Spiritual Humanism Invocation

Newsletter #3 – The Church of Spiritual Humanism

October 10, 2002 – Philadelphia www.SpiritualHumanism.org

I hope every one had a great Equinox. Our celebration was a lot of fun, if not a little dark and smoky.

DISCUSSION FORUMS

The forums are up and running. Please stop in and post/read messages. They are still in “beta” phase so any comments you have to improve them are appreciated. They can be found at https://spiritualhumanism.org/shop/order-the-manual/

CANADA

There have been a lot of request from Canada as to the legal status of The Church of Spiritual Humanism in that country. In Canada we have initiated the process of applying for charity status from Revenue Canada. After we receive approval we then need to register in each province. The bureaucratic procedure is guaranteed to take a while so we thank you for your patience (and watch for updates in future newsletters).

IN THE NEWS

House Affirms ‘Under God’ in Pledge Tuesday October 8, 2002 6:50 PM WASHINGTON (AP) – Spurred by a recent court ruling, the House passed a bill Tuesday that would reinforce support for references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto. Full story at http://www.guardian.co.uk/

EDITORS NOTE: The facts as to whether gods exist or not are independent of any law passed by politicians. The United States is a great country because it provides the freedom for great ideas to grow and flourish. If we lose this freedom we will no longer be the great country that was founded and prospered under these principles. And undoubtedly through the lack of freedom to innovate we will flounder and fail. Our constitution says politicians should not regulate religion. Maybe you should give your representatives a call and tell them what a bad idea this bill is.

READERS WRITE IN

I hope to include letters from members like the one below in this newsletter. So if you have question feel free to email me at info ( at ) spiritual humanism.org

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A Reader Writes:

I have a question. With the holidays approaching and big gatherings of friends and families to share meals, I was wondering if you could recommend some word of thanks to start a meal. Perhaps it is my Catholic roots, but when a group has gathered for a special meal (esp. Thanksgiving) I am always uncomfortable digging into the meal without a few thoughts/words of thanks and reflection. Do you have any to share or as a basis for me to elaborate?

Sz

REPLY

These kind of little rituals are very important. If you don’t provide an invocation based on the principles of Spiritual Humanism you are sure to be stuck with some one else reciting a prayer that thanks supernatural powers for their supposed help. I suggest something like:

May the truth make us free,
May the beauty and joy of life compel us, 
To have hope for the future and remember those past. 
As we eat this meal together,      
May we gain from each other and ourselves inspiration, 
The vision of a better world,
And how we can make that vision a reality. 

We need to have many more Spiritual Humanist invocations, rituals and ceremonies like this. That’s why I am issuing a call for submissions for these types of contributions. If you have some ideas or samples that you wish to share, please visit our new Rites and Ceremonies Forum at https://spiritualhumanism.org/ordination/ and read my post “Call for Submissions.” We really could use your help in developing the Spiritual Humanist Liturgy.

CONCLUSION

We have added an item to the Deluxe Clergy Pack, a Letter of Good Standing. In some localities this is required in order to register to perform weddings. If you have purchased a Deluxe Clergy Package https://spiritualhumanism.org/shop/deluxe-clergy-service-pack/ email us and we will send you a Letter of Good Standing for your records. If you have bought an Advanced https://spiritualhumanism.org/shop/advanced-clergy-service-pack/ or Basic Clergy pack https://spiritualhumanism.org/shop/basic-clergy-service-pack/ you can upgrade at any time. Just send us a note and the difference in price between the two.

The Ordained Minister Packages are available in our online store. The Ordination Certificates and Clergy Wallet ID Cards are really cool, and, of course, The Officiant’s Manual contains valuable information such as marriage laws for all 50 states, sample ceremonies, etc. The fees charged for these packs are our only income and help defer the cost of the web site, advertising, PO Box, and incorporation fees.

RA Zorger President, The Church of Spiritual Humanism www.SpiritualHumanism.org