A New Progressive Alliance

this is similar in its Mission to the UK 'The O Project' from which I found out about 'A New Progressive Alliance'. An amazing eclectic range of faiths and beliefs!

reposted from A New Progressive Alliance

A Call for Unity between Secular, Spiritual, and Religious Progressives

Realizing that our shared commitment to human rights, religious freedom, and peace and social justice, significantly outweighs our differences; we the undersigned, comprised of both secular and religious progressives, declare an alliance between progressive, rational-minded people regardless of one’s spiritual, religious, or secular perspective.

While our beliefs about the existence of God may differ, progressive Americans share a common tradition of humanism dating back to at least the Renaissance. Many spiritual and religious thinkers have significantly contributed to the advancement of doubt, free thinking, and the sciences, laying the ground work for the Enlightenment and modernity. There is no “cultural war” dividing us.

While we make no apologies for the beliefs that have helped to shape our character, we acknowledge that neither faith in God nor atheism suffices to define one’s ethical character. We maintain that the character of a human being can only be defined and evaluated on the basis of one’s actions.

We agree that fanaticism, be it religious or secular, is the true enemy of reason and of human progress.

We therefore formally reject the proposition that one cannot be both religious and rational. And we patently reject the notion that people of faith are incapable of respecting modern science and evolution.

We equally reject the point of view that implies one must believe in God or hold a specific religious belief in order to be valued as a moral/ethical being.

We call upon our movements to unite for the betterment of our society and to reject the enmity of pundits who have made their careers out of promoting intolerance and hatred.

We affirm the plurality of our nation and the importance of maintaining the wall of separation between civic and religious authorities in order to preserve the democratic principle of freedom of and from religion.

Our nation has been carved into a maze of horrors: torture, war, poverty, gross spending on warfare, corruption, religious fanaticism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry and intolerance. Progressive people both with and without religious faith must work together if we are to correct these injustices.

We, the undersigned, agree that given our nation’s many ethical and societal challenges, secular, spiritual and religious progressives must set aside their differences to work together to create a better world.

June 3, 2006

Add Your Name to our list of signatories

• James Rowe Adams, Founder The Center for Progressive Christianity
• Srinidhi (Shree) Anantharamiah, PhD, Academic and Peace Activist in West Melbourne, FL
• Todd Barton
• Alison Bates, Campus Organizer for the Secular Student Alliance www.secularstudents.org
• Rebekah Bennetch, Secular Humanist, Saskatoon, SK
• Barbara Bingnear, Vegan Animal Rights Activist/ Anti-theist
• Robert M. Bowman, Ph.D., combat veteran and candidate for congress (FL)
• Mary Brinson, Spiritual Humanist Bill Broderick, Humanist, Atheist, proud Canadian and member of Humanist Association of Canada
• Bill Broderick, Humanist, Atheist, proud Canadian and member of Humanist Association of Canada
• Delwin Brown, Pacific School of Religion dean emeritus and The Progressive Christian Witness Project Director.
• Bill Burton, atheist
• Bob Camp, Coordinator of the Humanist Group of Southern Illinois
• Edd Doerr, immediate past president, American Humanist Association; president of Americans for Religious Liberty; Unitarian Universalist
• Cammie Donaldson, agnostic, former president of the Space Coast Progressive Alliance www.spacecoastprogressivealliance.org
• Rabbi Greg M. Epstein, Humanist Chaplain of HarvardUniversity
• Tom Ferrick, Humanist Association of Massachusetts.
• Eric Ford
• John W. Frank, Ed.D., Academic, Organization Development Consultant, and Activist; Jacksonville, FL www.diacomventures.com
• Eric Fricker, past Vice-Mayor Cocoa Beach, FL
• Rev. Ann Fuller, Ministerial Intern, Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard
• Kris Gilbert, Pagan
• Rev. Fallon Glenn, Vice President and South Eastern Regional Director of the Pagan Unity Campaign and Public Relations Specialist for Pagans United www.pagansunited.com
• Rosemary Hagen, president Gulf Coast Humanist Association
• Jennifer Hancock, executive director of the Humanists of Florida Association
• Ross Hamilton Henry, Humanist Minister board member of the Humanist Institute, and The Humainst Society
• Rabbi Jay Heyman, D.D. San Francisco, CA www.shalomspirit.org
• Andrew Honnert, Positive Nihilist, Beloit College
• Lisa Huntington, secular humanist and atheist
• Lance Impoco, Catholic
• Vicki Impoco, Humanist
• Marty Jenkins, Quaker/Presbyterian, Respectful Dialogue Programs: http://members.cox.net/respectfuldialogue/,
• Robert Jensen, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin
• Rev. Dr. Beth A. Kelley, D.D., HPS, President of Pathways Sanctuary/Seminary www.pathwaysseminary.org
• Alice Kahn Ladas, Ed.D. Humanist Celebrant, AHA and NY Society for Ethical Culture
• Hamish Macpherson, organizer of the O Project, championing atheists' contributions to society and promoting good relations with all faiths
• Hemant Mehta, the eBay atheist
• Laura Mejia, Humanist
• Masery (Tara Miller) and Arkayne Magii (Michael Miller), leaders of the Elodrym www.elodrym.org.
• Sharan Miller, Pagan
• Kathleen Moore, Member, United Church of Christ
• David Musgrove, Zen Buddhist, victorious plaintiff in Musgrove vs. Brevard School Board church-state case
• Jeff Nall, Humanist writer and activist board member of the Humanists of Florida Association
• George Oertel, Coordinator of Barefoot Bay, FL Humanist Club
• Michele Paccione, Christian Peace Activist
• Bill Peltz, member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Albany County Greens
• Bill Quam, Bratislava, Slovakia
• Harmony Rhiannon, Pagan, Dandridge, TN
• Rev. Jim Rigby, Pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX, and longtime Activist
• Stephen Rockwell, Managing Director and co-founder of CrossLeft
• Michael E. Shuman, Counselor, College of the Sequoias, Visalia, CA
• Rev. Timothy F. Simpson, Interim President of the Christian Alliance for Progress; minister in the Presbyterian Church USA
• Robert Stephens, Ph.D., Founder and current President of Darwin Day celebration, http://www.darwinday.org/
• Karen Sutherland, atheist, Secretary, Space Coast Progressive Alliance
• C.C.W. Sparks, Zen-Baptist-Christian-Agnostic
• Pat Thomas
• Richard Truluck, Humanist
• Dr. Michael Stepniak, member of the American Humanist Association and Associate Dean of Performing Arts at Adelphi University
• Matthew S. Uzzetta, Atheist Activist, John Cook School of Business, Saint Louis University
• David Wade, Missouri State Chair for the Pagan Unity campaign
• Kelly Waggoner, Humanist, Cincinnati Ohio
• Laura M Wandrie, President/Founder, Pagans United
• Maria Yaworsky
• Jason Andrew Young, atheist, Arkansas
• Michael Zimmerman, Founder The Clergy Letter Project