Spiritual Humanism Invocation

I hope every one had a great Equinox. Our celebration was a lot of fun, if not a little dark and smoky.

DISCUSSION FORUMS

The forums are up and running. Please stop in and post/read messages. They are still in "beta" phase so any comments you have to improve them are appreciated. They can be found at http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/phpBB2/

CANADA

There have been a lot of request from Canada as to the legal status of The Church of Spiritual Humanism in that country. In Canada we have initiated the process of applying for charity status from Revenue Canada. After we receive approval we then need to register in each province. The bureaucratic procedure is guaranteed to take a while so we thank you for your patience (and watch for updates in future newsletters).

IN THE NEWS

House Affirms 'Under God' in Pledge Tuesday October 8, 2002 6:50 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - Spurred by a recent court ruling, the House passed a bill Tuesday that would reinforce support for references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto. Full story at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2073530,00.html

EDITORS NOTE: The facts as to whether gods exist or not are independent of any law passed by politicians. The United States is a great country because it provides the freedom for great ideas to grow and flourish. If we lose this freedom we will no longer be the great country that was founded and prospered under these principles. And undoubtedly through the lack of freedom to innovate we will flounder and fail. Our constitution says politicians should not regulate religion. Maybe you should give your representatives a call and tell them what a bad idea this bill is.

READERS WRITE IN

I hope to include letters from members like the one below in this newsletter. So if you have question feel free to email me at info ( at ) spiritual humanism.org

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A Reader Writes:

I have a question. With the holidays approaching and big gatherings of friends and families to share meals, I was wondering if you could recommend some word of thanks to start a meal. Perhaps it is my Catholic roots, but when a group has gathered for a special meal (esp. Thanksgiving) I am always uncomfortable digging into the meal without a few thoughts/words of thanks and reflection. Do you have any to share or as a basis for me to elaborate?

These kind of little rituals are very important. If you don't provide an invocation based on the principles of Spiritual Humanism you are sure to be stuck with some one else reciting a prayer that thanks supernatural powers for their supposed help. I suggest something like:

May the truth make us free,
May the beauty and joy of life compel us, 
To have hope for the future and remember those past. 
As we eat this meal together,      
May we gain from each other and ourselves inspiration, 
The vision of a better world,
And how we can make that vision a reality.

We need to have many more Spiritual Humanist invocations, rituals and ceremonies like this. That's why I am issuing a call for submissions for these types of contributions. If you have some ideas or samples that you wish to share, please visit our new Rites and Ceremonies Forum at http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/phpBB2/index.php and read my post "Call for Submissions." We really could use your help in developing the Spiritual Humanist Liturgy.

CONCLUSION

We have added an item to the Deluxe Clergy Pack, a Letter of Good Standing. In some localities this is required in order to register to perform weddings. If you have purchased a Deluxe Clergy Package email us and we will send you a Letter of Good Standing for your records. If you have bought an Advanced or Basic Clergy pack you can upgrade at any time. Just send us a note and the difference in price between the two.

The Ordained Minister Packages are available in our online store. The Ordination Certificates and Clergy Wallet ID Cards are really cool, and, of course, The Officiant's Manual contains valuable information such as marriage laws for all 50 states, sample ceremonies, etc. The fees charged for these packs are our only income and help defer the cost of the web site, advertising, PO Box, and incorporation fees.

RA Zorger President, The Church of Spiritual Humanism www.SpiritualHumanism.org

News
There is no god, church billboard proclaims
Thu, 01 Sep 2011
While the local Mid Ohio Atheists group thinks the billboard promotes their own message, some confused Christians have complained. The purpose of the billboard was to make people think more about their beliefs and promote the church's website.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead, Time To Bring Home the Troops
Mon, 02 May 2011
He is gone and that’s a good thing. Now it is time for America to get our house in order. It is time to end the wars and occupation that Bin Laden provoked. His goal was to pull us in to conflict with all of the Muslim world so that they might unite under his banner to battle against us. In this he failed. We have prevailed and now it is time for us to move on to face even greater threats and challenges.

Happy Spring Equinox
Sun, 20 Mar 2011
The Spring Equinox is today March 20th 2011. Also known as the Vernal Equinox, the official start of spring occurs today at 7:21 pm Eastern Daylight Time. If you are interested in the spiritual aspects of the natural event take a look at my Spiritual Equinox 2011 celebration post.

Spring Equinox 2011
Mon, 14 Mar 2011
Each season has its own flavor, and atmosphere. The essential nature of spring is hope. Even though the whole of winter's bluster has not entirely faded, there is a change in the air. The days have slowly been growing longer to noticeable degree. There are no fruits in vegetables coming in for harvest but the crocus has sprouted and come into bloom.