An Open Letter to Governor Chafee

 









The Honorable Lincoln D. Chafee

Office of the Governor

82 Smith Street

Providence, RI 02903

Dear Governor Chafee,

The Humanists of Rhode Island are proud to support your recent actions regarding the artificial controversy fomented on talk radio and Fox News regarding the Holiday Tree at the Rhode Island State House.

Rhode Island has a long and proud tradition of religious freedom, secularity and freethought. Roger Williams founded this state to honor the conscience and traditions of all faiths and no faiths, and your actions reflect these values.

Thank you for taking this stand and for navigating the difficult terrain of those who seek to politicize the holidays for personal fortune and fame.

Sincerely,

Steve Ahlquist

President

Humanists of Rhode Island

Bryant University Hosts “Faitheist” Author with Local Humanists

Author Chris Stedman will speak at Bryant University at 7PM on Wednesday, November 28. Copies of his book, “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious,” will be available for sale, with proceeds going to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The event, co-sponsored by Humanists of Rhode Island, will be held in the Bryant Interfaith Center. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Having endured intolerance as a gay Christian and then as an atheist interfaith activist, Stedman now argues for respectful dialogue between atheists and believers and cooperation in social action between secular and interfaith communities. He is the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, Values in Action Coordinator at the Humanist Community at Harvard and author of Non-Prophet Status, a blog dedicated to atheist-interfaith engagement.

Stedman earned his MA in Religion from the University of Chicago and served on the Leadership Team of the Common Ground Campaign, a response to anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence surrounding the Park51 controversy. He also served as a Content Developer for the Interfaith Youth Corps and now sits on the Board of Directors of the interfaith global development organization World Faith and advises the “Challenge the Gap” charitable initiative of the Foundation Beyond Belief.

The Bryant campus is located at 1500 Douglas Pike in Smithfield, RI. Campus sponsors include Literary and Cultural Studies, History and Social Sciences, Applied Psychology, the Women’s Center, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Interfaith Center.