Atheists and Humanists Form Secular Service Club
December 4, 2008
Who needs a god to be good?
One group of people who volunteer at local charities would quickly answer, "Not us." The Secular Service Club, sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Coalition of Reason (PhillyCOR), is collectively motivated by compassion, not faith. PhillyCOR members organizing the Secular Service Club include a diverse group of non-theists: the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia, the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Atheist Meetup, the Secular Society of Temple University, and the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia.
Laura Lukasewycz, one of the Club's Organizers, says, "I've always enjoyed volunteering-- not only contributing to the community in a positive way, but being able to share the experience, and meet other like-minded individuals. Many church groups organize great volunteer opportunities, but unfortunately there hasn't been a secular equivalent."
Now there is.
The Secular Service Club will begin monthly workdays at the Philabundance warehouse, 302 West Berks Street Philadelphia, PA 19122, on Saturday December 13. The Club is also registered to participate in the Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 19.
Organizers are also looking into opportunities to work with religious charities, so long as donations and efforts go exclusively toward helping others, not proselytizing.
The idea for the Secular Service Club began after the launch of a nontheist billboard campaign this summer, when PhillyCOR encountered the Lighthouses of Oxford Valley who had put up a billboard with a similar appearance and a Christian theme. In the spirit of shared values, members of both PhillyCOR and the Lighthouses came together for a workday at the warehouse of Philabundance, a local food bank.
The workday was so popular with PhillyCOR members that a group of organizers formed a club just for nontheistic volunteers.
PhillyCoR asserts that there are secular reasons to be good. The Secular Service webpage of the PhillyCoR website reads, "Secular Volunteers: Because Improving Our World is Rational!"
Brian Bohmueller, Vice President of the Freethought Society, insists "Rationalism and volunteerism are mutually re-enforcing."
There is also a PR motivation behind the Secular Service Club. Organizers say that while religion is commonly associated with good works, atheism is often believed to be strictly self-serving.
Barry Greenstein, Vice President of the Secular Society of Temple University says, "Community service has for too long been associated mainly with religious charities. By giving back to our community, we're putting a human face on secularism. I'd like to see the stigma of this word, secularism, go away once and for all. It's a positive thing, something the founders of this country believed in strongly."
Martha Knox, Humanist celebrant and Director of the Humanist Association adds, "Nontheistic people have always been involved in service and activism for positive social change. But we aren't recognized because, unlike religious people, we don't do it under the banner of our worldview. Maybe we should."
Interested parties can sign up to volunteer or learn more about the Secular Service Club here.