The Freethinkers of the Hudson Valley strive to replace unfounded beliefs with reasoned conclusions using rational arguments based on scientific evidence, historical evidence and logical reasoning.
Although all untenable truth claims will be challenged, irrational religious beliefs will be the predominant focus due to their abundance in society and great potential for both individual and societal harm. The coalescence of a freethought group is vital in this regard because it enables an organized opposition to the well-established religious lobbying and proselytizing forces in this nation. The Freethinkers of the Hudson Valley (FHV) will protect the rights of the growing minority of freethinkers, by raising public awareness, championing the respectability of the freethought position, serving as community defenders of targets of dogmatic injustice, and creating an open platform for ideas.
FHV will advocate the principles of freethought in the following spheres:
Government
The United States Constitution demands the separation of church and state. This division is gradually being eroded by large-scale religious-driven movements. FHV will defend the secular values enshrined in the first amendment.
Education
A complete, factual and objective education is an important facilitating factor in combating childhood indoctrination and developing critical-thinking abilities. FHV will promote a strong educational system and the value of scientific knowledge.
Human InteractionA complete, factual and objective education is an important facilitating factor in combating childhood indoctrination and developing critical-thinking abilities. FHV will promote a strong educational system and the value of scientific knowledge.
Culturally-inherited creeds result in many forms of discrimination. Furthermore, cultural norms often discourage discourse that tackles the root causes of such intolerance. FHV will elevate human equality, provide a safe haven for freethinkers and other targets of religious prejudice, and engage in and extol the virtues of public discourse on contentious and taboo subjects.
Public Perception
Many subscribers to religious doctrines portray all non-believers as ignorant and immoral at best to evil and nihilistic at worst. FHV will abolish these false perceptions by promoting ethical values and actions that are not beholden to dogmatism.
4 comments:
You say that your organization seeks to promote "ethical values and actions that are not beholden to dogmatism." Are not ethical values, by their very nature, the result of some sort of dogmatic belief system? Disconnected from a dogmatic belief system, ethics have no meaning, they are merely preferences. It is clear from your statement of purpose that you have a dogmatic belief system that seeks to proselytize (ie science good, irrational religious belief bad - whatever good and bad may mean in that context). And while I don't necessarily disagree with those beliefs, I don't see how they can generate any sort of true ethic.
The problem we humanists and atheists have is a lack of community. I would like to live in a humanist minded community. Where do I go?
We have a strong individualist bent. But it would benefit us to vote as a group in some instances
I see a sign in Hopewell Jct that Freethinkers of the Hudson Valley has adopted a roadway (cleanup). It seems to me that in the past, that same area was adopted by "Atheists of the Hudson Valley" or some such. I'm wondering why the name change.
Also, I regularly clean up the road that I live near, but don't get any credit for it. I just go for a walk and pick stuff up. I'm wondering if FOTHV would like to take that credit. I mean, I"m an atheist, and I'm cleaning it up, we might as well get the credit for it.
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