Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good.
Humanists believe that the welfare of humankind – rather than the welfare of a supposed God or gods – is of paramount importance.
Why is humanism important in government?
We think policy shaped by humanist values leads to better outcomes. Humanists believe that when people are free to think for themselves, using reason, knowledge, and empathy as their tools, they are best able to solve this world’s problems.
Why is it so important to advance humanist candidates and values right now?
As Katherine Stewart wrote in the NYTimes just two weeks ago: “The most serious attempt to overthrow the American constitutional system since the Civil War would not have been feasible without the influence of America’s Christian nationalist movement. One year later, the movement seems to have learned a lesson: If it tries harder next time, it may well succeed in making the promise of American democracy a relic of the past.”1
The events of January 6, 2021 have only energized white Christian Nationalists. They’re organizing themselves at events across the country, to recruit and support extreme, theistic, pro-Trump candidates. Last November, they backed “the most explicitly evangelical candidate in the modern Virginia party”2, and successfully installed Glenn Younkin as VA Governor despite President Biden winning the state by more than 10% less than two years ago.
But make no mistake, this is not a religious movement. It’s a political one. And it’s deeply anti-democratic. As Andrew Whitehead, a professor at Indiana University, Perdue wrote: “But this Christianity is something more than the orthodox Christianity of ancient creeds; it is more of an ethnic Christian-ism. In its most extreme form it legitimizes the type of violence we saw on Jan. 6 and the recent flood of voting restrictions. Violence and legislation not in service of democracy, but instead for fundamentally anti-democratic goals.”3
A decade ago, these same white Christian Nationalists were just a fringe of the Republican party. At the time, Republican Party leaders distanced themselves from theistic extremists. Now, these zealots are in charge and actively working to undermine our democracy.
How is the Center for Freethought Equality working to stop these anti-democratic theists?
We recruit, support, and help elect candidates who will champion humanist values. These efforts have been successful, increasing the number of legislators who identify with atheism and humanism by twelve times.
But we also fight back against all efforts that misuse religion to restrict the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities, and the nonreligious.
To do that, we track new legislative threats to our rights, mobilize people to speak up, and hold Members of Congress accountable for their actions. We have a lobbyist on staff who actively works on the Hill to influence policy and legislation through high-level meetings with key decision-makers.
In short, we represent the voice of atheists, humanists, and people like you who believe science and reason should inform public policy.
John - I know this was a long message, but I hope it provided some clarity about why our work to elect humanist and atheist champions to government must prevail.
Will you help? Please contribute $25, $50, $75, or whatever you can afford - and help us scale up our efforts to stop white Christian Nationalists during this election year.
Thank you for your support.
Ron Millar
Political and PAC Coordinator
Center for Freethought Equality
