Seattle Atheists

Saturday, April 10, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paul Case
President of Seattle Atheists
P.O. Box 283, Seattle, WA 98111-0283
(206) 826-0770
president@seattleatheists.org
www.seattleatheists.org

SEATTLE ATHEISTS TO OBSERVE NATIONAL DAY OF REASON

SEATTLE — On May 6th, members of Seattle Atheists will observe the National Day of Reason by donating at Puget Sound Blood Centers.

The National Day of Reason is the secular response to the National Day of Prayer. It is intended to inspire secular Americans to be visible and to set an example through actions which directly benefit the community. It provides a positive and visible alternative for the non-religious to the unconstitutional National Day of Prayer.

Seattle Atheists chooses to set an example on the National Day of Reason by donating blood. We wish to provide real, tangible benefits to our community, rather than engage in fruitless appeals to invisible authority figures.

The National Day of Prayer being promoted by the federal government is in violation of Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. It asks federal and local government entities to set aside time and space to engage in religious ceremonies. This is supported by tax dollars.

The Supreme Court has ruled that state-sponsored prayer in schools is exclusionary. A nationally-sponsored day of prayer is equally exclusionary. The National Day of Prayer is geared toward a specific segment of religious practice, and is clearly outside the bounds of proper governmental authority. Indeed, the National Day of Prayer excludes other faiths in the United States, including Quakers, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, and Jews.

For those who do not pray, the National Day of Prayer is exclusionary and elitist. And, those Americans who do pray don’t need the government to remind them to. Government has no business telling Americans to engage in religious practice, or in how they should do it.

“Its not the job of the federal government to encourage and validate religious activity,” says Paul Case, president of Seattle Atheists. “It’s illegal for them to give de facto endorsement belief over non-belief.”

“Millions of Americans are atheists, agnostics and non-believers,” says Paul Case. “On May 6th, we’re asking them to join us not by appealing to an invisible authority figure, but to do some real good in their communities.”

Seattle Atheists is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving the atheist community in the Seattle area. We strive to promote understanding and respect toward all freethinkers by providing information, creating a sense of fellowship, actively opposing discrimination, and above all, emphasizing reason, critical thinking over supernaturalism and the separation of church and state.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Paul Case, President of Seattle Atheists, (206) 826-0770, president@seattleatheists.org

Amanda News Atheism in the news, Holidays, News, Press releases, State/Church Separation

Sunday, April 11, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paul Case
President of Seattle Atheists
P.O. Box 283, Seattle, WA 98111-0283
(206) 826-0770
president@seattleatheists.org
www.seattleatheists.org

SEATTLE ATHEISTS CONDEMNS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S COVER-UP OF CHILD RAPE AND DISMISSIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD ITS VICTIMS

SEATTLE — Seattle Atheists would like express its sympathy for the pain suffered by the victims of rape and abuse by Catholic priests, and its disgust at a callous global organization which has enabled and covered up that rape and abuse for decades.

As the list of charges grows, and more victims find the courage to speak out, the Vatican’s attitude towards its victims has grown more cynical and flippant. Pope Benedict recently referred to growing evidence that Catholic priests raped children in their charge, covered up the abuse, and protected the abusers, as “petty gossip.” At the Good Friday service attended by the Pope, Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa compared media scrutiny to the persecution of the Jewish people — doubly offensive given the Church’s centuries-long history of anti-Semitism and their complicity in the Holocaust.

The New York Times reported that the Pope has personally played a hand in internal investigations of abuse against its priests. They reported that he squashed an investigation against Lawrence C. Murphy, who may have abused and raped as many as 200 deaf children under his charge in Wisconsin from the 1950s to the 1970s. Murphy died as a priest and was never punished for his crimes. Church officials in Germany recently admitted that Rev. Peter Hullerman, transferred to an archdiocese led at the time by Pope Benedict, could have been committing sexual abuse since the 1970s. And, in Ireland, Bishop John McGee resigned, apologizing that he failed to respond to allegations of abuse within the church.

“The sexual abuse of children is terrible enough,” says Paul Case, president of Seattle Atheists, “but to actually cover it up, silence the victims with confidentiality agreements, and pass on the priest to a batch of new potential victims is just unforgivable.”

The decades it took to bring these crimes out into the open, and the callous responses by the Pope and the Vatican, clearly illustrate what Seattle Atheists feels is the privileged role that religion gives to an organization that holds itself up above criticism or scrutiny.

“I can’t imagine that a CEO whose employees sexually abused children would be shameless enough to cover it up and have the audacity to play the victim,” Case says, “especially an organization that claims to be the arbiter of morality.”

Seattle Atheists bears no ill will toward the millions of moral Christians and Catholics. We share their outrage with the growing evidence of wrongdoing, and offer our support to the victims and their families. To remain silent is an insult to the secular conscience.

Seattle Atheists is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving the atheist community in the Seattle area. We strive to promote understanding and respect toward all freethinkers by providing information, creating a sense of fellowship, actively opposing discrimination, and above all, emphasizing reason, critical thinking over supernaturalism and the separation of church and state.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Paul Case, President of Seattle Atheists, (206) 826-0770, president@seattleatheists.org

Amanda News News, Press releases, Religion

American Atheists 2010 Affiliate of the Year Presented to Seattle Atheists

Seattle Atheists received this great honor at the American Atheists National Convention in Newark, NJ this April.  Congrats to our Board, our members, our participants, and everyone who has helped make Seattle Atheists great during 2009-2010!!  Below is the official notification from Blair Scott, American Atheists National Affiliate Director:

American Atheists is honored to present the Seattle Atheists with the 2010 Affiliate of the Year Award. Over the past year Seattle Atheists have shown outstanding dedication to activism, community support, and the advancement of a positive view of atheism.

The personal drive of the leadership and members of Seattle Atheists, their dedication to activism, community support, and a positive view of atheism, their unselfish application of time and talent, are a great credit to themselves, atheist groups across the United States, and atheists everywhere.  Bravo Zulu and Well Done!

Each year, American Atheists gives away the Affiliate of the Year award at the American Atheists Convention. Affiliate of the Year is not a random award: it actually means something. It means the Affiliate earned the award through hard work and dedication. The criteria looked at for consideration of Affiliate of the Year is:

• Activism for the separation of church and state and civil rights of non-theists (protests, demonstrations, letter-writing, action alerts, etc)
• Events, activism, or programs that promote a positive image of atheists and atheism (public events, parades, editorials, etc).
• Events, activism, or programs that advance science and reason (Darwin Day, etc.)
• Provides a social outlet for local atheists (in addition to regular monthly meetings – unless they are exclusively social)
• Charitable works, community outreach, or some other social programs or events (such as blood drives, feeding the homeless, donations, etc.).  Please note that as a policy, American Atheists does not participate in charitable works or social programs. While American Atheists certainly does not discourage affiliates group from participating in charitable works and engaging in social programs, such activities are by no means required or expected of Affiliates.

It is our hope that their activism and community outreach promotes the same in Affiliates across the nation and American Atheists encourage all Affiliates to increase activism and outreach! Blair Scott, the National Affiliate Director for American Atheists is available for questions or advice at bscott@atheists.org or by phone at (256) 701-6265.

Secretary News American Atheists, Community, Conference, News

Editor,

In his Jan. 20 letter to the Tacoma News Tribune, Brad Elken asks of the crisis in Haiti, “Where are the atheists?”

Atheists are precisely where we’ve always been: giving what help we can to people who need it. Countless atheists and free-thought organizations have united under the aegis of Richard Dawkins’ Non-Believers Giving Aid, a multi-organizational drive to raise money for the people affected by the terrible earthquake in Haiti. Together, we’ve already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for two admirable secular organizations: the International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

True to the message of the holiday sign we placed outside of the Capitol building this past year, Seattle Atheists extends its resources and thoughts to those suffering, regardless of creed, belief, or religion. For the past several years, we’ve raised thousands of dollars for Seattle Children’s Hospital, we donated a large sum of money after the 2005 tsunami, we organize a year-round blood drive, and a year-round SeasonLESS Food Drive, which provides food throughout the year — not just during the traditional holiday giving season. We have a project underway now to donate books to our troops overseas with Operation Paperback.

Unlike the religious groups mentioned by Mr. Elken, these organizations do not proselytize or use tragedies as an easy opportunity to convert vulnerable people. Christian organizations are exploiting the situation in Haiti by distributing solar-powered talking Bibles. The Haitian people don’t need bibles — they need clean water, food, and shelter. They need doctors, medicine, engineers, and aid workers to rebuild their country. They do not need faith-based opportunists who are already using the crisis as if it were a fire sale for religious conversion and salesmanship. They don’t need organizations that use charity as a Trojan horse to spreading their beliefs to vulnerable people.

The earthquake in Haiti was a tragedy, not an opportunity. Access to the country is limited right now. Every evangelist getting off the plane takes the place of a doctor. Every Bible is crowding out medical supplies.

Let’s be good for goodness’ sake.

The Board of Seattle Atheists

Seattle Atheists Board News charity, News, Religion