Secular coalition organizes in N.D.

The Secular Coalition for America has announced initial organizing efforts for a chapter in North Dakota. The state chapter will lobby state lawmakers in favor of a strong separation of religion and government.

The initial organizing call for the Secular Coalition for North Dakota will be held at 3 p.m. Monday. The SCA encourages interested participants to call in. Participation is open to anyone who supports a strong separation of religion and government and wants to get involved, irrespective of personal religious beliefs.

Participants of the Secular Coalition for North Dakota will be trained to lobby state lawmakers, and the chapter will be provided with a website and other materials.

The Secular Coalition for America — a lobbying organization representing 11 member organizations and nontheistic Americans — advocates for a strong separation of religion and government at the federal level. The Secular Coalition is launching 50 new state chapters by the end of 2012 to lobby at the state level.

No specific legislative agenda has been set for the North Dakota chapter yet. In general, the Secular Coalition focuses on legislation that attempts to insert religion, religious privileging or religiously-based discrimination into secular laws, or uses taxpayer funding to support, promote or proselytize religion or religious beliefs.

Interested participants are encouraged to call in to the meeting at 530-881-1400, participant access code: 978895.

Official call dates and the call-in phone number for chapter conference calls are available at Secular.org/about/states.

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