(13)    Thu 22 May 97 22:03
By: ROBERT CURRY
To: DON MARTIN
Re: another letter
St:
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Just thought you might appreciate this. Looking forward to any
comments that you may have regarding the matter.
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Bob Morse, Newsletter Editor
Secular Humanists of South Florida
2651 NE 4th St.
Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Dear Editor:

When you wrote recently that "all Humanists, Secular and otherwise,
should maintain a respectful but principled distance from Atheists,"
I toyed for a moment with the idea of splitting myself in two to
accommodate the suggestion. However, even if that were possible,
I am not prepared to sit at the back of the bus.

One of my central concerns as a Humanist is to combat all forms
of prejudice by the promotion of critical thinking skills and the
rejection of stereotypes. As an atheist, and as someone who does
not hesitate to identify himself as an atheist when the matter
arises under appropriate circumstances, I am shocked to discover
myself apparently relegated by your recommendation to the
status of a second-class Humanist. Was it your intention to
alienate the many Humanists who are unafraid to state the truth
that they are also atheists?

Now more than ever we need to promote cooperation between Humanists,
atheists, and all freethinkers regardless of labels or emphasis.
If we seriously expect to make a meaningful difference in our
society, and I think we can agree that Humanism has a great deal
to offer, then open lines of productive communication are essential
to this vital task. Nothing positive is to be gained by the
meek acceptance of an ancient misunderstanding, and I submit
for your thoughtful consideration that bigotry against atheists
is exactly that.

It has always been my understanding that the ideals of Humanism
include opposition to prejudice in favor of greater education.
How can we hope to promote our ideals if our first reaction to
name-calling is to run away and hide? Rather than putting
our efforts into creating distance between ourselves, let
us put our efforts into demonstrating by example how Humanists
can create an inclusive community that is not afraid to
recognize any of its members for who they truly are.

Secularly Yours,

Robert Curry
Communications Committee Chair
Humanist Association: St. Petersburg

phone: 813.562.6420


 * SLMR 2.1a * [ curry@gte.net ][ http://home1.gte.net/curry ]

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