Our Statement of Purpose:
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The Freethinkers of Colorado Springs was formed in 1993 in response to the special threat we find
from religious groups in Colorado Springs. It was formed to provide a haven for people moving away
from religious dogma. Our objective is to restore, preserve, and protect the constitutional principle
of separation of state from church, and to fight the open bigotry displayed toward non-believers.
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Freethinkers believe in the right to freedom of belief. "Freedom of religion" includes freedom
from religion. We support the right of women to reproductive freedom unhampered by the
religious convictions of others. We believe that living according to your sexual orientation is a
human right, not a "special right," as some religions claim, and should not be controlled by legislation.
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Freethinkers have as their major goal the upholding of our great American principle, the Separation
of Church and State. We value and wish to preserve the wisdom of our Founders who created the First
Amendment to our U.S. Constitution after observing the religious conflicts in other countries caused
by the joining of religion and government.
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Because freethinkers do not demand conformity to a bible, creed or messiah, and because freethinkers
consider revelation and faith to be invalid, we do not accept the authority of orthodoxy or
self-proclaimed dictators of morality. This has caused humanists and atheists to be demonized by the
more fundamentalist branches of religion, especially as represented in Colorado Springs.
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While The Freethinkers of Colorado Springs honors the private religious beliefs of others, we offer
support to those who are beginning to question religious dogma.
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We resolve to replace gods, devils, angels, and the supernatural with REASON.
We resolve to replace antiquated tribal moral codes with REASON.
We resolve to replace pseudoscience with REASON.
We resolve to replace the prejudice and hatred in religious diatribe with REASON.
We resolve to replace religious proselytizing in our public school system with REASON.
We resolve to replace ethnic religious atrocity with REASON.
We resolve to replace unhealthy religious psychology with REASON.
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We intend no longer to tolerate being the last minority considered unworthy of
first class citizenship in the United States. We feel political action is appropriate and immediately
necessary when a Presidential candidate (George Bush, Sr.) dares to make a statement:"Faith
in God is important to me...I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should
they be considered patriots." Constitutional education is obviously urgent!
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Moreover, it is our ultimate aim to present the non-religious person as honorable, law-abiding,
generous, and moral. We realize, sadly, that even in this day of enlightened science and philosophy
the current religious perspective still makes it all but impossible to openly express non-religious
opinions for fear of losing incomes or societal status. We want to change that! But it will take an
enormous effort to overcome the dangerous tide of religious fervor in this country. We can no longer
sit back, smugly assuming that eventually reason will prevail. Our freedom is at stake. The danger
is real and imminent.
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It is urgent that we replace the emphasis on gods and after-lives with the emphasis on a world we have
inherited, and align ourselves with all its living creatures. Our new moral code should not be rigid,
as our science is not rigid. It should embody the maxim: "Do the least harm." If our cause is advanced
even slightly, it is just possible that we can become the noble animal of which humankind is capable.
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