I am a 60-year-old Freethinker. I was the New York Director of American Atheists a few years ago – I now live in Florida and haven’t made up my mind which organization to join as an active member, yet. I am writing to all of you because I think that it is time for all Freethinkers to work together. My call for this collaborative agreement among us is prompted by Sam Harris’ latest edition of “The End of Faith: Religion, Terror & The Future of Reason,” (2005), Norton & Co, New York. If you have not read his book I encourage you to do so and to work together to answer his clarion call to action.

Let me quote the last paragraph in Harris’ book:

“For anyone with eyes to see, there can be no doubt that religious faith remains a perpetual source of human conflict. Religion persuades otherwise intelligent men and women to not think, or to think badly, about questions of civilizational importance. And yet it remains taboo to criticize religious faith in our society, or to even observe that some religions are less compassionate and less tolerant than others. What is worst in us (outright delusion) has been elevated beyond the reach of criticism, while what is best (reason and intellectual honesty) must remain hidden, for fear of giving offense. ‘The End of Faith’ represents my first attempt to call to attention to the dangers and absurdities inherent in this situation. I sincerely hope that readers will continue to find the book useful.” (p. 237, “Afterword”.)

Harris’ book is a call to action. Current violence around the world (and I oppose violence altogether), in its many forms, from the closing of prenatal clinics in Third World countries because funding is blocked for the provision of birth control to the opposition to the use of prophylaxis as an AIDS prevention method, from wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe to the abuse of children around the world by priests and nuns, religions are promoting and perpetuating violence between and among the religious. Why should we, as Freethinkers, be threatened by this senseless, religion-sponsored violence without widespread and comprehensive response and opposition? Why should we, as Freethinkers, have our families, friends, communities, and reasoned understanding, be violated without comprehensive response and opposition?

Freethinkers should work together against these threats by religions. We should call for an end to violence through an end to religious conflict.

Let us begin by organizing (and I do not promote myself as the leader of this process, but I call for the current leaders of Freethinker Organizations to get together at a national meeting and elect a champion,) by setting up a collaborative website, by communicating with each other, and by working for action at social, community, and political levels.

I am prepared to begin the organization by asking you all to email me with thoughts, including agreement or disagreement, and I will work with you to set up the first Freethinkers Alliance For An End To Religious Violence. My email address is: cmorton2@mac.com. Thanks for hearing me out. I look forward to your responses.

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