How political should we be?
Michael, president of the Kent Secular Humanists, sent in the following question and gave me permission to post it and my response. I'm curious what the rest of you think.
In a recent Executive Meeting, we were discussing ideas on how to get our name out and known on the campus. One idea that came up was start a petition of some sorts to send to the Ohio Governer to keep abortion legal. Even though all of in the group right now, are pro-choice I was having second thoughts about it. Mainly because since Atheism doesn't perscribe to any one belief and I wouldn't want to persuade any pro-life freethinkers to join our group. Also just based on the fact that abortion is such a emotional subject I thought it might be better to steer clear of it and maybe focus on civil rights issues insted. What have you heard from groups that gotten involved in politics and how did it work out for them?
My reply:
Michael,
Most groups find that it is very easy to get involved in political issues that are clearly church state separation based... vouchers going to religious schools: of course we're against it. Religious tests for public office: yeah, don't like that either.
It gets more complex when you start to drift away from the obvious ground of religion/government entanglement. Most, but not all, atheist groups feel that equal rights for homosexuals is actually a church state issue or is so close to being one that they are still happy to engage in it. Reproductive rights for women is the next gray area. Some nontheists believe that in the case of the first two trimesters, the evidence is so clear that the fetus is no more complex than, say, a cow (which most people have no problem killing), that one could only object to abortion during that time on religious grounds. However, other nontheists disagree. Some feel that by taking away the "personhood" of a fetus, you're starting down a slippery slope of taking away more and more personhood for other vulnerable segments of society. I've also met some folks who feel that all killing of animals is wrong and include abortion in this (these folks also don't eat meat).
This struggle within the atheist/humanist movement about how political to be exists at every level--from local groups to international groups. Some feel it is more important to be inclusive of all kinds of atheists. Others feel that if we reject dealing with lots of political issues, that we make ourselves irrelevant. If atheists or humanists don't have a coherent position about how the world should be run, then who cares what they have to say? I don't know what the answer is.
One thought that does spring to my mind is that you're not the "Kent Atheists" you're the "Kent Secular Humanists" and I'm not sure if I've ever met a pro-life secular humanist. I have met several pro-life atheists (although they are still the minority). In picking "Secular Humanists" rather than "Freethinkers" or "Atheists and Secular Humanists," perhaps you've already made a decision that you're going to be more broadly political.
You asked for specific examples of campus groups getting involved in political issues. I can think of lots of instances of our groups getting involved in LGBT rights--that has always gone very well. The people you alienate are always so much fewer than the people you get to respect you. I'm drawing a blank on campus groups that have gotten involved with reproductive rights. I know when the "Genocide Awareness Project" came to Ohio State, that many members of Students For Freethought (www.sffosu.org) joined with the pro-choice groups on campus and protested. But I don't think that SFF took an official organizational position.
Another issue to think about is that sometimes the promoters of various progressive issues react negatively to atheists or humanists helping them. They feel that the religious right already paints pro-choicers (or whatever progressive cause you wanna pick) as atheistic and that having the atheists come out and support a pro-choice position only proves the point of the religious right. At the same time, you may find that the pro-choice folks on your campus are eager for allies. You should chat with them.
If you're eager to make something political your first project, perhaps a GLBT issue would be an easier place to start.
Most groups find that it is very easy to get involved in political issues that are clearly church state separation based... vouchers going to religious schools: of course we're against it. Religious tests for public office: yeah, don't like that either.
It gets more complex when you start to drift away from the obvious ground of religion/government entanglement. Most, but not all, atheist groups feel that equal rights for homosexuals is actually a church state issue or is so close to being one that they are still happy to engage in it. Reproductive rights for women is the next gray area. Some nontheists believe that in the case of the first two trimesters, the evidence is so clear that the fetus is no more complex than, say, a cow (which most people have no problem killing), that one could only object to abortion during that time on religious grounds. However, other nontheists disagree. Some feel that by taking away the "personhood" of a fetus, you're starting down a slippery slope of taking away more and more personhood for other vulnerable segments of society. I've also met some folks who feel that all killing of animals is wrong and include abortion in this (these folks also don't eat meat).
This struggle within the atheist/humanist movement about how political to be exists at every level--from local groups to international groups. Some feel it is more important to be inclusive of all kinds of atheists. Others feel that if we reject dealing with lots of political issues, that we make ourselves irrelevant. If atheists or humanists don't have a coherent position about how the world should be run, then who cares what they have to say? I don't know what the answer is.
One thought that does spring to my mind is that you're not the "Kent Atheists" you're the "Kent Secular Humanists" and I'm not sure if I've ever met a pro-life secular humanist. I have met several pro-life atheists (although they are still the minority). In picking "Secular Humanists" rather than "Freethinkers" or "Atheists and Secular Humanists," perhaps you've already made a decision that you're going to be more broadly political.
You asked for specific examples of campus groups getting involved in political issues. I can think of lots of instances of our groups getting involved in LGBT rights--that has always gone very well. The people you alienate are always so much fewer than the people you get to respect you. I'm drawing a blank on campus groups that have gotten involved with reproductive rights. I know when the "Genocide Awareness Project" came to Ohio State, that many members of Students For Freethought (www.sffosu.org) joined with the pro-choice groups on campus and protested. But I don't think that SFF took an official organizational position.
Another issue to think about is that sometimes the promoters of various progressive issues react negatively to atheists or humanists helping them. They feel that the religious right already paints pro-choicers (or whatever progressive cause you wanna pick) as atheistic and that having the atheists come out and support a pro-choice position only proves the point of the religious right. At the same time, you may find that the pro-choice folks on your campus are eager for allies. You should chat with them.
If you're eager to make something political your first project, perhaps a GLBT issue would be an easier place to start.
You might also want to start with a service project instead. You could do a fundraiser for Doctors without Boarders, or collect freethought books for prisoners. It's the time of year for AIDS walks--that might work. I can send you more service ideas if you're interested.
Submitted by august on Thu, 04/20/2006 - 11:55
