The Secular Coalition for America is an advocacy group located in Washington D.C., representing atheists, humanists, freethinkers, agnostics, and other non-theistic people with a naturalistic worldview in American politics. Sean Faircloth, a five-term Maine state legislator, served as Executive Director between 2009 and 2011.^[1] Between 2005 and 2009, it was directed by former Nevada state senator Lori Lipman Brown, who became its first full-time lobbyist in September 2005 and is now Founding Director Emeritus.

The Secular Coalition works to increase visibility and respect for nontheistic viewpoints in the United States and to protect and strengthen the secular character of the U.S. government. The Coalition advocates complete separation of church and state within American politics which they claim is clearly established in the U.S. Constitution under the First Amendment. They point out that freedom of conscience, which includes religious freedom, was of such importance that it was made the first of all freedoms protected in the Bill of Rights.^[2] The Coalition holds reason and science as its guiding tenets for public policy.

Sean Faircloth May 5, 2011 - Raleigh, NC

Mission[link]

The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility, amplify the diversity of, and respect for, the growing voice of the nontheistic community in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of government as the best guarantee of freedom for all.

History[link]

The Secular Coalition for America was founded in 2002 with a melding of four U.S. secular organizations: Atheist Alliance International, the Institute for Humanist Studies, the Secular Student Alliance, and the Secular Web. In 2005 the American Humanist Association became the Coalition's fifth member organization. The Society for Humanistic Judaism and the Freedom From Religion Foundation joined the Coalition in January 2006, the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers in February 2007, and the American Ethical Union in April 2008. In 2009, Camp Quest joined in January and American Atheists became a member in June. The Council for Secular Humanism joined in January 2010.

Coalition president Herb Silverman was a leading force behind the founding of the organization, which was designed as a framework for cooperation among secular groups in the United States. Silverman believed that nontheistic Americans could gradually gain the respect of politicians and society if they collaborated on issues and presented a unified force for activism.

Board of directors[link]

The Secular Coalition for America Board of Directors is democratically structured. Each sponsoring member organization appoints one individual to serve as its representative director, who casts one vote on any matter considered by the Board. Officers may be associated with member organizations or may come from the wider freethought community. Current officers are Herb Silverman, president; David Niose, vice president; Ron Solomon, treasurer; August E. Brunsman IV, secretary.

Advisory board[link]

Advisors to the Secular Coalition for America are Woody Kaplan, chair; Rob Boston; Daniel Dennett; Richard Dawkins; Bruce Flamm; Sam Harris; Jeff Hawkins; Susan Jacoby; Wendy Kaminer; Michael Newdow; Massimo Pigliucci; Steven Pinker; Salman Rushdie; Ellery Schempp; Todd Stiefel; and Julia Sweeney.

Legislative focus[link]

The Secular Coalition for America addresses issues arising out of the inappropriate incursion of religion into public policy, such as government funding of religious ministries (the "Faith Based Initiative" or "charitable choice"); tuition vouchers for religious schools; federally funded abstinence-only sex education; limits to embryonic stem cell research; Constitutional marriage protection amendments; access to birth control and emergency contraception; the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act; and the Pledge Protection Act as well as other court-stripping measures.

The Coalition is particularly active in challenging discrimination against nontheists by government sponsored organizations like the Boy Scouts of America. Similarly, it works to protect service members from proselytism by military chaplains.

The Coalition also welcomes and works in cooperation with religious groups regardless of affiliation when there is common ground on issues and when they share beliefs of freedom of conscience and separation of church and state. The Secular Coalition for America espouses religious tolerance to people of all religions and those without.

Elected official contest[link]

In 2007 the Secular Coalition for America pledged a $1,000 reward to the person identifying the highest level elected official to openly acknowledge no supernatural beliefs. The "Find an Atheist, Humanist, Freethinker Elected Official Contest" concluded with the announcement that Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), a member of the United States Congress since 1973, held the highest office of four public servants to acknowledge a secular world view to the Coalition after being nominated by a contestant. Stark is the first Congressional member to publicly self-identify with the freethought community.

Administration briefing[link]

On February 26, 2010, the Secular Coalition for America, along with a unified delegation of members of the secular movement from across the country, met with representatives of the Obama administration for an official policy briefing—the first of its kind specifically for American nontheists. The group raised three particular areas of concern to secular Americans: military proselytizing and religious coercion, fixing the Faith-Based Initiatives program, and ending the exemptions granted to religious groups in laws governing child medical abuse and neglect.

Congressional scorecard[link]

The Secular Coalition for America publishes a Web-based Congressional scorecard rating U.S. Representatives and Senators on their roll call votes and legislative sponsorship.^[3]

Ten-year Plan[link]

The Secular Coalition for America unveiled in February 2010 a decade-long strategy to raise its influence and that of its member organizations in a document known as Our Secular Decade. The eight-point plan, which focused on increased networking of secular Americans, improved outreach and education efforts, and an expansion of the group's issue base, was approved by the Board of Directors in January 2010.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Website of the Secular Coalition for America
• Non-believers raising voice in capital, article by Jill Lawrence, USA Today, September 18, 2005
• CBS News: Atheists Have a Lobbyist, Too, article by Joel Roberts, CBS News, October 25, 2005
• Godless Pride, article by Art Levine, Mother Jones, December 2005
• Atheists Challenge the Religious Right, article by Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, January 4, 2007
• In America, Nonbelievers Find Strength in Numbers, article by Jacqueline L. Salmon, The Washington Post, September 15, 2007
• Obama aides to meet with atheists on White House grounds, McClatchy News, February 25, 2010

This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (May 2012)

Edwina Rogers
Edwina Rogers in May 2012
Born	(1964-05-27) May 27, 1964 (age 48) Alabama
Occupation	Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America
Known for	Conservative lobbyist

Edwina Rogers has served in public policy positions in the US Senate, White House, private, and international sectors for over twenty years. She served as the founding Executive Director of the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) from 2006-11, a Washington DC trade association. The PCPCC is responsible for the national patient centered home movement and for implementing the model around the US.

Edwina served as Vice President, Health Policy for the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) in Washington, DC from May 2004 to January 2009.^[1] ERIC advocates the employee benefits and compensation interests of America’s major employers.

She was an Economic Advisor for President George W. Bush at the White House during 2001 and 2002 at the National Economic Council, focusing on health and social security policy. Ms. Rogers was General Counsel of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the Republican take-over of the Senate in 1994. She worked for Senator L ott while he was Majority Leader in 1999 and she handled health policy for Senator Sessions in 2003 and 2004. Edwina worked on International Trade matters for former President George H. W. Bush at the Department of Commerce from 1989 to 1991.

Ms. Rogers practiced law in the Washington office of Balch and Bingham from 1991 to 1994. She received her BS in Corporate Finance from the University of Alabama and a JD from Catholic University in Washington DC. Ms. Rogers was a Fellow at the Kennedy School at Harvard during 1996.

Edwina has written a conservative column for The Georgetowner newspaper in Washington, DC and is a regular strategist on cable news television.^[2] She served on the Board of Directors of Semco Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SEN) a natural gas distribution company until 2007.

In 2012, she was named Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America.^[3]

References[link]

Sean Faircloth
Sean Faircloth - May 5, 2011 - Raleigh, NC
Member of the Maine House of Representatives from the 17th / 117th district
In office December 2002 – December 2008
Preceded by	Christina L. Baker
Succeeded by	Sara R. Stevens
Member of the Maine Senate from the 9th district
In office December 1994 – December 1996
Preceded by	John E. Baldacci
Succeeded by	Robert E. Murray Jr.
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office December 1992 – December 1994
Personal details
Born	1960/1961 (age 50–51)
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Notre Dame, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Profession	attorney, politician

Sean Faircloth (born 1960/1961)^[1] is the author of Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All -- and What We Can Do About It (Pitchstone Press, released February 2012). Faircloth, an attorney, served five terms in the Maine Legislature including appointments on the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. In his final term, Faircloth was elected Majority Whip. In 2009 Faircloth became executive director of the Secular Coalition for America, advocating for separation of church and state, and for greater acceptance of nontheistic viewpoints in American life. In September 2011 he became the Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and was the opening speaker for Dawkins book tour.^[2] Faircloth's first book published by Pitchstone Press, Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All - and What We Can Do About It was released in February 2012.

July 13, 2011 at The Amazing Meeting

Faircloth had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum in 1996 and led the project from concept to completion in 2001. Maine Discovery Museum was then the second largest children's museum outside Boston in New England.

Faircloth successfully spearheaded over thirty laws, including the so-called Deadbeat Dad child support law which was later incorporated into federal law.^[3] Faircloth had numerous legislative successes in children's issues and justice system reform.^[4]

Faircloth has spoken around the United States regarding the U.S. Constitution, children's policy, obesity policy, and sex crime law.

Faircloth in Burbank, California (2009)

Children's advocacy[link]

Faircloth led the creation of Maine's Healthy Start child abuse prevention initiative,^[5] and sponsored the first law making possession of child pornography a crime in Maine.

“For his legislative accomplishments in the prevention of child sex abuse, and the healthy start child abuse prevention initiative,^[6] and for spearheading the deadbeat dad child support law,” Faircloth was named Legislator of the Year by the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in 1995, and by the Maine Psychological Association. The deadbeat dad law was incorporated into a proposal by the Clinton administration.^[3] Laura Fortman, then Maine Women’s Lobby Executive Director, said of this law, “Sean took the lead in proposing his revised amendment to members of the Appropriations Committee, in disagreement with some members of his own party on the Judiciary Committee, demonstrating tenacity and leadership. This legislation provided essential economic support for low-income women and children.” Maine's Chapter of the National Organization for Women said, “In his first term Sean Faircloth had a major impact on national public policy.”

Faircloth received the Outstanding Advocacy Award from the Maine Association of Community Service Providers (MASCP) in 2003, in part because Faircloth twice successfully opposed cuts to children’s mental health programs. MACSP President Jan Fraser said to Faircloth, “If there was ever the case that one person can make a huge difference, you are living proof.”^[7] Faircloth sponsored An Act To Enhance Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children, which increased pay and the number of teachers for these children, as well as paid for new equipment for education for the blind.^[8]

In 2003 Faircloth initiated a first-in-the-nation policy improving school nutrition standards 24/7 in Maine K-12 schools,^[9] preventing sale of soda from school vending machines, and leading to removing “super-sizing” from schools. For his work on child obesity policy, Faircloth was invited to speak at conferences at Harvard Medical School, Yale University, and the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Kelly Brownell, listed in Time Magazine's 100 most influential people said, “The legislative actions Rep. Faircloth has proposed are among the most innovative in the country. I fully expect legislators to follow Sean Faircloth’s lead.” Because of these successes, Faircloth was named Legislator of the Year by the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 2003.^[10]

In 2004 Faircloth was appointed House Chair of a Sex Crime Commission to Improve Sex Offender Accountability, successfully enhancing penalties on fixated pedophiles while advocating moderation of sex crime registries.^[11]

In 2007 Faircloth was appointed House Chair of the Commission to Establish a Strategic Priorities Plan for Maine’s Young Children,^[12] which created a prioritized plan regarding children’s policy,^[13] and resulted in creation of the Maine Children’s Growth Council. This Council, later designated Maine's Early Childhood Advisory Council, makes children’s issues a top priority in law, emphasizing economic return on investment in early childhood.

Writing and public speaking[link]

Faircloth's first book is titled Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All - and What We Can Do About It.^[14] The book focuses on the importance of returning America to its secular roots.^[15] In this review of the book Adam Savage from The Mythbusters writes, "There's not a doubt in my mind that if he was (suddenly, inexplicably) zapped back in time to meet Thomas Jefferson, that the Founding Father would clap him on the shoulder and say Thanks."^[14] Susan Jacoby, Bill Nye and JREF's James Randi also give glowing reviews. Richard Dawkins writes that this book is important "particularly as we approach America’s 2012 elections. The trend toward theocratic thinking in the United States is a danger not only for America but for the entire world."^[16]

Faircloth was a regular opinion columnist for the Bangor Metro Magazine from 2004 to 2009, and a columnist for the Bangor Daily News in the late 1990s. Because of his ideas about childhood obesity policy, Faircloth has spoken around the United States, including venues at Yale, Harvard,^[17] Rice University, and the Centers for Disease Control.^[10]

As Majority Whip, Faircloth was selected to welcome Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama in this warm-up speech when the Senator visited Maine in 2008. Faircloth states "We want a candidate who goes beyond parties...thinks independently and seeks justice."^[18]

Maine Discovery Museum[link]

In 1996 Faircloth had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum^[19] and led that project through completion of the $4.5 million dollar facility in 2001.^[20] Maine Discovery Museum served as a lynchpin of downtown revitalization. Then-Congressman John Baldacci said that Maine Discovery Museum “restored the heart” to downtown Bangor.^[21] At that time, the Maine Discovery Museum was the largest children's museum outside Boston in New England. Capital Campaign Director Martha Dudman stated, “Sean Faircloth’s determination and attention to detail is what has made this project as successful as it has been.”^[20] The Bangor Daily News called it a “grassroots success” not possible without Sean Faircloth’s “dedication and energy.”^[20] Faircloth was honored as Grand Marshall of the 4th of July parade in Bangor in 2001. "The energy and pride that we experienced in the establishment of the Maine Discovery Museum has been repeated over and over with the University of Maine Museum of Art, the library expansion and the Bangor Museum and Center for History," said former Bangor Mayor John Rohman.^[22]

Justice system reform[link]

Faircloth graduated from the University of Notre Dame and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Attorney Faircloth worked in private law practice, served as an Assistant Attorney General, as Legal Counsel to the Maine State Senate, and lobbied on behalf of the Maine State Bar Association. He also taught courses within the University of Maine system, including Criminal Law, Criminal Evidence, Judicial Process, Administrative Law, Legal Controversies, Advocacy, as well as Legal Writing and Research.

Based on his experience as a lawyer and Assistant Attorney General, Faircloth worked successfully for improvements in child support and child protective laws. Faircloth served on the Judiciary Committee six years and also initiated improvements in the Unfair Trade Practices Act and adoption law. The Judiciary Committee had jurisdiction over both abortion and human rights law. Faircloth voted strongly pro-choice, and favored equal rights for gay citizens. In ten years as a legislator, Faircloth voted 100% of the time with the Maine Women’s Lobby. Faircloth served as House Chair of a Commission on the Citizen's Initiative Process in 2006, and also in 2004 chaired a Commission focused on addressing child sexual abuse.^[11]

Faircloth received awards of recognition, including the 2006 Legislator of the Year Award from the Maine People's Alliance, the 2005 Excellence in Advocacy Award from the American Heart Association's Northeast Affiliate, and Legislator of the Year awards from the Maine Chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Software Developers Association.

Secular Coalition for America[link]

Faircloth, while a sitting legislator, gave an opening "prayer" for the session that quoted, not scripture, but the book Freethinkers by Susan Jacoby, as well as Walt Whitman.^[23] Faircloth began as Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America in 2009. Faircloth’s duties include advocating on Capitol Hill and to the administration for a strong separation of church and state. Faircloth also advocates and speaks around the United States regarding secular public policy and the harm that can come to average citizens if we do not follow the secular nature of the American Constitution. Members of The Advisory Board of Secular Coalition for America have included Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Wendy Kaminer, Michael Newdow, Salman Rushdie, Julia Sweeney, Massimo Pigliucci, Steven Pinker, Ellery Schempp, Rob Boston, and Chair, Woody Kaplan.

As Executive Director, Faircloth has worked with the Secular Coalition for America board to create a ten-year plan called Our Secular Decade.^[24] Sean Faircloth was appointed as Director of Strategy and Policy at the Richard Dawkins Foundation in September 2011.

Richard Dawkins[link]

Faircloth was the opening speaker for Professor Dawkins 2011 book tour and will continue as the opening speaker during 2012. Dawkins speaks highly of Faircloth and says he "has a proven ability to strategize, organize, and energize -- qualities essential to making secularism a successful social movement... I want him out speaking far and wide." Faircloth's responsibilities include blogging on the RDF website as well as public speaking for secularism and "the dangers of theocratic laws, and the value of scientific policy".^[25]

During Richard Dawkins' October 2011 book tour, its sponsor Center for Inquiry (CFI) signed a contract with Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as the venue site. After seeing an interview with Dawkins on The O'Reilly Factor, an official at the club cancelled Dawkins' appearance. Dawkins said that the country club official accepted Bill O'Reilly's "twisted" interpretation of the book without having read it personally.^[26][27] Faircloth said that cancelling the reading "really violates the basic principles of America ... The Civil Rights Act ... prohibits discrimination based on race or religious viewpoint. ... [Dawkins has] published numerous books ... to explain science to the public, so it's rather an affront, to reason in general, to shun him as they did."^[28] CFI Michigan executive director Jeff Seaver stated that "This action by The Wyndgate illustrates the kind of bias and bigotry that nonbelievers encounter all the time."^[29] Following the cancellation, protests and legal action by CFI against the Wyndgate Country Club were pursued.^[30]

During the Christmas season of 2011, Faircloth represented the Richard Dawkins Foundation during one call to Catholic Answers Live, a Catholic apologetics radio show. ^[31]

External links[link]

• Contraception and Secular Morality at Notre Dame by Sean Faircloth
• A New Strategy. Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science
• Alan Colmes interviews Faircloth
• Sean Faircloth discusses book Attack of the Theocrats
• Do You Believe in a Secular America? Ten Point Vision contest Winner

References[link]