A sizable crowd enjoyed a lecture by UMSL Dean and History Professor Andrew Kersten at the Ethical Society on the evening of February 7. He is author of the recent book, “Clarence Darrow: American Iconoclast”.
St. Louis had the largest continent (six) of any Chapter of AU at the annual National meeting in Washington, on October 29 and 30. It was an informative and inspirational experience, featuring our new President and CEO, Rachel Laser (in the middle of the picture). Highlights of the meeting can be found in the December issue of Church and State. A new video that gives a succinct view of what AU stands for is now available: Click here to watch it!
We had a chance to greet our long-time Executive Director, Barry Lynn, who was looking healthy after his heart attack last year.
Artic
le VI, Clause 3 of the constitution guarantees that citizens are not required to have a specific set of religious beliefs, or any at all, in order to exercise their rights. Nevertheless, Americans have an aversion to atheists in public life, as is described a thoughtful review, “Without a Prayer: Why are Americans Still Uncomfortable with Atheism” by Casey Cep in the October 29 New Yorker of two books: “Godless Citizens in a Godly Republic: Atheists in American Public Life”(Norton) by Cornell Professors R. Laurence Moore and Isaac Kramnick and “Seven Types of Atheism” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) by philosopher John Gray. If you don’t get to the books, the review is well worth reading. Click on the article link above.
Susan Jacoby’s op-ed with this headline appeared in the Sunday, July 8, issue of The New York Times. The official title is “The White House is Tearing Down the Wall Between Church and State“. Click to read the article from the NYT website.
Be sure to read the op-ed in the Wednesday, May 22 issue of the New York Times, by Asma Uddin. Ms. Uddin is a Fellow (but not a fellow) at the Initiative on Security and Reli
gious Freedom at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations. She seems to be an excellent source on many of the issues of importance to us.
The national AU organization (https://www.au.org) has just increased annual dues from $25 to $35/year, effective immediately. Your next renewal will be slightly more expensive, but still well worth it. The dues were $25 for more than 30 years.
We had a small group on Wednesday, May 23, to see the new documentary about Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “RBG” at the Frontenac Cinema. We know that many of our members have already seen the show, or are planning to soon. It is an inspirational film, well worth the price. After the showing we had very nice dinner at Canyon Cafe, a nice “southwestern” restaurant downstairs.
Our annu
al meeting was held at the Center of Clayton on Thursday, April 26. Vice President Rudy Pulido presided as we accepted the Treasurer’s Report (we are in excellent shape fin
ancially), and re-elected three Board members whose terms expire this year – Treasurer Helene Sherman, Vice President Hal Harris, and Board member Ann Pollack. Board member Chris Guinther introduced our keynote speaker, political activist and former Missouri legislator Jeanette Mott Oxford, who is now Executive Director of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. She presented an inspiring talk that was both personal history and political insight. About twenty members attended.
AU St. Louis was represented at both weekend days of “Earth Day – 2018” in St. Louis, in Forest Park. We had a selection of pamphlets, decals, and
bumper stickers to give away. As usual at these events, we had friendly conversations with people wanted to know more about church/state issues, and many came by to express their support for what we do. We collected e-mails from those who would like to be informed about our activities and become more involved in AU. Saturday had reasonably nice weather, but Sunday was pretty chilly.
Journalist Katherine Stewart was AU’s “Person of the Year” in 2014. She has written widely and deeply on issues of church and state, including her most recent book, “Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Childr
en“, that was reviewed here shortly after it came out. On April 17, 2017, her op-ed entitled “When Is a Church Not a Church?” was published in the New York Times. Use the link to read her thoughtful comments.
