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PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 15, 2006
National Council of Atheists Releases Priest Outreach Guidelines
Guidelines released on the heels of NCA release of Gay Outreach Guidelines
Contact: Atheists United Office: 323-666-4258;
Stuart Bechman, Co-President: 805-405-3929
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Council of Atheists - composed of many of the nation's most prominent leaders of the national atheist movement - adopted new guidelines for outreach to Catholic Priests and Bishops on Wednesday, trying to support Catholic clergy while strictly affirming the naturalistic stance that religious leaders are “disordered”.
The statement, "Outreach to Persons with Need to Promote Catholicism," upholds the stance of atheists to respect and honor the rights of all people to believe whatever they wish while discouraging behaviors that are injurious or detrimental to society. The statement was adopted with a unanimous vote of all participants and on the same day of a similar set of guidelines issued on outreach to the gay community.
The NCA statement reads: “The atheist community recognizes that supernatural beliefs are a pervasive part of humanity; and that some people apparently have a strong need to buy into such beliefs. However, to promote and impose such beliefs on others under the guise that such beliefs are established fact is not only against ‘natural law,’ which holds that only the natural world exists; but it is also dishonest and damaging to others and violates the rights of others to come to their own understanding of the universe.
“We also recognize that there are many Catholic priests and bishops who have long ago given up on their god-belief, yet remain trapped within an institution that exercises total control over their lives, denies them the opportunity to express their true feelings and views of the universe, and has no problem with sacrificing these faithful servants in order to protect church leaders from any and all threats to their survival.
"We call on all priests who recognize the failings and lies of their church leaders and their faith to come forth and disown their prior practices of imposing god-belief on vulnerable members of our society; to affirm the importance of supporting and improving the lives of people in this life; to provide them with the tools of critical thinking and knowledge to help them help themselves; and to commit to making a positive difference in people’s lives. To those priests who step forth to accept such conditions, we are committed to accepting and supporting you in seeking the courage to break from your bonds and using your talents to improve, rather than damage, our society.”
“'Hate the disorder; love the disorderer' has always been our rule of thumb," said one council representative. “Of course, we always try to be more welcoming than condemning to those who seem unable to constrain themselves from promoting irrational god-belief. But it’s important to lay clear ethical guidelines and expectations to such people that seem to have missed such values in their upbringing.”
Atheists United is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Los Angeles and dedicated to the promotion of an ethical life based on reason, knowledge, and science; the separation of government and religion; and the protection of rights for the atheist community.
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