Hope, a difficult virtue to maintain these days in the midst of political and religious strife where the future of our democracy seems uncertain and seemingly religious and political leaders have lost all credibility.
Generally, religion has either become extraneous or a continued cause of conflict, rather than a source of healing, peace and reconciliation. In the modern world, as young people continue to retreat from religious affiliation, so does religious literacy, while religious enthusiasts leaning towards fanaticism battle against those who do not share their beliefs.
As we end 2018, we see an inability to deal with the real issues of our day: climate change, economic imbalances and instabilities, racial injustice and conflict among peoples. This leads to my excitement about secular Americans, who have long ignored and been ignored in the realm of politics and religion. This is finally changing as this demographic is finally starting to be seen as a group to be reckoned with.
In April, four members of Congress established the Congressional Freethought Caucus designed to, among other goals, “oppose discrimination against atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons, and to champion the value of freedom of thought and conscience worldwide.” At a time when mainline Christianity has been upended in the United States, there is an opportunity to chart a new course for spiritual and political life in the modern world to address this challenge by improving public understanding of religion’s and reason’s places in the 21st century politics.
No major party or caucus has ever so expressly acknowledged the…
