Atheist Group Heralds ‘First Time in History’ Policy Briefing with White House Officials
EmailWhite House officials will this morning meet with leaders of the atheist community, who will discuss their concerns about the "privileging of religion" by the government "that harms real people," in the words of Sean Faircloth, executive director of the Secular Coalition of America.
The group calls this meeting "the first time in history a presidential administration has met for a policy briefing with the American nontheist community."
Faircloth told ABC News that the group will brief Tina Tchen and Paul Monteiro, the director and associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; Bryan H. Samuels, Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families at Health and Human Services; and Mazen Basrawi, Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice.
He said they would address three items: "religiously based child abuse issues, so-called faith-healing" and religious child care being exempt from some health and safety laws; the "pervasive" religious atmosphere in the military and ways in which troops "with nontheistic views are made to feel unwelcome"; and faith-based initiatives.
The White House sought to downplay the meeting, with spokesman Shin Inouye saying, "the White House office of Public Engagement regularly meets with a wide-range of organizations and individuals on a diverse set of issues."
But the atheist group is quite excited about the meeting. While the president often proclaims his belief in God, and talks occasionally about his Christian faith, he said in his inaugural address that "our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers."
"We appreciated the acknowledgement," Faircloth said.
The Coalition is an umbrella group for American Atheists, the American Ethical Union, the American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, Camp Quest, The Council for Secular Humanism, the Institute for Humanist Studies, the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, the Secular Student Alliance and the Society for Humanistic Judaism. The meeting was first reported by Margaret Talev of McClatchy Newspapers.
Polls indicate many different numbers for the percentage of Americans who do not believe in God, but Faircloth said he believes it to be 13% — "which is comparable to the percentage of African-Americans," he said. "Certainly the African-American community has shown a group of that size can have influence; we would like to have influence on same scale."
During the Bush administration, the Coalition was primarily focused on lobbying Congress, but has been more aggressive about approaching the executive branch since President Obama's election, Faircloth said. Faircloth said the Coalition has approached the Education Department to ensure that "non-theistic" children are included in the Safe Schools Act, which works to make sure children in American public schools don’t feel threatened by their environment, and to express concern about organizations "like the Good News Club," which allows adults to proselytize to public school students on school grounds.
- jpt
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“discuss their concerns about the ‘privileging of religion’ by the government”
Funny, a lot of religious groups would say just the opposite.
“that harms real people,”
I don’t even know what that means. Are our policies helping fake people?
Posted by: David Shane | February 26, 2010, 10:26 am 10:26 am
I think these folks have a big gaping hole inside where God used to be. They are so desperate to fill that hole that they have turned Atheism into a religion. Same with the Global Warming hoax. They MUST believe because without these things in their lives they would be bereft.
Posted by: Wilson | February 26, 2010, 10:33 am 10:33 am
Is this going to help create jobs?
Posted by: jennifert7 | February 26, 2010, 10:36 am 10:36 am
That figures. Obama is a Humanist.
Posted by: norak | February 26, 2010, 10:47 am 10:47 am
Funny how the slavethinkers are all going berserk about the fact that Obama is making a token gesture towards the 10-15% of the population who are freethinkers. Meanwhile, billions of our tax $$ continue to pour into “faith-based initiatives” (a giant slush fund for the religious right), religious taboos continue to harm national security (don’t ask don’t tell), and in general the lunatics continue to run the asylum.
Posted by: Ray Dobson | February 26, 2010, 11:23 am 11:23 am
How does atheism jive with the mindless adherence and belief in someone who claimed he was “the One”? And how do his many Moslem supporters feel? Or his mentor Rev.Wright for that matter! Now we know, if we didn’t before, that his real mentors, like Davis/Ayers/etc. And he beliefs seem to lie much closer to aethistic communism than to any mainstream American political, or religious, belief.
Posted by: Ed | February 26, 2010, 11:42 am 11:42 am
“”that harms real people,”
I don’t even know what that means. Are our policies helping fake people?” – David Shane
David, I think they are referring to people with souls as opposed to people without souls.
That’s something they know quite a bit about.
Posted by: Noz | February 26, 2010, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
And he beliefs seem to lie much closer to aethistic communism than to any mainstream American political, or religious, belief.
Posted by: Ed
and your evidence of this is what?
Posted by: XXX | February 26, 2010, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm
Now this is something Obama can be proud of.
Posted by: sara | February 26, 2010, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
xxx: Rev Wright and 20 years of attending his services pretty much sums it up.
Posted by: sara | February 26, 2010, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm
“that harms real people,”
I don’t even know what that means. Are our policies helping fake people?
Posted by: David Shane | Feb 26, 2010 10:26:10 AM
======================================
Yes thats exactly what it means. Real people are people who are born. Corporations are legal fictions given the rights of people – therefore, ‘fake people’.
Obviously, what they meant originally was that there are real world examples of these policies hurting people, but I like your construction better.
Posted by: Flash Override | February 26, 2010, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm
..do atheists use Christian doctors?
Ohh, they do
….don’t we have any more important stuff to talk about? He doesn’t believe in God, I do. I live in a country where Christians are in the majority and have been for a long, long time…….so does he. Take it or leave it, brother.
‘
Posted by: justj joey | February 26, 2010, 1:03 pm 1:03 pm
Wilson, I consider myself rather right leaning. I believe in a very free economy and for our government to stay out of our way. I do not believe in man made global warming one bit.
But I don’t believe in God either. I was never raised to and never found reason to start. Sure I have had bad times but I muddled my way through them in my belief in myself.
I don’t have any issue with religion until they come knocking on my door to convert me. Then… I have a field day with them.
Posted by: Denbo | February 26, 2010, 1:04 pm 1:04 pm
Denbo, if you truly believe in yourself, you are a lot closer to a believer than a non-believer…..think about that one for awhile.
Posted by: justj joey | February 26, 2010, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
pretty much sums it up.
Posted by: sara
really?
perhaps you can explain further about
how Obama believes in
‘aethistic communism ‘..
you mention a name, and that’s your answer..?
sounds like the usual guilt by association republican theory
Posted by: XXX | February 26, 2010, 3:06 pm 3:06 pm
I think these folks have a big gaping hole inside where God used to be.
Posted by: Wilson
a clear example of the arrogant thinking of the supposed believers who project their own insecurities on others… amazing that in 2010, that there are those who live their lives in fear of people who don’t believe as they do here.. in america…
Posted by: XXX | February 26, 2010, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
Where is Rev. Wright.. when you really need him?
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | February 26, 2010, 3:26 pm 3:26 pm
Religion has probably done more damage than atheism/agnosticism.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | February 26, 2010, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
Tiger Woods has established his religious preference.. ex post facto.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | February 26, 2010, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
“Is this going to help create jobs?
Posted by: jennifert7 | Feb 26, 2010 10:36:43 AM”
You might have missed but your beloved GOP just tried to filibuster a jobs bill based on primarily on one of their ideas, payroll tax credit for hiring those who have been unemployed for 60 or more days.
Why did they do that?
Posted by: Ryan C | February 26, 2010, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm
“I think these folks have a big gaping hole inside where God used to be. They are so desperate to fill that hole that they have turned Atheism into a religion. Same with the Global Warming hoax. They MUST believe because without these things in their lives they would be bereft.”
You think that if it gives you comfort. I think people who say things like what you just posted have a big gaping hole in their reason, and must fill that with tripe they have memorized from some religion or another.
Posted by: msraborn | February 26, 2010, 6:50 pm 6:50 pm
Why do the faithful feel so threatened by the faithless? Why the offense at non-believers merely existing? Is it, perhaps, evidence of a weak god?
Posted by: girl | February 26, 2010, 8:01 pm 8:01 pm
Oh I get it. Obama is lobbying them to declare HIM god! Ahh, NOW that makes sense. Finally!
Posted by: jafo | February 27, 2010, 8:16 pm 8:16 pm
.
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The internet killed religion! Open the gates and let the roman lions out!
.
.
Posted by: Enlightenment | February 28, 2010, 5:56 am 5:56 am
@jafo:Why the offense at non-believers merely existing?
IMO, atheists are the last group of people where open and loud bigotry is still widely accepted. We’re 10-15% of the population, but we’re still considered to be second class people. Some other web sites are claiming that we’re a ‘hate group’, even though atheists are some of the most tolerant, loving people around.
Posted by: Hank_Hill | February 28, 2010, 9:28 am 9:28 am
They fill threatened because there religion is fragile with no evidence ,this is 2010 and people still believe that snacks talk the world was created in seven days and know nothing about what religion has done and afraid to learn, all the great people that were free thinkers were wiped from the pages of history because they didn’t believe and us atheist are still being discriminated against so afraid of free thinkers they are weak minded and zealous and will still kill you so beware .
Posted by: sherry | February 28, 2010, 1:32 pm 1:32 pm
so the majority christian nation can run roughshod over the minority non-theist population but the democratic majority cannot pass health care reform? enough!!bunch of jesus freaks hypocrites
Posted by: oscar | February 28, 2010, 9:01 pm 9:01 pm
people, people. Atheists are not so repressed. Now let’s not act like the christian majority and try to paint ourselves as victims whose way of life is being threatened by a group that believes differently than us.
So we like to find out the truth through hard evidence and rationality. Big difference. :P
On the other hand… yes, I applaud President Obama for meeting with humanists to discuss their point of view, as it should be taken into account too. This is how the government should work, considering the needs of every group lest one should completely take over. Or have you not read the Federalist papers?
It is also funny to me that theists always try to imply we have some emotional void because we don’t have some pretend bond with a deity. Please stop that. It is a cheap and low blow, and demonstrates you suffer from a severe case of tunnel vision. My personal idea of being ‘connected with the universe’ is realizing that the elements I’m made of come from far away supernova explosions that traveled millions of light years to become part of the Earth. It’s an awesome and powerful thought for me, completely rational and completely proven. Now why would I have some void in my life just because I don’t think it is a whimsical, inconsistent big man in a white beard? Pfft.
Posted by: Kinai | March 2, 2010, 11:48 am 11:48 am