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First Ever 'Godless' Conference in Colo.

by KREX News Room
by Amanda Brandeis

Story Created: Jul 21, 2012 at 5:58 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jul 23, 2012 at 12:29 PM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- Nonreligious people from all over the country traveled to Grand Junction Saturday for the inaugural Colorado Secular Conference. The event was organized by Humanists Doing Good.

Over 120 people gathered at Colorado Mesa University for the event.

Founder of Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers, Anne Landman, said, “Huge milestone, something that just hasn’t happened in Colorado before. It’s here, its 21st century and we’re doing it.”

Co-director of the Colorado Secular Coalition, Murray Wallace, said, “It’s not about removing religion or supporting one specific ideology. It’s about allowing every ideology to be prevalent.”

Speakers from various organizations talked about what they hope to achieve in the future.

Kathleen Hynes, a volunteer speaker with the ACLU, said, “We always appreciate an opportunity to speak to people about their civil rights and their civil liberties.”

Research and advocacy manager for the Secular Coalition of America, Kelly Damerow, said, “While we’re working in D.C. to fight religious privileging on a federal level, we’re really noticing that the most egregious violations of church and state are happening on the state level.”

Michael Werner with the United Coalition of Reason said, “I’m from Wilmington, North Carolina. There we have the city council, as I may understand you have here, still doing sectarian prayers. That’s just not playing fair.”

Local leaders within the secular community say prayer before public meetings is an issue they're tackling, too

Landman said, “It’s completely illegal and we’ve raised that point with the County Commissioners just as we raised it with the city. The two entities acted completely differently."

Landman says that only the city really acknowledged they were violating the constitution.

“The County Commissioners instead dug in and worked to find a way to keep prayer ... simply by gaveling the meeting to start immediately after the prayer.”

Despite these conflicts, organizers say there’s an important message they are trying to send.

Velvet Johnson, the volunteer coordinator for Humanists Doing Good, said, “To work with the religious and the nonreligious to bring everyone together to make Mesa County a better place to live.”

Benjamin Donahue with the Colorado Secular Coalition said, “Secularism is not anti-religion. It is recognition that the government should not be taking sides in religious disputes."

They hope this conference and ones in the future will unite people, no matter what they do or do not believe in.

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Karl Schneider said on Thursday, Jul 26 at 12:55 PM

Rich, you and your ilk are free to indulge in any fantasies and delusions you care to embrace, you just don't get to coerce others to believe or behave the way you or your make-believe god(s) might purport to desire.

Evan said on Tuesday, Jul 24 at 5:41 AM

"What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not." -James Madison

May said on Sunday, Jul 22 at 4:13 PM

Right on, Kathyrine, Cindi, and Mo. It's not about being anti-religion, it's about anti-government interference. The holocaust is the horrific example of what happens when one ideology becomes part of government! That's what our forefathers were attempting to prevent.

Scott said on Sunday, Jul 22 at 11:25 AM

Rich, Please show me where in the constitution it says what you claim it says. It does say "no religious test" to be elected and that the government cannot endorse religion. Seems rather odd for those elements to be in it if they actually intended what you claim.

Mo said on Sunday, Jul 22 at 10:19 AM

It's obvious from your comments, Rich, that it YOU that fails to understand the Constitution and the secular nature of our democracy. Nothing about our government was founded on religion in any way. A government cannot be the protector of equal rights for all people if it promotes one religion over another. Our nation's founders were more or less deists and most of them were very suspicious of Christianity. I know that doesn't mesh with the alternate history you've probably been fed in your church, but it doesn't change the facts. Atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers have as much right to be free from the poison of religion as you have to wallow in it. Forcing your Bronze Age "wisdom" on the rest of society is unethical and illustrates the "freedom of religion" you promote is the "freedom to make everyone believe my religion, whether they want to or not." Take the faith blinders off and see the world for what it really is.

Cyndi said on Sunday, Jul 22 at 10:02 AM

People can be "godless" or God-filled, and still appreciate and support the idea of secularism: meaning living a good and decent life caring for their fellow humans and promoting what might be called "morality," while keeping religious dogma out of their lives. Our country was founded on separation of church and state. No one should be demonized because they choose to live a "godless," yet good, caring and giving life.

Rich said on Sunday, Jul 22 at 8:48 AM

As a news agency I would hope that you would cover the other side of these types of informational pieces to find out what others say about this. All this proves is that the "hunmanists"don't know our constitution or our American history. Our country and government were founded on God and Godly principles and the 1st Amendment to our Constitution guarantees freedom OF religion NOT freedom FROM religion. Our founders were trying to make sure our future government would not force a specific religion on its' people, not that there would be no religion in our government. Look at our founding documents and you see God all over them. It is sad enough that these people will never know the freedom in God, but again, I would ask that your station evaluate both sides of the story and not further only one side of the opinion. Your job is to give us all sides of the news and let the us make up our own mind. Maybe people would value life more if God were more present in our society/governmen

Kathyrine said on Sunday, Jul 22 at 7:29 AM

I think the headline to this article is a perfect example of the erroneous perceptions of the secular movement. I am a Christian woman; certainly not “Godless”, but still support the Secular movement.

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