 | |
| Formation | 2002; 23 years ago (2002) |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | Advocate for thenontheistic community in the United States and forsecularism. |
| Location | |
| Website | secular |
TheSecular Coalition for America is anadvocacy group located in Washington D.C. It describes itself as "protecting the equal rights of nonreligious Americans."[1]
The Secular Coalition has chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, composed oflobbyists trained by the organization. The Coalition holds an annual lobby day and policy conference, publishes yearly Congressional report cards and voter guides, and in 2013 issued its first Model Secular Policy Guide for Legislatures.[2]
Coalition presidentHerb Silverman was a leading force behind the founding of the organization. Former White House stafferEdwina Rogers served as Executive Director from May 2012 to May 2014.Sean Faircloth, a five-termMaine state legislator, served as Executive Director between 2009 and 2011.[3] Between 2005 and 2009, it was directed by formerNevada state senatorLori Lipman Brown, who became its first full-time lobbyist in September 2005.[4][5][6]
The Secular Coalition works to increase visibility and respect forirreligious, nontheistic viewpoints in the United States and to protect and strengthen thesecular character of the U.S. government. The Coalition advocates completeseparation of church and state within American politics which they claim is clearly established in theU.S. Constitution under theFirst Amendment. Furthermore, the Coalition holds thatfreedom of conscience, which includes religious freedom, was of such importance that it was made the first of all freedoms protected in theBill of Rights,[7] and that reason and science should be guiding tenets for public policy.
The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to advocate for the equal rights of nonreligious Americans and defend the separation of religion and government.[8]
The Secular Coalition for America was founded in 2002 by four U.S. secular organizations:Atheist Alliance International, theInstitute for Humanist Studies, theSecular Student Alliance, and theSecular Web. In 2005 theAmerican Humanist Association became the Coalition's fifth member organization. TheSociety for Humanistic Judaism and theFreedom From Religion Foundation joined the Coalition in January 2006, theMilitary Association of Atheists and Freethinkers in February 2007, and theAmerican Ethical Union in April 2008. In 2009,Camp Quest joined in January andAmerican Atheists became a member in June. TheCouncil for Secular Humanism joined in January 2010.
Coalition presidentHerb Silverman was a leading force behind the founding of the organization, which was designed as a framework for cooperation among secular groups in the United States. Silverman believed that nontheistic Americans could gradually gain the respect of politicians and society if they collaborated on issues and presented a unified force for activism. Silverman had been raised Jewish but joined aUnitarian Church in adulthood.[9]
The Coalition's member organizations, as of 2023,[10] are:
The Secular Coalition for America Board of Directors is democratically structured. Directors are nominated and voted on to serve by the member organizations. Officers may be associated with member organizations or may come from the widerfreethought community. In August 2022, Steven Emmert became the Executive Director.[12] Scott MacConomy is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs.[13] Other current board members are Maggie Ardiente, president; Derek Araujo, vice president; Dana Morganroth, treasurer; Bryan Shelby, secretary; Herb Silverman, founder; Anthony Cruz Pantojas; Claudette St. Pierre; Rebecca Hale; and Lori Lipman Brown.[14]
Advisors to the Secular Coalition for America are Woody Kaplan (Chair),Rob Boston,Richard Dawkins,Daniel Dennett,Rebecca Goldstein,Sam Harris,Jeff Hawkins,Wendy Kaminer,Michael Newdow,Dan Okrent,Steven Pinker,Salman Rushdie, Todd Stiefel, andJulia Sweeney.[15]
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The Secular Coalition for America addresses issues arising out of what they see as the inappropriate presence of religion into public policy, such as government funding of religious ministries (the "faith-based initiative" or "charitable choice"); tuitionvouchers for religious schools; federally fundedabstinence-only sex education; limits toembryonic stem cell research; constitutional marriage protection amendments; access tobirth control andemergency contraception; theReligious Freedom Restoration Act, theReligious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act; and thePledge Protection Act as well as othercourt-stripping measures.
The Coalition is particularly active in challenging what it perceives as discrimination againstnontheists by government chartered organizations like theBoy Scouts of America. Similarly, it works to keepmilitary chaplains from actively sharing their beliefs with service members.
The Coalition also welcomes and works in cooperation with religious groups regardless of affiliation when the religious group(s) share their beliefs of freedom of conscience and separation of church and state. The Secular Coalition for America espouses religious tolerance to people of all religions and those without.
In 2007 the Secular Coalition for America pledged a $1,000 reward to the person identifying the highest level elected official to openly acknowledge nosupernatural beliefs. The "Find an Atheist, Humanist, Freethinker Elected Official Contest" concluded with the announcement that Rep.Pete Stark (D-Calif.), a member of theUnited States Congress since 1973, held the highest office of four public servants to acknowledge a secularworld view to the Coalition after being nominated by a contestant. Stark was the first Congressional member to publicly self-identify with the freethought community.[16]
On February 26, 2010, the Secular Coalition for America, along with a unified delegation of members of the secular movement from across the country, met with representatives of theObama administration for an official policy briefing—the first of its kind specifically for American non-theists. The group raised three particular areas of concern to secular Americans: military proselytizing and religious coercion, fixing theFaith-Based Initiatives program, and ending the exemptions granted to religious groups in laws governing child medical abuse and neglect.[17]
The Secular Coalition for America published an online Congressional scorecard rating U.S. Representatives and Senators on their roll call votes and legislative sponsorship.[18]