

Finally, what is lacking is the awareness of the personal nature of this struggle. There is a religionist fire smoldering under our feet, but since it heats up slowly, we simply adjust our airconditioning and wait for winter.

You can't put out such a fire by poking the occasional hole and pouring down a bucket of water, no matter how deep the hole and how cold the water.

To abuse a theist metaphor, We don't need a new Moses as much as we need a new Red Sea.

[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: galiel ]

[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: galiel ]</p>

galiel

I am a HUGE fan of reinventing the wheel, which to me means questioning assumptions. That, after all, is how we ended up with the rocket engine. No matter how much you "reinvigorate" the wheel, it won't take you to the Moon, Alice.

Take the concept of government. No matter how much we tinkered with the traditional model, we never would have come up with government of, by and for the people, if not for a handful of punks who dared to re-examine the unquestioned, unconscious assumptions upon which government seemed destined to rest.

Or look at the medium which we are using to communicate. Mere "reinvigoration" of the centralized publishing empire? Hardly.

galiel

A healthy sense of irony is vital to the success of any popular movement.

Sometimes being just a bit provocative, not for its own sake but for the sake of afflicting the comfortable and stimulating introspection, is a powerful tool. (why do you think I use loaded terms like "passing" or "oppression" or "appeasement" if not for the historical associations they raise).

The Separationist movement is one of this country's greatest points of pride, and Separation itself is a core (and utterly original) principle of our American system. Just as I am proudly "atheist", and not "differently faithed", so I am not ashamed to call myself a "Separationist" in the best, fearless tradition of Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and on and on and on.

What the hell is "Secular Democracy" anyway, besides an innocuous, redundant phrase? Religion is inherently undemocratic, since its laws come from above, not of, for and by the people.

Sadly, we live in an age where being inoffensive often trumps being effective...

[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: galiel ]</p>

Jayhawker Soule

Sadly, there's always a few amateur Huns for whom being offensive often trumps being effective...

HelenM

Well, maybe a lot of us think it's good to question our assumptions.

But that's not really what the expression 'reinventing the wheel' means.