By HERB SILVERMAN - THE WASHINGTON POST
Added: Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 UTC

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Todd Stiefel, SCA and RDFRS and Liz Cornwell, Executive Director, RDFRS, also attended this meeting.

Representatives from the Secular Coalition for America met with White House officials on February 26 to discuss issues of concern to secular Americans. We were grateful to have a place at the table, with a chance to hear from Obama administration representatives, and for them to hear from us about issues that affect all Americans. This historic meeting marked the first time in history that a presidential administration has met for a policy briefing with the American nontheist community.

The Secular Coalition for America includes 10 national nontheistic member organizations, and its mission has two goals: to increase the visibility of, and respect for, nontheistic viewpoints in the United States; and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. Aside from the discussion of our issues with White House officials, the mere presence in that place for about 60 of our representatives from around the country marked a proud moment for all secular Americans.

Before giving particulars, I want to dispel some grossly unfair but predictable media comments that show why we are working so diligently to fulfill our mission. In response to the news that we would meet at the White House, the advocacy group called In God We Trust ripped the Obama administration "for meeting to plot political strategy with 60 atheist activists." Its chairman, Bishop Council Nedd, said we represent "some of the most hate-filled, anti-religious groups in the nation."

Then Sean Hannity claimed on Fox News that the Obama administration is giving special treatment to atheists, and that religious groups "have not received this treatment from the Obama White House." I suppose in Hannity's America a two-hour meeting with Secular Americans is "special treatment." But a recent two-day meeting sponsored by the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, with more than 60 religious leaders gathered at the White House, was not special. Perhaps meetings between White House officials and religious leaders really are nothing special, since they occur on a regular basis. And President Obama has met with and paid deference to numerous religious leaders, including Pope Benedict, which brings me to another media alert about the Secular Coalition for America.

The headline in a press release from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights stated, "Obama Aides Host Catholic Bashers." Catholic League president Bill Donohue referred to representatives of the Secular Coalition for America as "some of the biggest anti-religious zealots in the nation," and that many of us "would crush Christianity" if we could. (Interestingly, my dictionary defines "zealot" as a fanatical adherent to a cause, especially a religious one.) The Catholic League ended its diatribe with, "It is important that the public learn of the contents of this meeting. We will do what we can to find out what happened." What on earth are they expecting--an atheist plot to take over the government?
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TAGGED: ATHEISM, POLITICS