How We Can Care For Each Other

Secular Sunday

February 4, 2019

Attendees:

·         Ann Brady	·         Pam Hill	·         Sean Bienert
·         James	·         Gina	·         Amber
·         Tara	·         Pearl	·         James
·         Geoff	·         Brian	·         John
·         Lisa	·         Chris	·         Derek
·         Penny	·         Adrienne	·         Annette
·         Caro	·         Rachel	·         Ronnie
·         Antonio	·         Bob	·         Josh

Announcements:

·         Bill requests prayers for the Patriots tonight.

·         Movie night on the 16^th.

·         Drinking Skeptically is the 22^nd.

·         James Milloways’ birthday is the 21^st.

·         Bylaws have been completed by Brian. We will be sending them out ASAP.

·         Need to set up something for the IRC and adopt-a-street

·         Directory was sent out – some names updated. Let Sean know if you want in

·         Brian will bring books if you let him know (he will post a list)

·         Need a shared space like a Google Drive.

·         Indivisible is having their rural canvas. Need drivers this afternoon. See Tara.

·         John’s brother (pancreatic cancer). His brother is doing some better but the cancer is still growing. They have given him stronger meds. He has learned that his wife will be taken care of so he is relieved and doing better because of it.

·         Need some way for the community to support our members. Josh – how do we find the language to support others even though we aren’t religious? “I will hold you in the light” – Quakers. Pastoral care. These are good reasons for having the directory – so we can help each other.

·         Excommunication is the opposite of communication.

Notes

The discussion about John’s brother has morphed into a discussion of how we can care for each other. Josh pointed out that it takes courage to ask for care from others. Sean says that it helps to know what others have gone through. Our stories of religious deconversion help with this. Shared experience helps in so many ways.

Penny – it’s hard not believing sometimes. When stuff happens you can’t say “God has a plan.” You have to just accept that stuff happens sometimes. It’s just chance.

Geoff – can’t remember having been asked what church do you go to. Almost all of us raised our hands when asked if they had had that question. Younger members do not have as much experience with that as we do. Ronnie said he is not asked because he works mostly with Indian software engineers. Sean says that he is a human Labrador so a lot of people talk to him, so he gets asked a lot.

Power of prayer – there are studies that show there is a measurable effect from prayer to believers.

Everyone Sean knows who says they love church don’t really. It’s like a box to check – I’ve done Jesus this week. We are like that because we seem to feel guilty if we don’t show up for a while. But overall, we seem to enjoy being here.

Rachel says that just knowing that we’re here helps.

Sean says there are other groups near by who do the same things, but it is encouraging to see that we as a society are making progress.

Discussion of slavery in early America. Example – Josh said that G. Washington’s house in Philadelphia had slave quarters.

Josh – the founding fathers understood the awfulness of slavery and did it anyway. The Constitution referred to white MEN when they were discussing rights. We live with ambiguity on many levels. Their real values were the ones they lived by, not the ones they wrote about.

Sean – we discus this sort of thing all the time in reference to televangelists. Aesop’s fable of the lion and the lamb. Those with power (wealth) set their own rules.

Josh – the question is who is being hurt by what I allow myself to do.

James M. – not really. How outcome oriented are we?

Josh – there is a difference between saying “I’m a vegan but I wear wool” and owning slaves, although some vegans equate eating animals to slavery.

James – less prominent people do things without getting into trouble.

Sean – analogies will always have something that doesn’t work.

Discussion of Quakers, Shakers, Mennonites, Amish.

Fake curse words. Oh Fudge. Holy Guacamole. Kicking thebucket (??)

We have resolved to get everybody to stop saying “based off of” instead of “based on”. - Josh

“Fucking A” comes from WWII. A book.

Thank you, Ann - these are wonderful notes!