About the Project

Recently Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, wrote:
“I believe that one of the key issues facing the left . . . is whether all of us—secular, spiritual, and religious alike—can treat one another with the humanity, honesty, respect and grace we all need and deserve?"

This project gives the much-needed affirmative answer: Yes!

This statement is the product of an ongoing dialogue I have had with a range of progressive leaders from secular, religious, and spiritual progressives. After speaking to people such as Rev. Timothy Simpson of the Christian Alliance for Progress, I quickly began to realize that secular-humanists like myself have too much in common with religious and spiritual progressives to allow our differences to divide us. And after speaking to secular-humanists such as Jennifer Hancock, executive director for the Humanists of Florida Association, I realized many secularists agree that it is time progressives of all beliefs unite for the improvement of our society.

While I authored the original draft of the statement, several people were instrumental in co-authoring the version you now know. Those most responsible for shaping the final version of the letter are Greg M. Epstein, Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University, and Jennifer Hancock.
-- Jeff Nall/ organizer

Reactions to the Project

Recently a link to "A New Progressive Alliance: A Call for Unity Between Secular and Religious Progressives" was posted on WitchVox. We read the letter and were thrilled to see an alliance between secular and religious progressives being formed. Members of the Elodrym consider themselves to be magicians who draw on abstract mystical ideas yet understand that living in a physical world requires scientific knowledge.

We crafted a vision statement which in part reads: "Our Hope for the World: We want to work with others to create a world that is egalitarian, maintains a balance between innovation and sustainable living, and encourages conscious spiritual evolution." The New Progressive Alliance is a step toward maintaining the balance between technology and ecology, science and religion, government and freedom of thought. Please add our names to the letter.

Regards, Masery (Tara Miller) and Arkayne Magii (Michael Miller) Myrddin of the Elodrym