secularism

Secularists defend philanthropy efforts against misreporting

July 17, 2013 Carmen Russell Podcast, Religion 00:15:35 0 Comments

Philanthropy among those who are non-religious has gotten a bit of a boon of late. Despite magazine reporting to the contrary, the Foundation Beyond Belief has just hit a million dollar fundraising mark.

Host Jamila Bey and co-host Ed Brayton spoke with Sarah Morehead, head of the Recovering from Religion Foundation, and Todd Stiefel, founder of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, to discuss doing good for goodness’ sake.

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Secular group bends rules of religion through its philanthropic missions

July 2, 2013 Carmen Russell Podcast, Religion 00:19:51 0 Comments

A new company is on a mission that could have many Americans thinking twice about people performing deeds that have traditionally been considered the domain of the religious.

BeSecular.com is that company. Its mission is simple: raise money through t-shirt and wristband sales to help fund secular and progressive religious organizations whose missions compel them to do good.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with Jerry DeWitt, a former Pentacostal minister and author of the book, “Hope After Faith,” and Mark and Shannon Nebo to discuss the company and its growth as part of the growing body of Americans who are without religious affiliation.

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From Virginia to Penn. to Arizona, secular stories traveling across US

May 24, 2013 Carmen Russell Podcast, Politics, Religion, Sex 00:15:33 0 Comments

It’s been an eventful week in secularism, and the Sex Politics And Religion Hour talks with experts about what are some of the goings on in Virginia, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

In Virginia, Republican Party members nominated E.W. Jackson to run for lieutenant governor in the upcoming gubernatorial race. Jackson is a reverend and an attorney, and he’s known for opposing gay rights, marriage equality and for being quite wrong on the purpose of the 3/5th’s compromise.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with GOP strategist and political commentator Raynard Jackson (no relation) to discuss the nomination of Jackson.

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Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia-area couple who lost a second child to a curable infection when they chose faith healing over medicine for the 2-year-old boy has been convicted.

Bey spoke with activist Ernest Perce to discuss the conviction and a number of religiously motivated laws which are being proposed and even implemented in the commonwealth.

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Finally, in Arizona, a federal court overturned a 20-week ban on abortion procedures and a state lawmaker outed himself as an atheist by quoting Carl Sagan in lieu of offering a prayer before the legislature.

Bey spoke with Serah Blain, executive director of the Secular Coalition for Arizona, to discuss the stories.

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