Photo by Andrew Morrell Photography
A good friend of mine has offered me the opportunity to present a reading at her wedding. She’s also given me the option of choosing the reading myself. I’d love to be able to come to her with some ideas, but I need some help!
What would you recommend I read at a secular wedding ceremony?
When I was in high school, my Christian club secured a legal team to help us navigate what we were allowed to do on school property. Could we have a Bible study during lunch time in the courtyard? Could one of the boys preach like Ray Comfort near the front doors of the school? Was I allowed to have my Bible in class? Was it illegal for the school to censor my friend from sharing the gospel at a school assembly?
We were a controversial group, and the legality of our actions was sometimes called into question. I wish that the club leader had known what the rights of students were and what was considered a breach of church and State separation.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) just published a new book detailing the current rights and legal climate connecting religion and schools: Religion in the Public Schools: A Road Map for Avoiding Lawsuits and Respecting Parents’ Legal Rights by Anne Lofaso, an Associate Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law.
Watch the introductory video and see if it’s a resource you’d find helpful!
You can download the PDF version of the book for FREE at religioninthepublicschools.com and buy the hard copy for reference on Amazon.com.
From The Secular Coalition of America:
Before the August recess, a resolution will be voted on by the House of Representatives that will require the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the words “In God We Trust” and the post-1954 Pledge of Allegiance onto the walls of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). References to religion and faith are already included in several of the permanent exhibits, and the words “In God We Trust” are even present in one such exhibit. But that’s not enough for Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) who is pushing for a larger, bolder display. Let your Representative know that you oppose his efforts.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that this additional engraving could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Tell your Representative that it is inappropriate for taxpayer money to be spent promoting a distorted image of America that undermines The First Amendment, and alienates the millions of nontheistic Americans who neither “trust in God” nor pledge “under God.” This legislation will most likely pass the House with a large majority vote; however, members of Congress must be educated about why appeasing the Religious Right is offensive to millions of Americans who value our nation’s secular heritage.
Even if this is a superficial decoration, I think it’s important that we secular citizens not let the little points slide by without our voices being heard. Every little bit helps.
You can contact your representatives here.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
What if–instead of swearing on a bible, holy book, or other boring document–we could pinky swear? I’d even go for a “cross my heart” every once in a while.
Well, the folks over at secularpinkyswear.org have got the right idea. They’ve written out a pledge for those who wish to live by secular principals.
Here are the ideals you would affirm:
- I will be open about my secular values and will not feign religious values due to pressure from friends, family, employers and/or the general public.
- If I face religious pressure in the future, I will be mindful that as an individual I have a right to believe and act in a way that I deem appropriate. To accept dogma, superstition or creeds that I don’t believe in would be to sacrifice freedom of conscience and expression on the altar of conformism.
- Without need for religious reference, I will make every effort to take a mature, intelligent approach to decisions regarding my sexuality. I understand the appropriate context for sexual abstinence and appreciate the benefits that communication and maturity bring to intimacy.
- If I marry, my wedding ceremony will be either humanist, secular, or a joint ceremony that avoids the implication that I hold to views not actually my own.
- If I have children, I will recognize the importance of letting my humanist values inform my childrearing, and won’t yield to cultural, family, or other pressures to indoctrinate them into traditional religious beliefs or force them to participate in religious rites of passage.
- Without losing sight of the importance of diverse viewpoints, I will encourage others to appreciate the value of reason, compassion, equality, and other enlightened principles that make the world a better and safer place for humanity, now and in the future.
- In all of my actions, and without threat of divine retribution, I will strive to respect the dignity of all people.
That first one is a real challenge for me, since I’m still in the closet. I don’t pretend to have religious values, but I am not public about the fact that my views are godless. Think I could still put my name down?
What do you think of these affirmations? Would you add any others? Will you pinky swear?
(via @Pharyngula)
Olin Thang on 
Cortez Frisch on 
Loading ...