by Frank Bellamy

Most of us have watched or attended a ceremony, whether it was a presidential inauguration or a college graduation, where we should have been treated with respect like every other human being, regardless of religious belief or lack thereof. Instead, we encounter invocations which exclude us, the nonreligious. An invocation is, after all, usually an invocation of a divine being in which we do not believe, and is usually given by a religious leader whom we do not follow.

by Andrew Lovley 

Some secularists are calling for an end to the custom of having invocations delivered at the beginning of public meetings and ceremonies. An invocation is often understood to mean calling upon a higher power, and in the context of religion this involves soliciting the mercy and guidance of a deity. The main concern secularists have with invocations is that they are a violation of the separation of church and state, which is a worthy criticism when  an invocation includes invoking  a particular deity and a request for the audience to join in prayer.  However, an invocation does not necessarily need to invoke a higher power in order to be effective and connective for those in attendance. 

The Skeptics and Humanist Aid and Relief Effort (SHARE), a project under the CFI umbrella, has created a relief fund to benefit Doctors without Borders, which lost all three of its Haitian medical facilities in the earthquake.   At this time, all donations to SHARE, 100% with no operating costs retained, will be sent directly to Doctors without Borders.

 

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science has launched Non-Believers Giving Aid, a secular charitable organization.  The Dawkins Foundation is covering all of the operating costs for this program, so everything you give will be passed on to direct relief organizations.

 

In addition, the Foundation Beyond Belief has recommended several organizations that have received high ratings from Charity Navigator and take a secular approach to their charitable work.  We are reposting their list here so that Secular Student Alliance members, supporters and friends are able to find organizations through which they can  support Haitian relief efforts.  The links will take you to the Charity Navigator page for that organization, where you can find more information and make a donation.

Foundation Beyond Belief writes: "MADRE is a small organization with a high efficiency rating and a good track record in disaster relief that does not mix worldview with its charity. ActionAid International is an outstanding organization that is efficient, non-sectarian, and works with a small budget. International Relief Teams, AmeriCares, Doctors Without Borders, and Partners in Health all receive high ratings for the secular charitable work they do."

The Third Annual Brooklyn College Graduate English Conference will be held April 10, 2009, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY.  The topic is  "Deconstructing the Gods: Towards a Post-Religious Criticism," and proposals are being accepted now through January 31, 2010.  Details about the conference, topics, and submission guidelines are below. 

If one were asked to provide a single explanation for the growth of English studies in the later nineteenth century, one could do worse than reply, 'the failure of religion.' -- Terry Eagleton

Literature would begin wherever one no longer knows who writes and who signs the narrative of the call - and of the "Here I Am"- between the absolute Father and Son. -- Derrida