Newsletter #20 – The Church of Spiritual HumanismApril 29, 2004 – Philadelphia www.SpiritualHumanism.orgIn the February newsletter I talked about how we must protect things that belong to every one. There is a limit to how far this can be taken and that edge is marked by the right of individuals to be left alone and not interfered with. People do have a fundamental right to privacy and to make decisions that will affect their own life. It’s the consequences of being left alone that determine when this right is applicable. This is because as individuals we are each in the best position to determine what is best for our well being. When a third party authority imposes its power upon us the situation often becomes too tempting even for the most scrupulous entities. In these situations we must tread carefully. Suffering and misery are often increased in the name of good when the real motivations, such as power and control, lie elsewhere. IN THE NEWS Throng packs Washington to support abortion rights WASHINGTON – Abortion rights supporters marched in the hundreds of thousands Sunday, galvanized by what they see as an erosion of reproductive freedoms under President Bush and foreign policies that hurt women worldwide. The huge crowd marched slowly past the White House, chanting and waving signs like ‘My Body Is Not Public Property!’ and ‘It’s Your Choice, Not Theirs!’ then filled the National Mall, turning it into a sea of women, men and children. see full story at EDITORS NOTE: All people have the right to make medical decisions about their body. Women in particular have the right to make their own choices on personal reproductive issues because of the compounded suffering, poverty, and misery that result from generations of unwanted, unplanned offspring On a related note Karen Hughes, an adviser to George W. Bush, equated the one million people marching peacefully for their rights and the ‘terror network’ which killed 3,000 people on 9/11 and that we are currently at war with. (see http://www.cnn.com/ ) This is nearly the same as Department of Education Secretary Rod Paige’s recent reference to the National Education Association as a ‘terrorist organization.’ ( see http://www.paysonroundup.com/ ) It is worrisome: The 2.7 million teachers that belong to the NEA, and the one million marchers in Washington are labeled as terrorists, at this rate it won’t be long before the government finally informs us that the majority of Americans have ties to the “terror network.” READERS WRITE IN If you have a question feel free to email me at info ( at ) spiritual humanism.org I am disappointed that you are injecting politics into your newsletter. Please try to focus on spiritual growth and leave the politics and personal opinions of our President aside. There are many among us that respect our president. REPLY These are not political issues. The President makes well known the fact that he is a born again Christian, and that many of his policy decisions are dictated by his religious beliefs. His policies on amending the constitution, tax dollar funding of religious organizations, and the wording of the pledge of allegiance are just a few of the many instances where he has injected religion into politics. By inserting religion into his policies he has made both his religious beliefs and his policies valid subjects of debate in a religious forum. I certainly am writing about issues of spiritual growth. If the 55,000 members of this denomination have their spiritual growth https://spiritualhumanism.org/ordained/ hampered because their patriotism is questioned unless they pledge a belief in God, or if they have their right to be joined in a spiritual union with their mate trampled by churches that are supported by grants from tax dollars, we will make note of it in this newsletter. Best regards, CONCLUSION Yes Clergy Packages are available in our online store http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/shop/ The Ordination Certificates are printed on acid free paper for extra long life, and Clergy Wallet ID Cards are nice to have. The Officiant’s Manual includes information on celebrating the solstices, sample ceremonies, etc., and the companion CD has marriage laws for all 50 states. The fees charged for these packs are our only income and help defer the cost of the web site, advertising, PO Box, and fund the purchase of a permanent location for our regular religious services. RA Zorger |
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