Secular Principles Pinky Swear

• Activity Overview
• Planning Timeframe
• Coordinating
• Material Requirements
• Suggested Walkthrough

Activity Overview: You may have heard of the 'purity ring' phenomenon, wherein Christian teenagers swear to maintain their virginity until marriage, and to show this wear silver rings. It's a truly awful idea - it takes a controlling attitude towards teenage (especially female) sexuality, it discourages comprehensive sex education, it is directly tied to unsafe sexual practices, and, of course, it doesn't work.

In response to this, a group of students came up with the Secular Principles Pinky Swear. It is NOT a pledge in the traditional sense - students don't pledge fidelity to any dogma or philosophy, or even to stay secularists. Rather, they pledge commitment to secular principles of free inquiry and honesty. This is an amusingly ironic take on the original, and can serve as an activity to (in)formally induct members.

Planning timeframe: The affirmation itself comes right out of the box - all you need to do is wait for shipping. If you want to do this as an 'induction' of sorts, you'll want to plan this a few weeks before the end of the semester.

Coordinating: All you really need are students to swear in. You may want someone to officiate by giving the oath and handing out rings.

Material requirements: Again, everything comes in the box. It's available for free, plus an $8 shipping fee, at. This requires a credit card or PayPal account; your student union treasurer may have one available for student groups to use.

Suggested Walkthrough:

1. Order the box.
2. Open.
3. Swear in the members who are interested.
4. Done!