New head of major secular group is a Christian

[CopyBoy]

(RNS) The Secular Coalition for America, a lobbying group with atheist, humanist and other nonbeliever member organizations, has hired a Christian as its new executive director.

Larry Decker, 40, was raised in an independent Baptist church but now identifies as a “none” — one of the 23 percent of Americans who say they are religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center. Like the majority of nones, Decker is not an atheist; he still identifies as a Christian, albeit a nominal one.

“I was raised Christian but for years I have been unaffiliated because I cannot reconcile my values with traditional Christianity, including their concept of God,” Decker told Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist blog in an interview conducted before his appointment was announced Tuesday (Jan. 12). “Right now, if I have to put a label on it, I would say that I identify as an unaffiliated Christian. And like millions of people in our country, my belief system continues to evolve and is entirely personal to me.”

religionnews.com/2016/01/13/new-head-major-secular-group-christian/

 

[theropod]

So he’s not a Christian. He’s just the last one to know it.

 

[JustaServant]

Larry Decker, 40, was raised in an independent Baptist church

No great surprise there. IFBs have created more atheists and nominal Christians than Richard Dawkins.

 

[Murmurs]

No great surprise there. IFBs have created more atheists and nominal Christians than Richard Dawkins.

In my neck of the woods Dawkins is (inadvertently) creating great bucketloads of Christians!

In any case I think one can be very devout (whether Baptist, Catholic; Sunni; or whatever), and also believe in the idea of secularism (which might be to say the State should have absolutely no involvement or interference in religious beliefs or practices, neither that any or all religious beliefs should have an involvement in the State). Theoretically, secularism is a very good thing…it’s just the practice of it that ends up being detrimental to our (and indeed, very often, any) faith.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Good! The United States is very diverse and only getting more so. One of the reasons diverse people can live in harmony is because of our secular democracy. I want to see Christians, atheists, Jews, Muslims, etc working together on things like this, not rippng each other apart. Secularism has been incorrectly conflated with atheism, and that’s unfortunate because everyone needs to come together for this.

 

[adamhovey1988]

Good! The United States is very diverse and only getting more so. One of the reasons diverse people can live in harmony is because of our secular democracy. I want to see Christians, atheists, Jews, Muslims, etc working together on things like this, not rippng each other apart. Secularism has been incorrectly conflated with atheism, and that’s unfortunate because everyone needs to come together for this.

I agree with your sentiments to some extent what I disagree with is the way you view them for one the United States is not a secular country in the traditional sense of the word because the United States Constitution mentions your Creator several times the problem is the problem I have is a Christian at least is that atheism being forced down my throat. By the way I find it odd that you have those views yet the quote you have for your tag is from Lewis Carroll who was an Anglican deacon

 

[808Catholic]

So he’s not a Christian. He’s just the last one to know it.

 

[Starwarsfan2]

Soo , he’s not a Christian .

 

[abucs]

Is this the start of the Christian take-over of the secular movement?