HUMANISTS UNITE!

MadPriest asks:

The bosses, in politics, business and religion have let us down big time recently and capitalism has lost all claims to being our "saviour." Is the next shift in society a real move to "bottom up" paradigms? What part will the internet play in this? Can the emergent church (the bit based on liberation theology not evangelical leadership models) be a major player in this - even an initiator? Is it the answer to the current stalemate in Anglicanism - e.g. should progressives and radicals just, unilaterally, move away from the centralist, controlling "instruments," ignore them, and make new alignments with anybody who is committed to the upside down way of doing things? This would fit in with my idea of "true, universal humanism" - in which believers and non-believers alike could get together to sort out the mess without either feeling threatened by the other?

Read the rest of the post at OCICBW.

The questions intrigued me and, rather than respond in a long comment, I decided to take on the questions here at Wounded Bird..

The bosses have, indeed, let us down. Are we now seeing the beginning of a shift to a "bottom up" paradigm? We may be. In the political arena, health care reform would probably now be dead but for the continuing efforts of the grass roots to goad President Obama and the Congress from their lethargy into action. In the end, health care reform legislation may not pass, but at least for now, the legislation is still alive. The public option may even be a possibility, thanks again to ordinary people and the loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts, which should have been a win for the Democrats. 40 brave senators have now pledged to support legislation which includes the public option.

What part did the internet play? A great part, I believe. Blogs, Facebook groups, and Twitter have changed the political landscape so that information spreads quickly, and responses are close to immediate.

What about the stalemate in the Anglican Communion? General Convention 2009 of the Episcopal Church passed two resolutions, D025, which states that all orders of ordained ministry are open to all the baptized, including gays and lesbians in committed same-sex relationships, and CO56, which permits a diocesan bishop who so chooses to allow same-sex blessings and marriages in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

Two Episcopal dioceses in the South, Louisiana and Upper South Carolina elected moderate to progressive bishops, both of whom received consents - no surprise there. The Diocese of Los Angeles elected two women as suffragan bishops, one of whom is a lesbian in a long-term partnered relationship. Both women received consents from both the bishops and the Standing Committees of the Episcopal Church. Progressives in the church are greatly encouraged by this series of events. I don't expect that Bishop Katharine will ever ask members of the church to stand in a "crucified place" again.

The Episcopal Church goes about its business of moving forward toward justice and equality, despite awareness that there are those in the wider Anglican Communion who will not approve, including the Primus inter Pares, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. In the comments to my post on Mary Glasspool receiving consents from both the bishops and the Standing Committees, I asked how long it would be before Rowan Williams speaks out in an attempt to rain on our parade. Another commenter asked, "Rowan who?"

The trend in the Episcopal Church toward justice and equality is, I believe, irreversible. In the Anglican Communion, I believe that other churches will take similar steps toward inclusion to the Episcopal Church. The Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church of Scotland seem likely to follow soon. The Church of England may be slower.

On the political scene in the US, I don't know what lies ahead. I hope that we get a health care reform bill passed and signed into law, preferably a bill which includes the public option. I hope that we move ahead to further regulation of the financial institutions which have demonstrated that they cannot or will not regulate themselves. And much more.

As to humanists within and outside the church cooperating, I don't see why not. I see seeds being planted as the Roman Catholic nuns and the Catholic Hospital Association speak out in support of health care reform in opposition to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. The church may, indeed, have to take the lead to reach out to establish relationships of trust with secular humanists.