I appreciate the recommended diary on by galiel about getting what this election is really about. I think that diary nails the critical crossroads this country is facing. This diary is NOT to rehash the hit-the-nail-on-the-head-ness of galiels diary and your excellent posts.
this is a "praxis" version of that topic. below are a list of organizations dedicated to protecting the separation of church and state. maybe we should funnel some of our energies and resources in their direction. (it might be a therapeutic start.)
for the last several months I have been extending myself and my wallet, as you have, to get democrats elected and to get people out to vote who might not otherwise would have bothered.
I began to think of my donations to these things as a monthly "bill". i pay for electricity, gas, phone, cell phone, why not add "progressive causes" to the list. even if it is just $10-20/month budgeted..i set it aside along with the other necessities.
please post your own suggestions for targets for our involvement/donations along these lines. please stay engaged. this wasn't just the election of our lives; i think you all are right: it is the struggle of our lives.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State - http://www.au.org/
Founded in 1947, AU brings together Americans of many faiths and political viewpoints to defend church-state separation.
People For the American Way: Religious Freedom - http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=111
Civil libertarian organization opposing the political activities of the religious right in the U.S. and advocating strict separation of church and state. Talking points and position papers on current legislation and events.
Church-State Ring - http://www.infidels.org/electronic/ring/church-state/
Webring hosted by the Internet Infidels for pages promoting the separation of church and state.
ACLU - Religious Liberties - http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLibertymain.cfm
Updates on religious liberties issues from the American Civil Liberties Union.
First Amendment Center: Religious Liberty - http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/rel_liberty/index.aspx
Features a number of original publications, a history of religious liberty and of religion in public life, and commentary on recent news items.
Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. - http://www.ffrf.org/
National organization of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics) in Madison, Wisconsin, working to keep state and church separate and to educate the public about the views of nontheists.
Alliance for the Separation of School and State - http://www.sepschool.org/
Offers essays and a petition to sign.
Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, The - http://www.bjcpa.org/
The goal of the BJC is to protect, uphold and defend the significant and historical Baptist distinctive of a free church in a free state.
Separation of Church and State - The Constitutional Principle - http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
Discusses the legal, historical and political/social evidence in support of church-state separation.
Jefferson 21st Century Institute - http://www.j21c.org/
Dedicated to the separation of religion and government. Focuses primarily on constitutionally questionable actions by, or on behalf of, small religious movements.
Religion vs. Morality - http://religion.aynrand.org/
The Ayn Rand Institute's views on separation, with quotes from the founding fathers of the US, and commentary on some related issues such as abortion and evolution.
Liberty Magazine - http://www.libertymagazine.org/
Dedicated to the preservation of the separation of church and state with an emphasis on the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the US Constitution. Online version includes archived versions beginning with the May/June 1997 issue.
1st Amendment, 2nd Commandment and Textile Worship - http://unquietmind.com/textile.html
Heinlein wrote 'one man's religion is another man's belly laugh' Perhaps, but this one isn't funny.
America's Real Religion, by Gene Garman - http://www.sunnetworks.net/~ggarman/
Provides primary sources for quotations from Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Paine, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln regarding their personal religion and regarding religion's proper relationship to government.
Churchwatch - http://www.churchwatch.org/
A site dedicated to countering the creeping menace of religion in American politics.
Separation of Church and State Homepage (mirror) - http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnpintro.htm
Re-publication of a popular church/state site formerly housed at the University of Louisville.
Anti-Defamation League: Religious Freedom - http://www.adl.org/main_religious_freedom.asp
News headlines, position papers, and other resources on issues such as the separation of church and state, the Istook Amendment, and religious freedom in the workplace.
The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party - http://www.4religious-right.info/
Asserts that the Religious Right's goal of Christianizing America and all elements of society has nearly been attained through gaining control of the Republican Party and putting an ally in the White House.
Citizens Project - http://www.citizensproject.org/
A grassroots organization in the Pikes Peak [Colorado] region dedicated to upholding the traditional American values of pluralism, freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
Mislaid American Rights - http://unquietmind.com/mislaid_i.html
An eleven-part editorial covering rights, law, personal conduct and the difference between "sin" and crime.
Secular Web, The - Separation of Church and State - http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/church-state/
Articles on Church / State separation from Secular Web Library.
No to Political Islam, Yes to Human Rights - http://www.ntpi.org/
An online petition to oppose Political Islam, its agenda, and its barbaric interpretation of Sharia law.
Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church - http://www.lava.net/~hcssc/
Defending the First Amendment principle that government must never, by intent or consequence, promote religion or demonstrate any preference for one religion over another.
Mainstream Loudoun - A Voice for Moderation - http://www.loudoun.net/mainstream/
A group of citizens who wish to preserve religious and personal freedom, to maintain the separation of church and state, and to counter the imposition through public policy of one religious tradition over others.
First Amendment, à la Carte: Freedom of Religion is Freedom From! - http://www.lacarte.org/freedom/thought/1st/
Lists several news events that raise the church-state issue, asks if government should be involved in religious affairs, and comments on the US Constitution.
Non-Christian Founding Fathers - http://monotheism.us/
Asserts how and why the USA is now backsliding onto the slippery slope of incremental theocracy.
Americans Supporting Separation of Church and State - http://hometown.aol.com/asscs1/home.html
Organization opposing the theocratization of the US government by the Religious Right, with information on the GOP, the election in 2000, and George W. Bush.
About.com - Myths about Church/State Separation - http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/blfaq_cs_myth_index.htm
Many common myths about the separation of church and state are explained and refuted. Includes misconceptions about court decisions, school prayer, and the US Constitution.
The Christian and Politics - http://home.earthlink.net/~ddcerkel/christian_politics.html
An essay presenting Biblically-based reasoning for keeping the spiritual and civil realms separate.
Torquemada, the Spanish Inquisition and Today's American Inquisition - http://internettrash.com/users/torquemada
Compares elements of the American Christian Right to the Spanish Inquisition.
Pledge Restoration Project - http://secular.ws/pledge/
A campaign to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.