3) Science, Reason, and Critical Thinking
The state of critical thinking, science, and reason in America is tragic. It is an issue all over the world, but everywhere else not nearly as bad as it is in the USA. Reason is under heavy attack. Religionism, new age groups, "power" crystals, angelism, creationism, Biblical literalism and fundamentalism, urban myths, UFOlogy, and many more unfounded beliefs are now widespread in all fifty states. US citizens lack the proper tools to think critically and analyze what they hear. It is much "cooler" in America to shut up and go with the flow than challenge beliefs that have absolutely no scientific proof whatsoever. Rumors and faith are enough for most people to allow them to follow whatever idea they seem to like, regardless of whether it is true or not. The CFA exists to challenge these ideas, and to show people that regardless of how comforting or fun it is to hold these beliefs to be true, consequences for everyone inevitably follow.
Science is under attack right now as well. Not long ago, the states of Kansas and Kentucky hit a media firestorm by removing evolution from public school curricula, and in some places banning all mention of radiocarbon dating and the big bang theory also! The latest method for creationists to throw a wrench into science education is to get placed on school boards, where they attempt to have evolution, big bang, and often geology studies removed from science curricula. They also attempt to have the religious article of creationism tought alongside or instead of the scientific theory of evolution. Freethinkers everywhere understand the history of religious interference with science, and the torturing, silencing, killing, and defamation of scientists and science. The Save our Science campaign (S.O.S.) was established by the CFA to promote accurate science education, defend well demonstrated theories like evolution, and prevent religious articles from being passed off as science.
The new millenium will bring about many biological breakthroughs. We have the possibilites of genome mapping, genetic engineering, forced adaptation, and whole array of biotechnology applications. These are serious moral and scientific issues. Some might be dangerous. The last thing that needs to be done in the world is to eliminate education of the science that brought these wonderous and frightening breakthroughs about. As citizens, voters, and policy makers, if we are to make informed decisions about these serious issues we need to understand the scientific foundation upon which they are based. Removing this foundation from our students educations because of radical religious beliefs is placing all of humanity in jeopardy.
4) Challenging Misrepresentations of Non-Religious Lifestyles
Many people feel that without religion we have no morality. This is simply untrue. From human experience and lessons from history we have learned well what pain is, and what causes it. Humans are social mammals, and live in communities. The survival and well being of every person everywhere has always depended on cooperation and understanding. This is true even today.
Non-religious people are not evil. They are not by default immoral, despotic, or cynical. Surely there are non-religious people with negative attitudes, but there are as many religious people with negative attitudes. Humanists and many, probably most, non-religious people have cultivated wihtin themselves a sense of responsibility for their own actions. They rely on their concience and reactions from their actions, and not divinity, to seek "forgiveness" (or make it up to someone) when they have transgressed anothers rights or happiness. Atheists, Humanists, Agnostics, and all manner of Freethinkers are every bit as productive, happy, and caring as religious people. And when non-religious people do good deeds they do them only for the sake of doing good, and not because they are scoring points with some cosmic referee or divine judge.
There are far too many lies and misrepresentations about Humanists and non-religious people that circulate in society to be listed here. They generally spawn from intolerant religious extremist groups and unfortunatley find their way into an unwitting public. The Council for Secular Humanism and Campus Freethought Alliance and like organizations fight to remove these unfounded beliefs from pop "circulation".
5) Comfortable Community
Atheism has a simple definition. "A" meaning without and "theism" which means belief in a God or gods. Atheists do not hold a belief in a God or gods. Agnostic is also a simple word, where "gnostic" means "knowing". Agnostics claim that whether there is a God or not, he/she/it has not revealed itself in any form, and therefore religions are fundamentally incorrect, and certainly world affecting decisions and prejudices shouldn't come from them. Skepticism is simply denying supernatural beliefs and explanations, and relying on proofs for all scientific, supernatural, and other moderate to major ideas. (No, skeptics do not normally require one to prove what they had for breakfast and so on). The semantics and variations of non-belief and un-belief can vary slightly from dictionary to dictionary or book to book. But one thing the definitions hold in common is specifically un-belief and/or belief that a divine power or being does not reveal itself and interfere with the affairs of the Universe.
Many people hate all of the above. They do not like the fact that a large number of people have not chosen a rigid dogma or belief system (specifically their belief system). Say the word "Atheist" and most people will begin to look uneasy, whether they are belivers or non-believers. These simple terms are considered negative in many societies, especially in the USA.. In most places in the United States one cannot reveal their non-belief to a group without comments of pity or anger, as if unbelief were some sort of curse. The CFA exists to provide these non-believers, Atheists, Agnostics, and Freethinkers with a safe haven where they can openly and proudly express their feelings. This is a compassionate, understanding, and comfortable community for freethinkers.
6) Humanity
We are all human. We are all members of the Homo Sapiens species, an odd yet intelligent mammal from the primate family. There are some slight genetic variations within our species known as "race", though these are quite superficial. Our species is a social one, and from the hunter-gatherer days in our history and before we have cooperated and taken care of one another. Through all of the wars, conflicts, anger and resentment, glimpses of compassion and caring have always shone through. We understand the value of unity, cooperation, and compassion. Humanism pointedly supports, endorses, and encourages compassion and a sense of responsibility for humanity. We all share art, music, literature, science, living space, fears, resources, history, infrastructure, goals, hopes, feelings, knowledge; we all share a multitude of things. It is everyone's responsibility to take care of everyone else, in one way or another. Be it understanding in times of woe, aid in times of crisis, knowledge to those in ignorance... we all have something to contibute to the common good of all humanity. Intelligent life, let alone life itself, is very rare in the universe (if not unique). We must protect it.