Who we are (and aren't)
Who are we? What is this loose-knit alliance of rebel minds, this colony of feral cats, seeking a way and sometimes losing it?
A Loose-Knit Alliance of Rebel Minds
Who are we? What is this loose-knit alliance of rebel minds, this colony of feral cats, seeking a way and sometimes losing it? We're much like you: idealistic and petty, quarrelling and loving, courageous and cowardly, deluded and inspired, zealous and uncertain, empowered and weak, determined, tired, dreaming, funny, stubborn, foolish, occasionally wise, sometimes right, and often wrong.
With a hungry spirit and occasional sparks of anger, we tug at the chains of unquestioned dogma that have fettered minds, broken tender bones, shed innocent blood, orphaned too many children, and in our view brought humankind only nearer to ruin. Politically we are all over the map, conservative and liberal, moderate and progressive, sometimes libertarian, ultimately nonpartisan, pixels in a spectrum of free will. We dance and we weep. We learn as we go. We try to see our own failings too, knowing that history is a human effort – it is not destiny, it does not rain on us from heaven, but flows from the fonts of those who rise to make a difference. We are very much like you.
Our spiritual antecedents have been here, waiting usually quiet and unseen, for a long time. Your story grows into ours, and in a sense, you are our true makers.
Not all of us are atheists of course. But if we can uplift how society sees and treats atheists and other intellectual minorities, here in a nation that oft-fails the Constitutional ideals of freedom of conscience for all, then our work has not been in vain.
On the immediate scene, AOF members meet to discuss, debate and investigate new ideas. We have monthly programs, host parties, celebrate, engage in public service, and try to be better citizens and grow more visible in the public square. Ultimately we hope to be a kernel or nucleus about which may condense the crystalline idea of a secular nation, truly neutral in matters of faith and conscience. We welcome you to join us, please join us, as we dream our way to the future.
AOF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational association, maintaining affiliations with the Atheist Alliance of America, Council for Secular Humanism, American Atheists, and the American Humanist Association, and also part of the Sacramento Coalition of Reason.
Mission Statement
The purpose of Atheists and Other Freethinkers is to promote the civic understanding of atheism and the acceptance of atheists in our community. Through educational programs, projects, and publications, AOF will extend secular perspectives, including the separation of religion and government and the right to think and speak freely on these perspectives.
Vision Statement
The vision of AOF is a civic environment that invites and honors secular views in educating the community, and solicits the participation of unchurched citizens in developing social policy, social norms and legislative action.
Davis Community Meals Project
Location:
St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 640 Hawthorne Lane, Davis.
Time and Dates:
4:00 to 7:00 PM on the fifth Tuesday of any month.
RSVP is appreciated.
Call Ruth at 916-273-3471.
Join us in this effort:
Your reward will be an opportunity to meet new minds and hobnob with your freethought friends, a likely free meal, jazzy music, and the rosy hearts-glow of benevolence. Also, seriously, it’s a blast!
Our Job:
Set up chairs & tables, serve, put things away at the end, and clean a bit (with a minimum or mopping). No cooking required.
Schedule:
Setup begins at 4:30 pm. Food service begins at 5:45 pm. At 6:30 we clean up, leaving the hall as we found it.
Questions:
Contact Service Coordinator Ruth at 916-273-3471.
More details:
daviscommunitymeals.org
Restoring Church-State Separation
AOF supports a renewed legal drive to end religious inscriptions on money, and to restore American currency to its original neutrality toward religion. See here for this special project's website. History's lesson is that State and Faith both benefit from a benign mutual independence. As James Madison said, "Every new & successful example therefore of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance." And he said, "Religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together." If you agree, simply click the image to donate to this cause. Donations are tax deductible, of course.
